Let's go deeper than FUN

Dear parent, if you're regularly asking your student "Did you have fun at youth group?" you're missing the point. 

There's nothing wrong with youth group (or even church!) being fun! But our primary focus in youth ministry should be MINISTRY. Otherwise it wouldn't be referred to as youth ministry. 

My quick definition of ministry: sharing Jesus with those who don't know Him, discipling those who know Him, serving those who need Him, and celebrating Him with everyone. Those definitions shouldn't change because the focus of the ministry is on teenagers.

Of course lots of fun things happen in youth ministry. We play games. We laugh. We joke with each other. But we don't gather for those purposes. 

So instead of asking about fun, maybe focus on the acronym FUN. 

Faith. Underline. Next.

What did you learn about your FAITH? What were you challenged to think about during the upcoming week? What did you discover, learn, or realize about Jesus during the teaching/discussion time? 

What did you UNDERLINE in your Bible? What stood out to you as the theme or big moment of the youth service? What do you need and want to remember in the weeks and months to come?

What are your NEXT steps? What were you challenged to do this week based on what you discussed? How were you challenged to change? What do you need to add to your life? What do you need to get rid of in your life?

By all means you should be making sure your student is enjoying their youth ministry. But if you continually ask them first and only about how entertaining it was you're training them to view church through an entertainment filter. 

And our churches are already filled with adults who show up once a week (or less) and get cranky if their favorite song isn't sung, or if the pastor talks too long, or if the pastor doesn't make them laugh, or if someone makes them feel guilty about spending $40 on the new Avengers movie instead of having $5 for the local food pantry. 

We don't need more of those folks in church. We need a generation showing up ready to change their lives and live for Jesus, and ready to share Him with the world!