The Five A’s of a Good Youth Activity

Approach—Remove pressure by good planning.

Properly plan in advance for the activity.
Propose the objective of the activity.
Prepare your leaders for what is happening and how they are needed.
Prepare your teens for what they are expected to do.
Pray with the teens and leaders for the success of the activity.
Make lists of the names of teens who have been invited.
Pray through the list as a group.
Announce the activity with flyers and with enthusiastic speeches to both parents and teens.
Prepare an alternate plan.

Atmosphere—Fight for a spiritual tone at every activity.

Every person present affects the tone of the environment.
The leader can set the tone, but teens must maintain it.
Prepare for a number of unsaved or unruly teens.
Teens often judge the worth of the activity by the way they felt during it. (“They liked me here.”)

Attendees—Value whom you have present, or you may lose them.

Assign certain leaders and teens to welcome visitors.
Assign someone to pass out and collect visitor cards.
Have teens look for newcomers to take under their wing for the activity.
Before the activity, clearly communicate standards to the regular attendees.
During the activity, be clear to all teens in your instruction of the rules or expectations.
Separate close, exclusive friends if it will help the activity.
Do not separate visitors from their friends if it can be avoided.
If you expect unsaved visitors, prepare your teens ahead of time and recruit more leaders.
Visit your guests soon after the event.

Activity—Make the activities worth coming to without compromising purpose.

Use a variety of activities throughout the year, considering the likes and dislikes of the whole group.
Emphasize the participation of all regular attendees at all activities.
Choose games where anyone can be the hero.
Discourage a win-at-any-cost attitude.
Plan well for the refreshments.
Establish a clear time schedule with a good flow.
Establish a message time at all activities.
Do not surprise visitors with a message; announce it in the flyer and at the beginning of the event.
Put as much energy into the preparation and preaching of the message as into the game time.
Make the message time a highlight.
Put the message at the point where it will be best received.
Preaching towards the end of an activity gives the visitors a greater chance of feeling comfortable. Seldom do people make spiritual decisions where they are not comfortable.
Preaching at the end of an all-nighter only provides rest for the motionless.
Expect the Lord to work.
Have teens looking for opportunities to lead into a salvation discussion with unsaved visitors.
Treat the “ride” time as part of the activity and plan to accomplish one thing during that time.
Keep the teens together. Do not allow teen drivers to follow in their cars.
Control the music of the activity. Sensual music destroys any spiritual overtones!
Keep several leaders behind until all have left. Do not get stranded waiting with just one teen.
Be careful of who rides home with whom.

Afterthought—Review and evaluate your activity.