In his probing look at ministry directed toward early adolescents, Junior High Ministry, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1987), Wayne Rice, describes nine key characteristics, which make this essential ministry successful.
Nine Keys to Successful Junior High Ministry
- Diversity. Provide different types of programs each week. Consider the developmental stages and learning styles of the kids.
- Self-Exploration and Definition. Junior highers need opportunities to explore and understand their emerging personalities and their new worlds. “They need adventure.”
- Meaning Participation. Give them more and more responsibility in areas that correspond to their interests, skills and. abilities. They need to feel they are making a contribution that is important and appreciated.
- Positive Interaction with Peers and Adults. Build community. Give encouragement freely and often. Use discussion instead of lecture in your lesson studies.
- Physical Activity. Don’t expect them to sit still for an hour and a half, and then get angry when they wiggle. Their attention span is relatively short. Divide activities into short segments. Change the pace. Keep them active.
- Competence and Achievement. Junior highers want to do something well. They want to show you their competencies. Giving them the opportunity often involves risks. Stay close to them. Applaud their successes. Help them learn from mistakes.
- Structure and Clear Limits. Make your rules simple, clear and easy to follow. Invite them to help set the rules. Freedom within limitations is the key concept. (See: Discipline.)
- Fun. Adolescents learn from positive, pleasant experiences· (don’t we all!). Fun for them is the opposite of boredom: involved, meaningful times build around interesting topics. Rice points out that fun doesn’t always mean funny. It’s not that kids have to rolling in the aisles with laughter. Just that they need to be enjoying themselves if we expect them to learn.
- Family-oriented. Include the parents. Use family stories in your newsletter. Ask the kids to interview adults and report back to the youth group. Explore family topics.
From: ABZ’s of Adventist Youth Ministry
Permission to copy for use in the local congregation or group.
