What are the pro and cons of how the church lock in used to be compared to how they are now?
After reading Types of Camps and Retreats I couldn't come up with any questions, mostly this section talks about different types of camps and retreats. I looked through it again and thought more about the church lock-in. In the book it describes how church lock-ins are done. They are done at the church and the students stay for a week (five days) and live at the church, eat and sleep. To them it is like a spiritual retreat. Everyday is planned, it suggests to study a book that is short enough to cover in a week. Plan a follow-up everyday after the study. The group can even do mission activities during the afternoon.
I feel that this type of lock-in would be more beneficial than our normal kind, where we stay one night and play games and possibly have a small lesson. It gives them more time with God and less time playing with friends, although both are good for us. The lock-in the book described seems more personal and more effective than one night playing games in the church with no sleep. The lock-in in the book is more of an experience with God and others, it has more potential to leave you spiritually filled and shows more growth than the one night lock-in.
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When I think of a Church lock-in i think of a one night event, jam-packed with games, free time and a short message to kick things off. The lock-in described in the book reminds me more of a summer camp, or retreat, which maybe is not a bad thing. You can basically have a camp in your church, with plenty of time to go through material like a book, or a series. Considering some of the cost of these camp grounds ($10,000-20,000) for a week, using the church would be a great way to save money. The negatives of doing it this way is a lack of activities, there is no blob, or pond or big open fields like the campgrounds have, and as youth pastors Im sure we will spend enough time in the church already. However I see more positive than negative, looking at church loc-ins this way is pretty cool, it gives a great oppotunity to really get a message across with your kids and to give them a chance to spend time with God away from all the distractions they face day to day.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the fact that a more spiritual minded and focus lock in would be better for intenionally growing spiritually, but if one is creating an atmosphere of growing in relationships and bonding as a group games and free time do help mold and shape those relationsips. I think that a lock-in like anything else we do in ministry should be viewed as an opportunity to create relationships, build relationships, and grow in Christ. Fellowshiping with eachother and with God combine, I think, is the best solution.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of using the church more like a spiritual retreat than a lock-in, but I do agree with Jake that there would be a limit on the types of activities that could be done. But I also know that some churches are in the middle of no-where and they may have a field that could be used for some activities. (Like my church.)
ReplyDeleteI also disagree with using the church as a spiritual retreat instead of a lock-in. I think that lock-ins are good for the winter months when camping retreats might not be an option. And lock-ins will still have devotions and discussions that will help the teens in their walk of faith.
Camping might be expensive sometimes, but I think that youth like to get away from the church atmosphere. I know that at my old church when we would have a lock-in that some students didn't come. But when we did something outside of church they were willing to come to the event. They probably only came to get away from home or maybe to go canoeing, but at least they will be there to hear God's word and it may help them build up a relationship with someone. This might make them more interested in coming to youth group or the next lock-in. I think that both lock-ins and camping retreats should be used. They are both beneficial in having devotions and for having teens spend time together.
I have never thought about having a lock in for a longer period of time than one night nor using it as a retreat time. However, I think that there are some benefits from it. It is more cost effective and local to do some service projects. However, like others said, there may be a shortage of facilities or activities in the area.
ReplyDeleteI can see the problems with it as well. The church is not always the place to "get away" from life. We tend to go to other places outside of our towns and that feels more like a retreat. If going out of town, it has more costs and may take away some opportunities to do service projects in the community you live in. Despite the pros and cons, I really like this idea and think it could be very effective in the busyness of today's teenagers.
I have never heard of having a lock in be for more than one night. I think that it could be a good idea to use a lock in as more of a retreat, but I also see how things could be more stressful if you are specifically in the church the whole time and do not have a chance to truly get away. It may save money to have a retreat as a lock in, but I think that lock ins are a great way to reach out to the community to invite students into the church for a night. I think there are benefits to both lock ins and retreats, but I think that they would be more beneficial if they were held seperately as opposed to combined.
ReplyDeleteI believe that lock-ins can be either fun and short or long and meaningful. I think that it depends on what you are going for. I don't like the idea of having a one night stand with God where we are so focused on having fun and staying up all night and then giving God 30 mins because we have to. I think that if we are wanting to just have a fun event to do some fellowship and activities then a one night lock-in is great. If we want to see students get involved with God and grow in their relationship with him then we would need to have things ordered in that way. After all you can't truly have a real relationship with someone if all you have is a one night stand.
ReplyDeleteZac
ReplyDeleteThe idea of using the church for spiritual retreats is a wonderful idea depending on size, season and location of the event. If a church has a gym and the town has a park you could definitely do all of the things you would normally do at a camp. Traditional Lock-ins are a great way for students to build friendships and develop into an almost "family". I would not totally abandon traditional lock-ins but instead would add a spiritual retreat type of event in addition. A whole weekend that is dedicated completely to spiritual growth is awesome and the church could work. Only problem I see is keeping kids focused. If they are in their town, with homes down the street, and the problems they face right there around them, than it might be very to difficult to focus on growth. One of the beautiful things about going away on retreats is almost "forgetting" your struggles and stresses.
Emily Grenier
ReplyDeleteI don't want to be a downer, but I think that if the lock-in is too long that the kids will go crazy. I know that whenever we went on retreats and had lock-ins that we had a lot of drama. But it is a good idea to have them, I just think that if they are scheduled properly that they will work out better and the kids will benefit more from them. And like everyone suggested, a higher element of Spiritualness instead of only the 30 minute lesson time would be more useful in that setting.
Like Emily Grenier said a poorly planned lock in is the pits. Using the church as a hub for the retreat idea is a great way to get out into and serve the community. While teaching missionally in our own backyard, it cuts down expenses.
ReplyDeleteA lock in I think should be reserved for the regular kids or those that have been there at least 3 times. This keeps it friendly and if there are any irritations it stays in-house. I have had great success with having a 24 hour Game-A-Thon which also serves as a great fund-raiser (each kid gets pledges for however many hours they can play games whether Xbox, board games, cards, etc.)
I think a good night of games and activity is just what students need. Does everything a youth group does have to have a three-point sermon and theme verse? A lock in is a great time for relational ministry and to allow the kids to let loose. If spiritual conversations happen, they happen naturally and it isn't just a necessity to sit through in order to have fun and games. It is just like we've talked about in previous entries--the separation of God and Games. If God loves games like James says He does, then why not just have a whole night of games? Some of the lock ins i have been at have given the option of watching a "spiritually-oriented" movie (such as Left Behind). Granted, that one specific was forced upon us (though I enjoyed it) and that might even be too much.
ReplyDeleteJust as an Idea for all you idealists, my church also hosted (though did not plan, that was one of our volunteers who suggested it) a LAN party. For all you non-geeks, LAN is "Local Area Networking." Basically we played games "online" next to each other. This really helps get the geeky kids in the group involved with activities (since many lock-ins tend to be sport-oriented).
I like this idea of a church lock in I feel it would be great way for the teens to experience God and fellowship. However I do enjoy the normal lock in of one night of playing games and having fun. This was one of our biggest outreaches for our church because we would do it after the football games on friday nights. It allowed us to bring non-Christians in and show them we have a good time too. I think if I was going to do the book lock in I would want them to invite other people but I would like to talk to them before they agreed to come and make sure they knew what they are getting into. If you throw a Non-Christian into a week of this it could be great for them or you could scare them away.
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