“It’s a sin to bore a kid with the gospel.”
— Jim Rayburn, Young Life’s founder
Of all his proclamations, this may be Jim Rayburn’s most famous. And when this becomes your rallying cry, you’ll do everything you can to ensure kids never experience a “lame” version of the good news. Why? Because Jesus was anything but boring.
We believe if kids encounter the real biblical Jesus, they’ll fall in love with him. We also believe that if kids are disinterested in Jesus right now, it’s probably because they’ve had a poor introduction to him or have never come to realize the relevance he has to their lives.
And that’s where Young Life club comes in.
Over the last 85-plus years, it’s been described in many ways (even “organized chaos”!), but perhaps the most accurate depiction is this: Young Life club is “a party with a purpose.”
This party is one where everyone’s invited, laughter abounds, and kids walk out saying, “I can’t believe we just did that!” With apologies to Chuck E. Cheese, this is the place “where a kid can be a kid.”
Just consider the following items …
Frozen turkeys. Duct tape. Bananas. Panty hose. Tarps. Shaving cream.
A list of items that seemingly have little in common. But in the hands of a highly skilled Young Life leader, there’s no telling what games will appear!
If you’ve ever been to club, chances are one of these objects — or countless others — were probably used in a skit (especially the tarps!). Maybe you bowled frozen turkeys in someone’s driveway, or threw goldfish crackers at another kid with shaving cream all over their face to see how many would stick; perhaps you even enjoyed grabbing a spoon and eating banana splits out of a rain gutter (Note: our Legal department would like us to point out that this is a newly purchased gutter, lined with aluminum foil, and not attached to any roof).
And let’s not forget the music. What was a song from your time in club? Maybe one of these gems?
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Barbara Ann
Stand by Me
Sing Hallelujah!
Brown-Eyed Girl
Light the Fire
Free Fallin’
Lean on Me
It’s Amazing
Firework
Or something else?!?
So far, we’ve looked at the skits that provide uproarious laughter (which is so life giving) and the music (which speaks to kids in terms of their modern culture). A typical club meeting progresses from high-energy games and music to mid-tempo/slower songs to prepare kids for what’s next.
We call it the “club talk,” and we typically share this toward the end of the hour. It’s at this moment, as the room quiets down, that the speaker puts words to the joy kids have been experiencing all night. It’s here he or she can share about Jesus in a way that speaks to kids:
- Where they are;
- In a language they understand; and
- With the freedom to respond to this message however they choose.
The club talk uses a Scripture passage, illustrations, and simple, direct language to draw kids in to Jesus. And it’s a short message, which leaves kids wanting more.
Can you remember the leaders who spoke in your club?
After the formal meeting, the house may be the place where kids linger, or the group might collectively go to McDonald’s, or some other location, where leaders can spend more time hanging with kids. Maybe you have great memories from the “post-club hang”?
So, that’s the party. And the party is the vehicle for the purpose, which again is for every kid to have a proper introduction to Jesus Christ …
- To learn he’s come so they may have life, and have it to the full.
- To see how everything he ever did and said is relevant to their daily lives.
- To realize how much he loves them, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.
- To understand he’s inviting them into a relationship with himself.
- To consider whether they want to receive this invitation and follow him.
Club is Young Life’s intentional way of helping kids taste and see that the Lord is good.
And that’s been the goal for nearly nine decades …
THE FIRST YOUNG LIFE CLUBS
How did club even come about? Well, like many endeavors, it didn’t arrive fully formed. When Young Life began, club was not the first piece of the puzzle. That was, and always will be, relationships. Club is the result of great contact work, and we’re ready to hold club when we know so many kids that we need a place to gather them all!
Jim Rayburn had built that critical mass with the teenagers in Gainesville, Texas, and now searched for a place where he could bring kids together and share with them about the Savior. What he was still learning was how to create just the right climate for this to happen.
In his book, Back to the Basics, longtime staff John Miller describes the different iterations of those first clubs:
“… [Jim] began the trial-and-error system. He tried a tent meeting. He tried a school meeting. He tried a church meeting. He then decided to try a meeting in the home of one of the kids on a school night. A dramatic change!”
Where to hold club was no small decision. Kids want a place where they can be themselves, which made going to club held in a friend’s home so much more inviting than a sterile environment like a classroom. The location was important to the 1940s teenager (and still is today). This is how Bob “Mitch” Mitchell, one of the first kids to get involved in this new thing called “Young Life,” described their mindset:
“Young people in those years were a culture which enjoyed gathering together in social groupings. Because of this, Jim and the early leaders hit upon the club idea. Clubs would be open to all kids. They would be lively and fun, informal, friendly, and they would never last more than one hour. The most important time in each meeting would be when the scriptures were opened, and Jesus was proclaimed in a winsome and powerful manner.” — Letters to a Young Life Leader
Each point in Mitch’s description of those early clubs still rings true today. Sure, some of the elements have evolved — like moving from pianos to guitars, and songbooks to screens, but the basic message of God’s love through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection remains the same.
Is club the end-all, be-all when it comes to gospel proclamation? By all means, no. But since the 1940s, it’s served as a tool the Lord has used to bring countless kids to himself.
And we pray this continues for years and years to come.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN?
What are some of your favorite memories of club? Was it a surprise? A belly laugh, something you still laugh about today? Maybe it was a song you loved to sing, or a connection with a club talk? If you have any of these (or even something else), we’d love to hear it! Please send your remembrance, short or long, my way!
