Sustainable Activities

Though I’m rarely on the site, I get frequent Pinterest notifications of things that they think I will like. Many of these are related to child and youth ministry and promote a new game or activity that will teach a Bible truth or story. I give kudos to the creative people who dream up these things, and yet I still struggle with many of them.

Much has shifted since I was in high school, when the focus in ‘campus’ ministry seemed to be about getting people to come out and the Spirit doing the rest. Often activities involved chubby bunny type challenges or eating contests or games that today could be viewed as offensive or even as harassment. This wasn’t always the case, but enough that looking back I seriously question choices made. I still have some of the endless crafts I made at Sunday school and VBS kicking around, but most of them and the take-home papers and VBS kits are long gone in the garbage.

I don’t know about you, but I have found myself struggling with the ethics of programming choices for children and youth. Whether it was a paintball park’s invite or food frenzy idea or expensive road trips or haunted “fear factor” like experiences or lavish decorating for a short-term event that would all be pitched in the garbage, I was uncomfortable. Part of my concern was about the ability of my particular kids to handle the activity based on their own challenges and histories, part of it was about recognizing the reflection on the congregation as a whole, and part of it just caring about the environment and our footprint.

But making good choices can be difficult in a sea of expectations to compete with the big budget church down the road and to be super fun and shiny and, sadly, often entertaining and merely a distraction from reality. Not only are kids and youth conditioned to have short attention spans and to expect exciting visuals and technology, but we are all becoming more that way, including parents. We are also frequently raising young people to have most things done for them and minimal effort expected from them. Go in any craft store and you will find kits that require a bit of painting and suddenly a child has ‘made’ a birdhouse.

As child and youth leaders, we not only have the responsibility to nurture their faith but to model values that are in harmony with care of the world, care of our minds and bodies, and care for the trajectory of young lives into adulthood. We can be pivotal in helping young people to have a worldview beyond themselves and their circle at church and school. We can fight the culture around us while still providing great opportunities for reflection, experiential learning, fun and belonging. Here are some ideas to get you started:

  1. Talk with your staff supervisor or minister about the foundation for your programs and the ethos and culture of the congregation. Churches vary widely in terms of what is seen as appropriate and what is crossing a line. Of course it’s always good if you are in agreement with these yourself. What is the vision for the ministries you’re part of, and the ultimate purpose?

  2. Talk with the leadership team and perhaps even the congregation’s leadership to identity some goals, some expectations and some specific values around what your programs need to embody to serve participants well. This list could be everything from respecting parents to not wasting food and other resources to ensuring everyone feels welcome to a percentage of events being about serving others and creation to honouring a small budget and more. Get on the same page so that you will know immediately when something has gone off the page. Also be aware of and adhere to any denominational documents which outline guidelines to be followed for safety and care of participants.

  3. As you plan events, hold up your list of values and concerns and consider the implications. You may feel less than enthusiastic about the Halloween howl that’s been held every year for decades. Try to find out what the draw is and perhaps you can compromise and shift it slightly so it meets the needs you have outlined together. As long as those core values and approaches are clear and met, you should be able to handle something that wouldn’t be your first choice but is embedded in the culture.

  4. Have frequent conversations to debrief activities with leaders and, when appropriate, with the participants.. Did it work out as everyone had hoped? Were the values honoured? If not, what tweaking might be needed or should this particular activity not be held next year? Could it be done in a different way that is safer to the environment, more inclusive, less expensive and/or communicating a better message?

  5. Be sure to voice your feelings. You don’t have license to steamroll your agenda, even if you’re staff, but your team may not have thought about an activity in the same way as you. By explaining concerns, you may together find an even better approach that keeps people happy and has better results for everyone involved, including growing your participants into more aware and mature young people of faith.

There are so many ways to introduce children and youth to Jesus and to make a lasting impression on their faith journey. Resources abound for the newest and most exciting approaches. Continue to look for the bottom line, for the implied messages and for the potential impact on what your ministry’s bottom line is. Honour God in your choices by being intentional and aware of how your activities serve Christ and the needs of your kids over anything else.