Today kids were begging me to do a lock in. They peered into my soul with those big buggy eyes. Thankfully my heart is made of stone and I was able to say, "NOT TILL THE DAY THAT I AM DEAD ARE WE HAVING A LOCK-IN!" I have a flair for the dramatic. But truth be told, I think lock-ins are a bad idea and here is why:
The best way to make kids do the right thing is to make what they are doing something they want to do. Crazy, I know, but consider this. When I take kids to a theme park, I am super at ease that they are not going to get in much trouble. A kid who acts up a theme park misses out on going on the rides and will have a miserable day so there is motivation to be good.
Lock-ins always start fun and exciting, but then you tire and some of the kids will start finding new ways to entertain themselves. This is when trouble happens. I cannot tell you how many really bad stories I have heard that have started with, "We were having this lock-in..."
Basically, whatever you do, make it an environment where students want to be and you will avoid 99% of the potential behavior problems. If you can do this at a lock-in, you are a freak of student ministry.
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