Superbowl Potluck Snacks

Super bowl Sunday is always a fun time for a youth pastor. We get to have students over to our house or go hang out at another student’s party. The only thing is even if your team ends up winning you still feel a little blah going to bed. This reason for this blah feeling my friends, is because of the stuffing of the stomach that takes place. We had tons of food at my house with 30+ High School students crammed into my den. I ate, and then kept eating, and then I actually ate some more. I have been thinking how we often times do Youth ministry like Potlucks. You see, we love potlucks, and great spreads of food, with a huge selections but there is a problem. I don't usually eat the vegetables and fruits and healthy food. I tend to see the magnetic force pulling my plastic plate over toward the desserts and sausage balls. Now as great as it is I would probably be one of the unhealthiest Youth Pastors around if I had a Potluck dinner every week. You see that is where some of our Youth Ministries suffer. We feel like that the best way to teach students is to give them as many options as we can and try to teach them just whatever they want to hear. I have found that as fun as it can be at times and many of the students like the potluck, the true discipleship takes place when you build a healthy foundation. God has laid on my heart a strategy in youth ministry of one where we teach in a systematic approach and where we end up building foundations on top of foundations. Now it isn't always the wow messages but the cool thing about teaching foundationally and systematically is if your creative you can make it fun and interesting and your students will remember in 6 months more of what you have taught.

Do you have yearly themes that focus on teaching the Word of God to them or do you have monthly themes that don't tie into each other? Maybe you’re even struggling with your messages because each week is different from before. You see in churches our students hear a message on average 4 times a week if they are active (Sunday Morning Bible Study, Sunday Morning Sermon, Sunday Night message or small group, and Wed. night message or small group). The troubling thing is that oftentimes those 4 messages do not connect on any level to the others. Then when we ask our students what they learned they look at us with puzzled faces and we wonder how we can be more effective as teachers. Give them a potluck on occasion (Disciple Now's, Retreats, Conferences), but be sure to lay a foundation that will last with them for a lifetime.