Let’s face it. Not every kid comes to youth group because they love it. You have kids who are forced to go, kids who have nothing better to do, and kids who, quite frankly, are just going to find a boy/girlfriend.
Regardless of their reasons, the moment they walk through those doors, you need to engage to keep them around to hear the excellent news of the Gospel. I’m sure the following few strategies will encourage and equip you to engage and retain your youth.
Big Is Fun, But Small Is Effective
Over the last few years, I went back and forth about the benefits of the large one-weekend conferences. I am still trying to figure out a definitive answer. I know they are difficult to do often and don’t create lasting habits in your students to return weekly. That being said, I used those mountain experiences to thrust me to the next one, which is why I was able to sustain faith amidst the issues I dealt with as a teenager.
While large events are fantastic for your youth, small events will keep your students engaged and create habits to return the following week. Put some of the same efforts into these small events as you do the big ones, and I promise you will start seeing kids get more engaged.
Repetition builds habits; habits create engagement. So please ensure you have several small fun opportunities at least once a month, either as part of your weekly event or separately.
Update, Update, Update
It’s hard enough for adults to remember things, so why do we expect a student to remember an event? After all, if they were like me, they were probably thinking about their next meal or girlfriend when you told them. If we want to engage our students successfully, we must use their communication methods.
Unsurprisingly, youth can be challenging to get a hold of. Just try calling them on the phone. Some options you can use outside of physical calling are texting them using Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and Whatsapp. If you struggle with this, I suggest engaging some student leaders. Give one of your students the “communications director” role and ensure they have all the info to post and message.
The bottom line is that if your students stay connected, they can’t get engaged.
Interact With Intention
This is critical. Students can smell deceit from a mile away. So when they come to your event, Engage them with intention. Don’t be the youth worker who hangs out with a select few.
More often than not, students who aren’t engaging are simply bored or not being stimulated enough. Genuinely get their input on activities and events they want to do.
For your regular meetings, please ensure students get something out of it. Over the years, I’ve realized students genuinely want to absorb from their events. That may be teaching, genuine friendships, or just a peaceful place. So be intentional with creating those interactions.
One on Ones
One of the most powerful activities you can use to get more engagement is having one on ones with your students. Be cautious about setting boundaries for your health (as well as wisdom with the opposite sex), but showing kids you are 100% listening to them and available to meet can move mountains. Here are a few tips on one on ones before we move on:
First, delegate to other leaders. If you have 100 students, having 100 meetings on top of everything else you’re doing is not beneficial. I highly suggest using the “Master Plan of Evangelism” method to find your one, three, twelve, and seventy-two people. If each of your five leaders (I recognize that is a lot for many churches) has that system, you will create a spiderweb of connection, ensuring people aren’t left behind.
Second, the power of one-on-ones can happen through messaging to a certain extent. Check up on your students weekly. See when their next sporting event or concert is. Send them funny texts to let them know you’re thinking about them. It may seem shallow, but one-on-one attention is indispensable to them.
Lastly, please keep in mind your student. Time and time again, I’ve seen kids from amazing Christian families struggle with things they would never open up about in public. If you sense the Holy Spirit leads you to set a private meeting instead of a coffee shop, do it. Trust the Spirit will guide you in the right direction.
Treat Them Like Adults
If you read my post about Fred Rogers, you will see that he didn’t hide these critical world events from the kids. Unfortunately, I think we’ve come to a place in culture where we treat our students like children. If we want to raise warriors for Christ, this is the time that we should treat them like adults in preparation for life without us.
Giving more responsibility and treating your students like adults is one of the most incredible things you can do to get them engaged. So what does this look like? Listen to their advice and input during meetings, give them opportunities to lead or take charge, create student leaders, ask their opinions about matters, and countless others. There are numerous ways to involve your students, but these are a great place to start. Students want a place to belong, so you just need to listen to the Spirit, be diligent and intentional, and pursue the hearts of your youth.