Youth Ministry Resources: Youth ministry is many things, but predictable isn’t one of them. If you have been a youth leader for longer than say three months, you’ve probably discovered this already.
Are you prepared for the unexpected?
Youth ministry is many things, but predictable isn’t one of them. If you have been a youth leader for longer than say three months, you’ve probably discovered this already. Students fall down, break things, start fires, get lost or do other things that get them and everyone else in trouble. It somehow seems Murphy’s Law is ever-present in youth ministry, but that doesn’t mean we can’t prepare for it.
Whenever you organize any kind of event, whether it’s a retreat or a small group or a youth service, always spend some time on this crucial question:
What could go wrong?
About two or three minutes should be enough to come up with a wide range of things that could go wrong. Just write them down. Now start preparing for them. For each possible ‘accident’, come up with something you can do to be prepared.
Here are some examples of things that could go wrong and how you can prepare:
A fire could break out:
Does everyone know the fire exits? Is there an evacuation plan? If so, has it ever been practiced? Where are the fire extinguishers? Does anyone know how these work? Are they still up to date?
Someone could get sick:
Is there anyone who knows about first aid? CPR? Is there a first aid kit somewhere and is it still up to date? Is there a defibrillator anywhere in the building? Do we have any students or leaders with known medical conditions and if so, who knows what these are and what to do when they get sick? Do we know where the nearest hospital is?
There could be a traffic accident:
Are our students insured when we drive them to camp? Do all drivers see to it students wear their seat belts? Do we have an emergency contact number for each of the students? Is each car outfitted with a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit?
There’s a saying, often used in the military: The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war. The more time you spend preparing for what may go wrong beforehand, the less devastating the consequences will be when something actually does go wrong.
