Maybe it’s because these games immediately evoke a reaction – be it laughter or gagging – from a sometimes apathetic and lethargic group of teenagers. Maybe it’s because we are able to relate the caramel onion to the reality of sin; it may look good but it’s actually disgusting. Or maybe it’s just because after a week of parent phone calls, late permission slips, and teens texting through an entire teaching . . . a disgusting icebreaker is our way of saying, “I win.”
Ok. Admit it. You’ve used it. You know you have, but perhaps you don’t know to what extent. Perhaps you don’t realize that it’s the one word you use to describe every youth ministry activity that you’ve planned. For some reason, the word “awesome” is always on the tip of your tongue. At some point (probably in conjunction with “that one song”) it infiltrated the world of youth ministry and to this point, it has never left. “Rad” couldn’t survive. “Dope” just
I remember the day I really became a youth minister. It was a cool, fall morning in Wisconsin, and as I rolled out of bed at 11:45 AM and like a zombie walked toward my closet, my heavy eyes searched for some daily attire. I pulled out a t-shirt. “Come Alive – Retreat 2011.” And then another, “Rooted – Summer Camp 2009.” A third retreat, “Jesus is a friend of mine” – Youth Group 1997.” And then a fourth, fifth, and sixth. It had officially happened; the volume
Whether you’ve been in Youth Ministry since the revolutionary invention of the overhead projector or you’re fresh out of college with a guitar strapped to your back and a Frisbee in hand, there’s a good chance that you’ve asked yourself the question, “How do I get teens to come to youth group?” I remember asking that question. Heck, I tried anything and everything: Food, guilt, bribery, doing their homework, whatever. I just wanted teens in the door so I could impart my wisdom