When people talk about growth in a church, we often mean numbers rather than individual maturity. This is the ladder leading to the slippery-dip of disaster.
Youth group is an excellent example if this slippery-dip of disaster. What happens is there are a few teens at a church so somebody begins a youth group in there lounge room. It is a bible study group with questions aimed at a teenage level (which is not all that different from a grown up level if we are honest) Then God blesses the group and it grows in numbers and spiritual maturity in its members. After a few years it is too big for a lounge room and anyway the original youth group leaders had a baby, so we move to the church hall. This opens up to many benefits like room to split age groups for bible study and room to run games attractive to teenage boys, lets face it, most girls. Then the group grows quickly as kids invite friends and they enjoy the games, more leaders are recruited and bible study and games is the thing. Then we realize that about 1/2 the time we have with the kids is game time so we should make the games reinforce the main point of the bible study. Then we notice that yr7 boys don't like sitting down for bible study so we make it easier and quicker with a little 5 minute bible talk at the beginning, but it is ok because of the useful games we are playing. Then we drop bible study all together and just have a short talk and a bible related game and other, more fun games. Then it is hard to think up bible related games so we drop them. All the older kids have left because it is too energetic and young, the group of kids has grown too big and out of control, the talk is a thing to be endured before the real stuff begins and the leaders all lose momentum and purpose and don't want to do it any more.
Did you see where the top of the slippery dip was? It was when we moved to the church hall. Suddenly more mature and less mature kids are separated for the bible study, this means that, like in school, older kids can't teach younger kids, and younger kids can't learn from older kids. Also there is suddenly a possibility for cool games, this is not a bad thing but it is the top of the slide that looks fun till you realize there is a puddle of pig muck at the bottom. Games are not bad until you confuse them with bible/learning and until you confuse numbers growth with spiritual growth.
The best youth group leader I ever learnt from as a leader was working with a group in a school hall. Every week he said bible study and God was why we were here and if the kids didn't respect that, they could leave. We did bible study and then we had food and then a game. God blessed this group and in spite of the best efforts of this leader to get rid of kids, it grew in numbers. He didn't mind that, he just wanted people to be there for the right reason. He didn't confuse growth in numbers with spiritual growth and he didn't confuse learning about God with games. He had bible time and game time separate.
I am sure that had we not had games at all, while the group may not have been as big, it would still have grown because God's word has a power of its own and if it is taught faithfully then God will do the rest.
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