T.H.I.N.K. Youth Ministry pt. 2

T.H.I.N.K. Atmosphere. When it comes to youth atmosphere is everything. Look at what draws them. Walk into their favorite store, their room, their favorite hang out spot, or watch their favorite TV show and you'll see atmosphere. Atmosphere attracts students and therefore in order to reach students we need to create atmospheres that attract students. Dictionary.com defines atmosphere as:

• A surrounding or pervading mood, environment, or influence.

• A distinctive quality, as of a place; character.

• An aesthetic quality or effect, especially a distinctive and pleasing one, associated with a particular place.

TIME - We need to spend time planning and preparing atmospheres that create a pervading mood and environment. We need to spend time thinking and studying how to create environments (meeting places, promotional materials, web sites,) that have an aesthetic quality that pleases a generation and creates an association with a particular place. When a student walks into your room, reads your promotional material, or visits your website they should all associate it with your church and it should attract students.

HEART - Creating an atmosphere for students cannot be something you have to do, but something you want to do. It has to be in your heart to develop atmospheres in your facility, promotions and web that attract students.

INVOLVEMENT - Getting the right people in the room to create the right atmosphere for students is of the utmost importance. If you need creativity get creative people. If you need money get people with money and cast the vision, if you need to think like a student get some students in the room and ask the right questions.

NUMBERS - Atmosphere should attract the masses for the most part, especially your facility. If your facility only attracts a clique within the generation then you'll only reach a microcosm of the generation. God desires all men be saved and so do we. Create an atmosphere that attracts a generation, not a gender or a genre.

KULTURE - When creating an atmosphere that attracts think culture (or Kulture). Use what the culture is using to attract students as long as it doesn't conflict with your theology and values. Use cultural tools (Social networks, texting, etc...) and cultural influences (video games, music, movies, TV) to attract students, again as long as it doesn't conflict with your values and theology. Think culture when you create atmospheres it will draw them and the unchanging Gospel will change them.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Are we thinking about the atmospheres we create for our students?
  
• Does our atmosphere attract students?
• Does our Facility attract students?
• Does our promotion attract students?
• Does our web site attract students?
• When someone visits our facility, web site, or views our promotional material do they associate them with my ministry or are they conflicting?
• Is my heart set to creating an atmosphere for students?
• Do I have the right people involved?
• If not, who do I need to get in the room and what questions should I ask?
• Am I creating an atmosphere that attracts a generation, big numbers?
• If not, what can I change to do so?
• Is the atmosphere we create behind the culture?
• Am I using the culture to attract students?
• What are some cultural influences and tools am I not using that I should be?

T.H.I.N.K. Atmosphere in your student ministry!