Tradition Versus New Events

Before I had left my old church, every big event was planned out.  We went to the same retreats and did the same types of missions.  Every winter, we even had a Waffle House night where we took over a Waffle House and had a giant party.  Tradition is great in a lot of ways, but it can also lead to a rut.  So let's look at the Good versus the Bad to sticking with a youth group tradition.

The Good:

If it is a good event, you will have more kids every year you participate in the event.  Kids are the best evangelizers and if they think something is fun, they will make sure their friends will come.

You will know what you are doing.  The first time I do anything, I allow an extra hour of time and double and triple check that I have done everything right.  By the time I have done the event 4 or 5 times, I allow only an extra 50 minutes but go knowing how I screwed up in the past!

If it ain't broken, don't fix it.  You run the risk of doing something far worse.  The grass is not always greener on the other side.

To the younger kids, everything is new.  A little naivete goes a long way.

The Bad:

If it did not work the first time, odds are it will not work the second-millionth time.  Only a fool throws his bait were there are no fish.

It kills creativity.  There are so many good ideas yet to be discovered that you are almost certainly missing out on doing something better.

Certain things become "old" as opposed to "Classic".  There are only so many foot washings you can do before it becomes a thing you do over a life changing event.



Find the balance.  We had one retreat we did the third weekend of March every year and it was a real highlight for all the kids.  We had a service retreat that was not working and we rearranged it in our calendar so more kids could participate and it became huge.  We had a mission trip that bombed and we never tried that particular mission project again.  There is always a good and a bad.  Just try to find the balance of old and new that will allow you to succeed and then allow at least 45 minutes of extra time!

-Schutte