Launching gatherings that Grab, Lift and Fuse young people
Taking advantage of the opportunity to launch gatherings well takes time and preparation
George Lucas’ iconic word crawl, used for the first time in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), nearly didn’t happen.
In the 70s the Directors’ Guild required all movies to begin with traditional opening credits. Lucas wanted to launch his epic story from the first second, drawing his audience into the world of the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. He knew the first three minutes of any movie is precious real estate with the potential to capture the hearts and minds of the audience[1].
So, despite protests from the Directors’ Guild and a $250,000 fine, Lucas chose to forgo the opening credits and so created one of the most memorable beginnings in movie history.
Openings matter
Openings are big opportunities in our gatherings. At the beginning of Youth Group, Kids’ Club or Kids’ Church, young people are listening, observing and asking, “What’s going to happen here? Do I belong? Do I want to belong?”. The answers they arrive at will impact their engagement with the rest of the program[2].
Every time we open a Christian gathering, the opportunity exists to welcome people into Christian community. Our welcome reflects our good God who welcomes the young and old, stranger and mature into community and, hopefully, his Kingdom, through faith in Christ. The first things that come out of our mouths, whether intentionally designed or not, signal to young people what to expect from the ministry and ultimately God.
Take every opportunity
Openings at Youth Group and Kids’ Club too often underwhelm. Sometimes we start with logistics, such as an outline of the program, behaviour rules or the location of toilets. This is important information that needs to be communicated but putting it in the opening results in a missed opportunity. Sometimes we start with a summary of the Bible topic we will learn. We absolutely want young people to hear from God through his Word but putting a learning summary in the opening fails to explain the reason for reading the Bible together. Sometimes the opening is skipped completely and the opportunity to launch a Christian community is missed.
Grab, Lift and Fuse
Taking advantage of the opportunity to launch gatherings well takes time and preparation. The aim is to do three things: Grab, Lift and Fuse.
Grab
Grab young people’s attention.
The creators of TV shows call it the ‘cold open’. Capture the attention of young people with words or an activity, communicated with clarity and passion.
Lift
Lift young people’s eyes from the mundane to the special.
We believe our Kids’ Club or Youth Group is special, unique, significant within a week of other gatherings. What makes it special is that we are gathering with God in his Word. So, help young people see beyond the fun and food to the significance of Christian gatherings.
Fuse
Fuse young people together.
The opening deliberately takes individuals and makes them a group. We want them to see one another and build a horizontal tie that binds them together throughout the gathering. This can be done through a quick activity.
I was privileged to witness an excellent example of Grab, Lift, Fuse at a small, young group in South-West Sydney. When the music stopped the youth knew to sit, eager for Youth Group to start. A leader jumped up, welcomed everyone, including the visitors, and then shared two stories of conversations with youth they had had in the last five minutes (Grab). They then asked one of the youth to share the purpose of group (Lift). The leader followed up by expressing how tonight the group would execute this goal together (Lift). They prayed for the night (Lift) and then gave the youth 60 seconds to ask a fellow youth a sharing question (Fuse). At the end, I knew exactly why the gathering existed and I wanted to be part of it.
Below are five tips to help you model and train leaders take the opportunity to open gatherings with love for your audience:
Communicate the purpose of your gathering in one sentence. The Bible helps us articulate the purpose of all our gatherings. Each week the opening reminds us in one sentence why we gather and why it is one of the most significant moments of the week.
Remember to pause and pray together in the opening. Prayer expresses many things. When we pause and pray, we lift our hearts to someone greater. We express faith that God is with us and at work. We make a weird activity normal for young people.
Be as horizontally orientated as possible in the opening. Help young people see each other and engage with one another. Transcend individual consumerism by building a community.
Save logistics and learning goals for later in the program. They are important but they can wait.
Practice your openings as leaders. Whether it is opening a pre-school gathering (60 seconds) or youth group (5 minutes), help each other nail the opening.
Opening credits or iconic word crawl? George Lucas was thoroughly committed to his audience at great personal sacrifice. How can you use your openings to launch purposeful Christian gatherings?
[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/star-wars-cast-greatest-untold-stories/28/, viewed 4 February 2021.
[2] Parker, P., The Art of Gathering (Penguin, UK: 2018) p173.
