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Youth leaders generally anticipate high attendance at planned events, but oftentimes only 20 to 50 percent of the expected number show up, according to long-time youth leader Jonathan McKee.
"I find that the majority of us sometimes have high expectations and maybe even try to spiritualize it, [saying] 'We have this God-sized goal,'" McKee, author of the new book Getting Students to Show Up, pointed out in an interview with Youth Specialties.
McKee says the biggest mistake when it comes to trying to get students to show up to events is "the draw." A lot of times, youth leaders just don't provide any "draw" or forget about it completely.
"We think 'if we build it, they'll come,'" noted McKee, who heads The Source for Youth Ministry, which equips youth workers with free resources.
"Why on earth would a student want to come here (church) on Friday night?" the former Youth for Christ staff posed as a question youth leaders should answer when planning outreaches or spiritual growth events. "Why is a kid going to want to leave MySpace and cable or his girlfriend to come out to our outreach program on Wednesday night?"
Some of the simple draw concepts McKee suggested was free pizza or sporting events youth like.
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And while some do provide a draw to try to draw a large crowd, the draw itself that the church provides may not actually be a draw.
McKee had been invited to speak at a youth rally on the East Coast. As he drove into town, he saw a large sign that read "Youth Rally. Speaker: Jonathan McKee."
But for many, the names of youth workers including McKee typically do not ring a bell among youth or others.
"If I'm not Justin Timberlake or Diddy, I'm not a draw," said McKee.
In addition to providing a draw, McKee recommends pinpointing a specific purpose for holding an event – whether it's for outreach or spiritual growth. That way, youth workers are more likely to achieve that goal.
Released this month, Getting Students to Show Up challenges youth workers to rethink their methodology when it comes to outreach and how to plan and execute a youth event for 10 or 10,000 students.
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