Jake King - Does the shortcut of using resource books (game books) hinder or help Youth or Children's pastors from connecting with their students?
Experiential Youth Ministry Handbook - Introduction
John Losey, author of Experiential Youth Ministry Handbook, does not like games books because of their addictive quality and how they can discourage growth and depth, he sees that if a youth worker is disconnected from the program then the students can see this. At first after reading this introduction I completely disagreed with Losey, I mean why should we waste our time coming up with games when there are books that have them there for us, should we not be focusing on relationships instead? Do we really have to develop our own games, our own activities when they are already out there, why invent the wheel again?
However, I read the introduction again , and I think that game books , if used improperly can hinder a Youth worker from connecting with their students. I see Losey's point, game (reference) books should not be soley relied upon, they can be however, a framework, a starting point that can be molded to fit your group of students. If you put the effort into using games or activities intentionaly to suit your particular group, then you are engaged, you are digging deep into what the needs of your students are. So, essentially game books or resource books can help or hinder the Youth or Children's pastor from connecting with their students, it just depends on whether you engage in the material and connect and mold it to your group of students. Does this mean I will not use game books, no, rather, when possible I will fit it to my group and be intentional about teaching my students through a game or activity. I still think that there is a time for games to just be games, a time for fellowship and fun.
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Emily Grenier
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I think that game books can be very helpful when stressed for time. There might be some great actitivies that go along with what you have been talking about. There may also be some new ways to connect with the students that you might not have thought of before. But basically, I think it depends on the person. If you are creative and can think up your own games, awesome! If you are like me and struggle in that department, those books are awesome!
Trevor Lanz
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thinkthat game books are great resources. I feel that they help bond group together and also get kids out of their comfort zones at times.I see the auother's viewpoint as well. Game books can be negatively used if they are not used propertly. I think that when using game books there is a proper time and place, and it is our jobs as Childrens and Youth pastors to determine the dynamic of our groups and to decided when to use then and not.
Emily Grubbs
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I think that resource/game books are great to look back on for support or ideas for your ministry. However, I believe that they should not be used at all times. I think one of the fun things about being a children's or youth pastor is the ability to be creative and to come up with fun ideas and games for your students. Resource/game books should be used as inspiration and something to rely on when you may be stressed with what to do, but I don't think they should be something used all the time as a regular part of your ministry.
Kristi Line
ReplyDeleteI think that game books can be more helpful at the beginning of a youth pastors ministry. They will help the youth pastor get to know their youth and it will help the youth get to know each other. The book will help give the youth pastor an idea of what type of activities their youth like to be involved in. When the youth pastor learns this I think that they should begin creating new games and activities on their own.
Also, I think that when each person begins to trust each other more then they will begin to be more comfortable with discussion topics; both deep and personal. The youth pastor should then try to challenge their youth by playing more learning games/activities to help build the youths' spiritual life.
Jessica Smazenko
ReplyDeleteResponse: I think that game books are simply resource books. When writing a paper or doing research, we look to resources for ideas, concepts, and then we apply it to the topic we are researching and make it our own. Never do we just take what the resource says and say that is it ours. These resources were created so that we do not have to "reinvent the wheel" and it gives some new perspectives that we may not have seen before. I think that the same applies here for game books in youth/children's ministry. We can use them for ideas, but them mold them and make them our own so that they are more relational and better fitting than just something we "pulled out of a box" and tried to make it fit. I think that game books are very helpful, but they cannot be relied on. If they are used all the time without any alterations, they can become stale and ineffective and hinder the ministry, because everyone is not the same.
Josh McKee
ReplyDeleteResponse: Game books... ugh. I have lived by them and died by them. Some of the games that are suggested are simply stupid page fillers and then others that have been suggested have come out to be favorites. It simply depends on the group which is like all facets of ministry. Everything SHOULD be adapted to the group. Cookie-cutter ideas aren't very personal. Where is there a rule that you have to play tag by the book if you have a student in a wheel chair? You definitely need to be a good game leader, regardless if you picked it out of a book (which by the way is not a waste of money.)
A great resource (not a book however) is http://www.thesource4ym.com/games/. Be sure to read the "Seven Deadly Sins of Game Leading under the blue box. Invaluable!
The best time is when the game is intentional and fits in with a talk, a discussion or a small group time. When a teen thinks that they have figured out what the talk is going to be about based on the game that was played, you have either tied it in really well, or you just have a smart teen. Your pick.
James Rose
ReplyDeleteI would say that I agree with everyone else mainly that game books can be and are a great resource to have. I feel like the word resource is the best thing to call them because they should only be referenced when needed. A person should never base anything off of the games in the book and should never be afraid to come up with something new and exciting. I would also say that when using game books you need to make sure to read and understand the game well before trying to use it in your service or event. Make sure it goes with whatever you are trying to accomplish and fits with the group you expect to have.
Dustin "Toma-Hawk" Wine
ReplyDeleteI am not really a huge fan of game books in the first place but thats mostly because every single one of the ideas Ive found in the books are games that should be played in a circus, because they are ridiculous. I definitely like the idea of using resource books to help your ministry, i just have trouble thinking that the games in the books are better than the classic games that everybody likes.
So maybe the problem is that I haven't found a good resource, and if thats the case then maybe I would feel like they are worth while but as far as Im concerned I agree with the author when he says that games books aren't that beneficial.
Zac Spoon
ReplyDeleteI am 50/50 on game books. I think they can be a distracting source that hinders the youth pastor from being engaged in relationship with students. Game books are simply resource books. They can be useful for providing ideas and ice breakers but should be used with good discernment.
It is wonderful that there seems to be so many resources that provide so many different game options, but from some of the games I have seen they would do more bad then good. If the game is to wild and gets some people too crazy then it just becomes a distraction. Again I think it comes back to using good discernment. Crazy and wild games can be used in the beginning to break the ice but other games should have a purpose in mind when being planned out.
Todd Rohrer
ReplyDeleteI can understand the hindrances of using game books. If all one does is go page by page, implementing games regardless of context, lesson, or even students in the group, it quickly becomes a detrimental aspect of the ministry. Sure, the games might be fun, but it disconnects them from the content--the substance of your message. Students will quickly learn that Christianity isn't fun, so don't try to make it so. Proper implementation of game books is accomplished by surveying the book for relevant themes as well as not dividing one's time as a youth group into game-time and worship-time. It is also necessary to visualize the students in one's group with how they will respond to the game. If it is something they might be offended by, something they wouldn't enjoy, or something that would not connect to them personally, the game should be avoided. One should also avoid playing games for the sake of playing games; if there is not a reason or a message behind the game, it should not be played during the time of worship.
I think that using games books won't hinder relationships with students. Game time is supposed to be fun and it gets everyone involved, laughing and just enjoying that time. I think that the main focus of the youth/children's pastor needs to be on what they are teaching, how they are teaching, how they're showing God's love and being relational..who knows maybe that time will give the students time to view the pastor in a new way and feel more comfortable with them. If they can skim through a book before its time for service and they find a fun game, then that's all that should matter.
ReplyDeleteI think the book can help greatly with connecting with youth. At times you may be really busy and cannot come up with an activity on your own and the book can help you out with that. There are a ton of great ideas in it and as James has told us before he has used the books at retreats and put together games on the spot when people needed him to do so. I think that most of the games give you chance to connect in ways you may not come up with on your own.
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