Getting Teens Involved in Church

by KeeperAtHome | More from this Blogger

My husband and I have the privilege of working with the Youth Group in our church. For several months when we first began this ministry, our focus was on serving them. We planned events that would entertain and encourage them, and spent much time deciding on games and activities that we hoped they would enjoy. While it is good to plan activities for the youth in the church, it is equally important to get the youth involved in the ministries of the church. My husband and I caught this vision and began planning service ministries in which the teens in our church could take a leading role.

Our first opportunity to test out this philosophy of getting teens involved came when a deacon in the church asked us if the teens would be willing to serve the food at our church Valentine's banquet. We were a little skeptical about it: Would the kids really want to come to the church on a Saturday night, dress up, wait on and clean up after the people in the church? My husband put the opportunity before them during a Sunday school lesson and they agreed, although a little reluctantly.

Since they were going to be at the church during the dinner hour, we decided to add a little incentive for their service by providing pizza and other snacks for them in between the time in which they were to serve the food and clean up.

Once everything was pretty well-organized, my husband and I stood back and observed them. The teens were amazing! They rolled up their sleeves, dished up the food, and interacted with the members of the congregation as they served them. The kids worked together and devised their own system for how they wanted to run the meal. We did not have to intervene and give them direction, they completely took control. Then, when the food was served, they headed into the teen room to eat their pizza. One of the teen guys led in prayer and they spent the next hour talking and laughing and having a great time.

Though things seemed to be going well, I was still a little nervous about them having to clean up afterwards. At first we thought the teens would only have to load the dishwasher, but then a deacon asked if they would be willing to take charge of all of the clean up. I thought we were pushing our luck, so to speak, by expecting this of them, but they completely exceeded my expectations. Two of the girls started washing dishes while the guys grabbed towels so they could dry. They talked and laughed with each other, while also interacting with the people in the church that were in the vicinity. The church members themselves did a great job of expressing thanks to the teens and the teens were obviously proud of themselves.

Some of you may be thinking, "Wow, you must have little angels in your Youth Group!" I would have to say that our group of teens is pretty average. They are good kids, but they definitely make their share of mistakes. I think that the reason the service ministry worked out so well was that they received so much positive feedback and praise. Those things, coupled with a special meal for them, made them feel valued. We are excited about planning more activities in which we can get them involved in serving in the church.

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