Playing at Discipleship

I used to work in student ministry. It’s what most of my education prepared me for and what most of my work experience has consisted of since I graduated from college.

Student ministry is really a strange beast. There was a time in the history of the church (not too long ago) when working with teenagers would have never been considered a viable career option—let alone a high calling or place of importance in regards to actual ‘real’ ministry. Youth pastors, after all, were there to merely keep students busy doing ‘sanctified’ activities to help them traverse through the murky waters of adolescence unscathed (or at least only bruised slightly).

Times have changed. Student ministry is, in most places, no longer considered an act of holy ‘baby-sitting.’ The fact that I graduated with degrees in relation to it shows how things have shifted.

Why am I talking about student ministry on a website devoted to ministry with twenty- and thirty-somethings? Because I see the same patterns taking place in a lot of circles in our work with young adults—especially when it comes to the ‘older sibling’ of youth ministry - collegiate work.

The difference, however, is that I think we have learned something from our past. We have learned, for example, the importance and place for leisure within the greater call of making disciples. At least I hope we have.

Recreation, play, and times of levity have an important role to play - and if we’re not careful we can easily fall into one of two extremes:

1. All play—we wind up managing social events and functions, and our small group Bible studies become nothing more than social settings with little spiritual value or emphasis.
2. No play—we’re in the serious business of spiritual development, after all. Why would we expend our energy creating environments and times of gathering when there is important discipleship to be had!?

I believe there is a happy middle ground to be found. Times of levity help break the monotony of life. Playing with others helps further along important relationships that, in turn, draw each of us closer to not only each other, but to God as well.

This week we had to say goodbye to some people with whom we have worked with for several years. Departments and groups were being shifted around and the changes, while mostly good, still brought with them a time of mourning at the loss of daily work relationships that we had enjoyed for so long. What did we do to mark the occasion? We went Laser Tagging!

It was a blast! People donned their work clothes for all black get-ups in an effort to have a leg up in a game which many of them had never actually played. With codenames like “Turnip Green,” “Wonder Woman,” and “Ranger” we ran, ducked, dodged, and shot beams of light at each other while laughing throughout. Afterwards we all went to lunch together and spent some good time in conversation and connection over a nice meal.

The experience was not only fun, it helped me (& others, I’d venture to guess) get to know each other on a new level. The levity had the positive side-effect of introducing some of us to others we didn’t know that well, and laughing deeply with those we knew very well.

I’ve experienced that same sensation time and again—from sharing meals, to hitting a miniature golf ball, to playing a board game or two. Each situation deepened relationships and forged new ones. Many of these relationships since have had tremendous impact in my spiritual journey that might have never come without the fun and the play.

As you minister to young adults, find the joy and the fun in the midst of the more ‘serious’ spiritual work—you just might find that they are connected more than you know.