Back to School

Soon, preteens will be back to school. This of course depends on what part of the country (or world) you live in. Schools around my hometown (now New Orleans) start in early August. However, on the west coast (where I lived for the past few years) they don’t start up again till early September. Regardless, now is the time to start thinking about back to school time in your preteen ministry.

I interviewed Jim Kast-Keat on this subject awhile back. Jim talked what he did to kick-off fall programming and how to be intentional about the process. What works? What doesn’t work? How can launching the fall set you up for success the rest of the year? If you didn’t listen to the interview, I recommend you do – listen now.

Here are a few back to school ideas that might be helpful:

First, host a fun event to kick off the school year. Encourage preteens to invite their friends. An event like this kicks off the year with a bang and gets students really excited about the upcoming year. It also provides an easy opportunity for students to bring their friends. It can act as an entry point into your ministry. One of my favorite events I’ve done over the past year or so is Nerf Wars – easy and fun. You can read all about it here.

Second, consider running an Alpha course (or your version of it) for your preteen ministry. Alpha is a 10 week introductory class to Christianity and covers all the basics – “Christianity: Boring, True & Irrelevant?”, “Who is Jesus?”, “Why did Jesus die?”, “Why and how to read the Bible?”, and more. Alpha USA has a ton of youth resources, which are easily adaptable for preteens. My first church, Vineyard of New Orleans, ran Alpha on Tuesday nights for ten weeks at a time, two times a year. We did Alpha for adults, youth, preteens and kids all at the same time. It was the #1 reason the church grew from 200 to 2,000 (mostly from new Christians). It’s so successful that they still run Alpha today and it’s become the primary tool they use to reach those seeking for God in the community.

Third, in your teaching time talk about back to school issues. Here are some to consider: fear, failure, inferiority, popularity, self-image, friends, peer pressure and balance. What issues do your students need help with? Ask them!