Dustin Wine: Does Competition have a place in Ministry?
However It appeared to me that Christie was advocating for taking competition out of all games, and I am not sure I agree with that. Competition is apart of life, and I feel like if it is approached the right way then it is beneficial in teaching teens how Christians should win and lose, in order to help them face those situations later. But at the same time if there is too much focus on competition there will be people who begin to feel like they are losers. So it is a touchy subject, and I am curious as to see whether or not you agree with Christie when he wants to take competition out of games. Is there a way to ensure that people who dont win know that its okay, and know that nobody looks down on them? I think one of the most important things is to never focus on just one type of game such as athletic, or artistic, or intellectual. If many different types of games are played, and nobody is looked down on for losing then I think that competition is not only acceptable, it is beneficial and could be used to enhance your recreational ministry.
Dustin "Toma-Hawk" Wine.
I agree with you about the competition. But at the same time, those who are not good at a certian game may just sit to the side and watch every time it is played. It's probably best to get to know your group and then plan games accordingly. I think one way to ensure that no one feels left out is to not offer a prize (like James did). That way everyone "wins." And the important thing should be, like Christie said, that everyone is having a good time and is laughing.
ReplyDeleteJake
ReplyDeleteCompetitive games, yes, I think its great to first off acknowledge that competitive games can negatively affect some teenagers. I know that most youth pastors I have encountered are competitive themselves and can often not see the effect it has on the students. For me it will be something I need to be aware of and not let my own competitiveness affect the ministry. Competition does have a place in ministry, and agree with Toma-Hawk, in that competition can help teach the students how to win and lose in life like a Christian should. So, there is a fine line, and acknowledging the "shape" of your group can let you know when and where to use competition.
Emily Grubbs
ReplyDeleteI agree that sometimes competition can make the losing team upset, but I agree with Dustin in the fact that students need to learn how to respond to winning and losing so that they know how to deal with the problems they face outside of church. I feel that we, as leaders, need to set an example for students on how to respond to situations of winning and losing. Encouragement from leaders may also help a student feel more like participating if we point out their strengths that they can use during the activity. I know that as a student in youth group I hated losing but the competitive spirit was fun and my leaders encouraged me to get involved even if I wasn't the best at something. I think competition is not bad to use if used with caution and encouragement from the leaders.
Trevor Lanz
ReplyDeleteResponse: I completely agree with your view on the importance of competition in the use of a youth/children's group. I feel that competition can be used as a great tool to show the right and wrong in our actions. It also shows and starts to develop a view of a Chrsitian Sportman's like attitude involving games. I feel that competition is a good thing, but only if it is used in a proper and a cautious way.
Kristi Line
ReplyDeleteI think that a little competition is a good thing because children/teens need to know how to react when they win or lose at something. Kids need to avoid learning to be a sore loser or a prideful winner.
But I also think that competition can go overboard. It is okay to have competition, but if a child/teen doesn't have fun during these games then the youth leader should find a different game to play that would be more encouraging for those kids.
If it is a competitive game, I like to add a twist just to knock people off enough to make it a bit more fair (ie. kickball but you run the bases backwards and the individual has to run a different type of run each time.)
ReplyDeleteThere has to be some competitive element or else the teens will get jaded and apathetic after awhile. To be completely politically incorrect (YES!!) there are going to be losers and winners. The group needs to take it upon itself to build the community that encourages those that don't do as well.
I do not agree with Christie on taking competition out completely because like Dustin pointed out it is a good teaching method. I do believe there needs to be a good balance between competitive and noncompetitive games, I do not feel it is right to always be holding back the athletic people in your group because then you are not allowing them to use the talents God gave them. I think that if you are playing a competitive game to make sure that you put an emphasis on we are keeping score just to do it, that no one really wins or loses. When we used to some athletic things when I was in youth group, those of us who were involved in sports had limitations to make the game more even. For example we played dodgeball and some of us had to throw with our opposite hand. So I believe that competitive games are good in moderation as long as you are not trying to make someone feel bad.
ReplyDeleteJessica Smazenko
ReplyDeleteResponse: I think that competition has a place in ministry. It shouldn't be used all of the time, but I do agree that some competition is good. For example, Upwards can be competitive but the competitive part is not the focus of the game. It can teach kids good sportsmanship. However, we cannot forget the negative effects of too much competition. It doesn't build teamwork. We need to have a combination of competitive and non-competitive games to be a well-rounded youth group!
James Rose
ReplyDeleteI have never really been a competitive person myself and I don't feel like I am the best one to talk about this issue, but I would say that it has been my experience to keep competitveness in games. I think that having that competitiveness is what makes the game fun,and yes it can get out of hand sometimes and that is where you have to be the adult and help smooth it out. I don't think that there could be a game of any sorts where there was no level of competition; it would become very boring very quickly. I believe that competition gives students and adults the will to succeed and allows them to express themselves while helping to shape their self-esteem as well.
Zac Spoon
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that competition has a place in ministry. It definitely is something you don't want to overuse but it can be a very effective Rec- ministry tool. The competition is games is, for many people, what makes the game fun. We must keep things competitive, while at the same time showing, and teaching people good sportsmanship. If we can make things competitive, while still maintaing attitudes of sportsmanship, then there will be a lot of fun and teamwork happening.
Competition is good to an extent. It is sometimes necessary to get the students in the game mindset, but it should not be the endgame. It should not be a competition for reward, but a competition to recognize skill and foster community (the common "enemy"). One must be aware, however, of bias going on between the game groups, thus switching up teams is necessary.
ReplyDeleteI think that taking competition out of games is a good idea...if you're one who is bad at games and sports. But for the guys in youth groups or boys in childrens church they won't be big fans of the games if there is no competition. Maybe taking it out of some games would be fine, but make other games competitive (for those who are competitive). This way you can give each person, competitive or non competitive person, what they want.
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