The youth club is dead - long live the youth club!
I have an uncertain relationship with youth clubs.
Sure there are many good ones out there doing important and worthwhile stuff, but also some not so well thought out ones.
I had a good experience as a youth at a church club- it was linked to the Sunday youth group, had good committed leaders and a good close knit group.
I've had mixed experiences as a leader and worker, both at church clubs and Local Authority and "secular" youth clubs. Early on this was probably partly due to my own lack of skills and training as a leader, but also due to lack of focus, clear thinking and policy.

On Friday I went to visit a club on the East side of London and last night I met with some leaders setting up a club in the North West. Both excellent groups, good stuff happening, very encouraging. Good leaders, energy etc. Making it work for their contexts.

Questions that still remain for me though are around youth club as outreach - is a club the best way to bring in unchurched young people and do they come through to faith? And is this best done "inside - out" (church youth bringing friends) or through the "open" club approach?
And do we fall back on the notion of the youth club sometimes through a lack of imagination (for whatever reason - this isn't meant to sound condemning!) to think of fresh models?

tag: Youth Ministry
tag: Youth Work