Everyone Pulled Up: Coker Students Dodgeball Tournament
In the middle of the Coker Students Dodgeball Tournament, one student stepped outside, pulled out her phone, and started calling friends. Her message was simple: pull up. In other words, get over here, because this is too much fun to miss.
That moment is the point. The tournament was a great night dodging the dodgeballs and great snacks. It was also the result of a careful plan for how students meet Jesus, grow in faith, and invite others along. The plan started with a question about what God wants for the next generation at Coker.
Where It Started
When Pastor Clay Smallwood started working with our Student Ministry, he gathered students, parents, multiple generations, and adult leaders into one room. Together they prayed, listened, and worked to discern the vision God has for NextGen at Coker.
Four areas came out of that visioning time. They now shape everything our student ministry does: Meet, Believe, Grow, and Go.
Meet, Believe, Grow, Go
Meet. A Meet environment is fun! It helps students enjoy time together and get to know one another. A Meet event is a great place to start if your student is new to church or new to faith. It also works for students who just want to connect with others their age.
Believe. A Believe environment intentionally introduces students to the good news of Jesus. Through Scripture, students learn more about the character of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Grow. A Grow environment goes a step further and encourages students to choose to follow Jesus with their whole lives. Here students grow deeper through spiritual practices and build relationships where they hold each other accountable.
Go. A Go environment is where we share God with the world. It is guided by one question: Do you make disciples? That can look like serving in our community, going on a mission trip, or reaching out to a neighbor. It can also look like students becoming leaders who help lead other students.
A Ministry Led by Many
When the vision team finished its work, a new team formed to continue it forward: the Go Team. That handoff reflects a bigger shift. Our student ministry used to be led mostly by one or two student ministry leaders. Now many adult leaders who feel called share the leadership, and so do the students themselves. Students are equipping other students.
We now look at ministry as a whole. Every program has a purpose. Clay Smallwood, Paul Trejo, and our many student, parent, and adult leaders make sure there are opportunities in each area: Meet, Believe, Grow, and Go. Each one leads into the next, and the cycle comes full circle as students who have grown go out and invite others to meet.
That’s why the Meet, Believe, Grow, Go mural is painted on our Student and Kids building. It’s more than a nice visual. It shows how we do ministry.
All of this sits under the vision of Coker as a whole church. Our church vision team found that we are called to be Multi-Generational, Multi-Cultural, Rooted in the Word, and Led by the Holy Spirit. Together we help people find their purpose, their place, and their people.
Game On
The dodgeball tournament was the Go Team’s idea. It was built as a Meet event with a Go twist. Students signed up as teams, with one rule: no more than one or two Coker Students on the same team. Instead of teaming up with church friends, students invited their classmates to play with them.
The teams that showed up were as fun as the games:
-a team of theatre kids
-a team of baseball players
-football players from a local high school
-the underdogs
-a special appearance by the Referees (which also included local teachers and administrators)
The energy was high, the competition was friendly, the prizes were plenty, the snacks were yummy, and many of the students there would not normally walk into our church. By the end of the night, we have a few more followers on Instagram and at least one of them was outside telling her friends to pull up.
What Comes Next
A Meet event is meant to be a starting point. A place for students to meet us and know that church isn’t weird, it’s a place to find belonging. A place to wrestle with truths. A place to find purpose. Every student who played is being invited back: to a Friday night hangout, to Wednesday nights, and to Sunday mornings. We’ll be inviting their families too.
It’s Meet, Believe, Grow, Go in action. A fun night of dodgeball opens the door, and from there each student has the chance to find a place, people, and purpose here at Coker.
If you know a student who would love this kind of community, bring them along. For more information, contact Pastor Clay Smallwood at clay.smallwood@coker.org or visit Coker.org/Events.