- Diaper Dodgeball in the gym as students registered for the night
- Headed to the Link for some fun, overview of the rules, worship, and a gospel presentation
(Rich Yauger, former youth pastor, spoke and did an excellent job. We had 5 students make decisions for the Lord and many came forward. There was an unparalleled attitude of worship, brokenness, and surrender during the worship set that followed!)
- Split up Jr. High and Sr. High and went to Fort Wayne. Each group bowled for three hours and then went laser-tagging and played video games for three hours.
*Many youth ministries do lock-ins at a church and keep students in one spot all night. Let's be honest most students get bored and start doing things they shouldn't after a few hours. We keep our students moving. (We had to rent/find bus drivers for four buses but it was worth it!)
Here are some reasons why All-Nighters can be beneficial for a youth ministry
1. Easy Evangelism - It's easy to invite a friend to do fun things all night for only $20. We had 35 first time visitors to our youth program.
2. Set Goals for the Students - We set a numeric goal of 200 people we wanted at this event and came close. I had a number of students who said that we wouldn't get close...but we did. Students love goals and challenges!
3. Medal of Honor for Youth Workers - Youth workers view All-Nighters as their way of receiving the military's vision of the Purple Heart. Youth ministry is not for the faint of heart and they love the challenge of staying up late with teenagers.
4. Information is Power - All students had to check-in using our computer database system so it allowed me to get updated addresses and visitor information so I can send students and parents promo stuff in the mail.
5. Share the Gospel/Worship - Yes, All-nighters are full of pop and pizza but you have a lot of energy beforehand as students are hyped for the night. Use that energy to share Christ and to have them sing their hearts out to the Lord!
6. Allows you to Evaluate your Students - When you do a trip like this you get to watch firsthand how your students follow instructions and respond in different situations. I challenged our youth leadership team to come forward and encourage students who made decisions. They followed through. We had zero problems or incidents on this trip which shows that our students are understanding that this trip was not about themselves, but had a greater purpose.
7. Provides Momentum - I had a number of students who were excited about what God did during the trip. We had a time of vision casting and testimonies this past Wednesday. It was a momentum boost as we head into the holiday season.
8. Vision, Vision, Vision - Communicate your vision for an event before, during, and after it happens. I had the opportunity to challenge our students and state goals. Afterwards, I got to encourage them for their behavior and evangelistic zeal. I also, got to share with them how this event fits into the greater picture of where our youth ministry is heading.
9. Relationships - You get to build relationships with students as you are bowling with each other, beating them at laser-tag (I got 2nd out of 30), and riding in a bus together.
10. Fun - Ministry is exhausting and tiring. I believe though that ministry when done right is always rewarding and fun. I know I had a fun time serving, driving bus, eating pizza, bowling, laser-tagging, laughing, praying, talking, and hanging with students all night!
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