A great club isn’t always determined by the number of kids who were there. Here are some questions to help evaluate how club went:
- Was Jesus Christ lifted up? The good news of Jesus Christ must be shared in every club.
- Did you arrive at club “Prayed-up”? Young Life really is the Lord’s business. We need to arrive at club ready to love kids for the Lord. Ask the Lord to make us ready to go before us.
- Did kids feel welcome? One reason we have club is for kids to begin to experience the Christian community. Kids must experience a personal, caring environment where they sense it’s safe, we think they are great, and we are glad they are there.
- Was there a personal connection? Every kid that comes to club needs to be treated as an individual. It would be a sad situation if a kid came to club and nobody said hello, made contact, or made some gesture to make them feel included. Leaders and Campaigners need to maximize the time connecting with kids.
- Was it adequately organized? Our first priority is kids. Our club needs to be adequately organized to not be a distraction from what we are doing. Do we look like we know what we are doing? Be good, but don’t worry about perfection.
- Was it fun? Club needs to be more fun than serious. Club needs to be attractive to those kids farthest from the gospel. Club needs to be entertaining, fun, light, and festive. It does not have to be award-winning, but it has to be good, fun, and people-centered.
- Were Campaigner kids involved in ministry? The club is primarily a ministry of the Campaigners. Were they a part of making the evening a success? If not, do they know how they can help? Get feedback from your Campaigners on how others are responding to club. Let them help you generate new ideas on how to reach out.
- Was it in good taste? This is a fine line to keep in mind. Laugh with kids, not at them.
- Were kids or leaders the stars? Club shouldn’t be viewed as a performance by the leaders. Quite frankly, most of us don’t have the talents or time to make it good enough.
- Did you help? Did you look for situations in which you could help? Remember that the one reason club is good is because of the many people who help it come together. Look for situations (or kids) that have been overlooked and initiate without being asked.
- Did you leave the club location better than when you arrived? Remove breakable or valuable objects; protect furniture and carpets; send thank you notes to families who host club in their homes (if applicable)?
—from Reaching Every Kid…by Reaching the Next Kid: The Leader Handbook
