Walk into any Youth Ministry across the country, and I can almost guarantee that games will be a part of the service. They happen in various forms throughout the night. Before service, you may have students arriving early to play 9-Square and basketball. During service, you pull a handful of students on stage to have them compete in a blender challenge (disgusting, but still a classic). And after service, you wind down with a rousing game of Mafia. Games are an essential part of modern Youth Ministry, but are we using them to their greatest potential? Let’s explore why games are so important and how we can use them to maximize a student’s experience at Youth Group.
Your weekly rhythm as a Youth Pastor can be really full. With preparations for a weekly service, potential counseling meetings with students or adult leaders, planning for that looming retreat, and sermon writing, there is a lot to be done! Due to this schedule, games often fall by the wayside. However, let’s make this clear: games are important. Here are a few “whys” that can help you prioritize game design.
- Games are fun.
- Games create meaningful moments of connection.
- Games reinforce biblical truths.
Let’s not overcomplicate things. Games are fun, and fun should be prioritized in Youth Ministry. A time set aside for fun is a great way to get students to drop their guard, allowing them to be more open to the other aspects of the service. When laughter fills the room, walls come down, and that’s often when the deepest spiritual conversations begin.
Games also provide a space for you and your adult leaders to make meaningful connections with students. Games can help humanize you and help make you more approachable. If they only see us in ‘serious’ settings, we miss out on connecting with the heart of a student. Really great games not only allow for connection in the moment, but can also create lasting memories that bond us with students.
The last may seem like a stretch, but if we flex our creative muscles, games can be excellent tie-ins to biblical truths. Most of this has to do with how we frame games. When explaining the game, highlight key words that will later connect to a message. You can be as overt or subtle as you want! Here are some classic games that can be framed to teach important lessons.
- Blob Tag (or Amoeba Tag) – In this game, one student aims to tag the others. When tagged, they grab hands with the person and form a blob. This game continues until all students are part of the blob. Biblical truths you can connect with through this game are: sharing the Gospel, praying (holding hands in a game may make prayer groups easier later on), or the importance of community (as the blob grows, it becomes easier to tag others).
- Human Knot – In this game, students form a tight circle and grab the hand of a random person across from them. The goal of the game is to untangle your arms to form one continuous circle. Biblical truths you can connect with this game are: the unity of the body of Christ, perseverance (this game can become frustrating fast), and gentleness (you can’t just force your way; you need to move slowly).
- Red Light, Green Light – In this game, students attempt to move from one end of the room to the other. The leader shouts “green light” for students to move forward and “red light” for them to stop. Biblical truths you can connect with this game include obedience, self-control, and listening carefully to God’s guidance in our lives.
Instead of just taking a game and making it fit into a lesson, you can take your topic and intentionally design a game that would teach that principle. Your creativity is your only limit!
I challenge you this week to be a little more intentional with your game and maximize its effectiveness with your students.
Kyle Williamson
Director of Student Leadership Development
Photo by Carlynn Alarid on Unsplash