Routine: The silent killer

Often times in youth ministry we tend to get into a ‘religious’ routine that we feel very comfortable in.  Maybe it is the way you do your lessons, or the way you hang out with your youth, or maybe it is even your fall back method of handling a night of low attendance.  Routine is comfortable, it’s a known quantity, or it is the warm fire in the mist of the torrent rains that can be youth ministry.  I have found over the last number of years that far too often I began relying on routine to get me through a particular rough evening of youth, or used as a way of only putting in half an effort.  Most of the time this routine is ok, but relying on it far too often creates a pattern of staleness and creativity can die a very quick death if you rely on it too much.  Creating a bit of surprise can go a long way for your ministry.  I’ve provided 3 small tips on how you can get yourself in a good place to start thinking a bit differently this week.

Here are three ways you can break up routine for good:

1.     Read something out of your comfort zone: A good way to begin looking at situations is to go and pick up a book that you would consider out of your comfort zone.  It could be a book from someone who has the complete opposite opinion of you on a topic, or a maybe just something as simple as a piece of fiction in a genre you don’t generally read.  Changing things up in your reading time is a good way to start looking at things differently.


2.       Hang out with someone different: Is there someone new in your youth group you haven’t gotten to know yet? Give them a call and go for coffee.  Is there a youth pastor who runs a group down the street from you? When was the last time you two had a chat? 


3.       Reverse the order of your evening: To throw kids off try completely reversing the order of your evening.  Do you start with a game, then go with a lesson and end in a snack?  Try on your next youth night the complete opposite order and see what kind of reaction you get from the kids.  Your evening may be a complete flop, but I bet it will get the youth talking and just maybe a great idea on how to change things up might just come to the surface.

At the end of the day we end up settling on routines because we find they work the best.  Most of the time there will be nothing wrong with the order of your evening, or even your lesson.  What you do not want to happen is that you let your routine dictate everything you do and allow you to become complacent.  I let that happen far too often and missed a lot of opportunities to reach kids on a deeper level than I did.

What is one thing you have done that was out of the ordinary that turned out well? Or what is one thing that you did that didn't work out?