Ten days into my new gig with the Birmingham youth group, and I am having a blast.  I was right – this is harder work than New York at a faster pace, but it is a great deal of fun.  For instance, every Tuesday and Thursday I get to hang out with 6th – 8th graders for 2 hours, reminding them through brute force of the fundamentals of dodgeball (Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and…Dodge!), honing my pool skills, and of course breaking out some sweet moves on Just Dance 2 for Wii.

If that was all it took to minister to students, I would be a youth leader in a second.  In fact, if someone just walked into the Tuesday/Thursday hangout time off the street, they would wonder what on earth the youth director is getting paid for.  I mean, the kids eat all the candy, they leave the place a wreck, and there is essentially no aspect of the program that involves talking about God.  But there’s more to it than one might think.

Before he left for his European handball tournament (I know, right?), the youth director explained the structure that all youth programs fit into:  A funnel.  It’s pretty fascinating imagery, actually.  You see, he wants to meet students where they are, rather than assuming that everyone is ready for the most intense Jesus discussion ever, thus running off any potential members.  Instead, he has established 5 levels within this “funnel,” of spiritual depth.  The top-most level involves activities that target students who have maybe never been to church, are possibly looking for something new, or just got dragged along by a friend.  The next level is for occasional attenders who might want a little more action than the basic “fun” activities.  It continues on to the deepest layer, reserved for students who want to really pursue the complex questions of their faith, even providing a study option for independent growth.  And then you get sucked down the funnel and you’re trapped forever.

Just kidding.  Sort of.  But it’s a nice change from those youth groups that try and trick you into coming to a “fun” event and then once they have you there, lock the doors and start preaching hellfire and damnation until you curl in a ball and cry.  The “fun” events here are just that:  Fun.  No strings attached.  In the case of the Tuesday/Thursday hangout (top level of the funnel), the youth ministry is providing a safe place for these middle-schoolers to wait for their parents.  Previously they had been grazing around a gas station down the street, so this is just a way to serve a need in the community.

But the funnel also achieves what the “pure fun” youth groups miss – it allows them to get deeper.  At least, that’s the idea.  I haven’t been here long enough to really experience the lower-funnel programs, but I can sense that there is more going on than meets the eye.  Correction:  I am now leading a 10th grade boys’ bible study (middle-level of the funnel), and I taught them how to attract a mate last week.  It doesn’t get much deeper than that.

I am curious to see if the group lives up to the funnel idea.  Is everything kept pretty light or do they get into the deep, dark stuff?  Does it achieve it’s goal of providing something for every student, no matter where they are in their faith?  Will the candy continue to be free for me?  These and other questions haunt my soul at nights.

How about you?  If you are Christian, do you think the funnel is a good idea?  If you are not a Christian, does it sound like something you could dig?  Do you wish I would stop using hippie slang terms that make me sound like the obnoxiously proto-typical youth group leader?  I can’t help it.