Not to brag, but my leaders are pretty great at creating a welcoming youth ministry environment. Last Sunday, for instance, one of my small group leaders created (from scratch) an Armor of God Escape Room experience for his middle school guys. I’ll pause here so you can give a proper applause…
That kind of creativity and care is a beautiful thing in youth ministry, and it’s especially helpful for the students whose interests are typically overlooked. It’s easy to find active, athletically-driven games and activities for our students to play, but for the more brainy middle school boys who showed up at church last week, that Escape Room activity was a positive indicator that they belong here.
In the very same breath, I have to admit that after church was over, I got an email from a mom whose sixth grader had attended for the first time. He told her after church that he was uncomfortable because another student was subtly harassing him during the activity.
I share that story to simply say this…
Creating a welcoming environment for students is hard.
Because the students you want to mobilize to welcome new students are human, and have wounds and sin bents and broken lenses they see through, not all of them are going to be on board with the mission. And because the new students you want to welcome in have wounds and sin bents and broken lenses they see through, not all of them are going to respond the same way to being welcomed. But throw in the natural me-centered, embarrassment-filled developmental stage of adolescence, and it’s easy to see why creating a welcoming environment in youth ministry is pretty tough.
One of the reasons I believe being a youth pastor is the best job in the world is because God uses our position to give us clear insight into what He experiences as a shepherd of people. I mean…utilizing imperfect people to positively engage other imperfect people—all while simultaneously accepting the developmental stage of both people and gently leading them onward in their personal development according to the level of relational connection established with each person?
Sounds a lot like the gospel.
And yet despite how impossible it sounds when you frame it up, God navigates this dynamic with us beautifully.
God uses flawed people to imperfectly take part in His perfect mission.
It’s imperfect! When the God of the universe, Creator of all things, employs human beings to bring the Kingdom down to earth, things don’t always go perfectly. We know that. That’s not a surprise. And yet we are so hard on ourselves when we haven’t flawlessly mobilized our extraordinarily flawed gaggle of 12 and 15-year-olds to create the perfectly welcoming environment for new students.
So in light of that gospel lens, here are a few takeaways for us as we attempt to create welcoming environments for new students.
1) Don’t mistake your students for soldiers.
I get it. We want our students to be part of the Lord’s army. But sometimes that 16-year-old is coming into youth group after a really hard day, and they’re not going to be the absolute best version of themselves. Yes, attempt to mobilize your core students for Kingdom work, but also remember that they themselves are just kids.
God doesn’t overlook us for the sake of His mission. Let’s not do that to teenagers.
2) Show yourself some grace.
It’s going to be imperfect. Sometimes, you’re going to fail. Occasionally a new kid’s going to show up, and not want to come back. Do your best. Lead your flock well. But show yourself some grace when, as an imperfect person mobilizing imperfect people to positively engage imperfect people, things don’t go perfectly.
God works mightily in the midst of imperfection. It’s how He chooses to operate. So yes, create the Escape Room for the brainy kids. Yes, encourage your core kids to include the new kids. But also show yourself and your students some grace when it doesn’t go according to plan. The Lord still sits on the throne, and His power is made perfect in our weakness.
