As ambassadors of reconciliation, called to make disciples, love God, and love people well, something needs to change. To give a ministry example, if games are the typical scheduled norm at most youth group gatherings before students are led into prayer, musical worship, and hearing the proclamation of the Word of God, should there not be a difference in the way youth ministries lead games in comparison to the world? Should there not be a difference in a way the Church, in whatever ministry people find themselves, leads games in comparison to the world? Games can be led in a way that brings people closer to one another, and opens the door to a setting in which people can be better prepared as they stand before the Lord in worship. While discipling people and loving the Lord and people well in every other area of ministry, the Church, the very ones tasked with this high calling in all it does, seems to have a weak practical theology when they plan and lead games.
I get it; games are (and probably should be!) one of the lower priorities on the ministry schedule. There is only so much time, and in comparison to the proclamation of the Word, musical worship, weekly programming, small group material, etc., games are pretty low. Yet what if I told you games speak loudly of your theology? What if I told you the games you choose and the way you lead them can have eternal impact, whether being a hindrance or a help to the cause of Christ?
Let me clarify what I mean by that. And in doing so, first clarify what I don’t mean. I don’t mean every time a game is led it should have an overt biblical theme (for example, storming the walls of Jericho when playing dodgeball). Nor do I mean that games should be a cheesy illustration for the sermon (for example, playing dodgeball and afterwards talking about how just like in dodgeball, we are in a spiritual war).
What I mean is that games give a practical look into the ministry’s theology, whether it is meant to or not. For example, when playing a game on stage in which a few people are called up to stage with the “I need a volunteer” line, and then are called to do something gross and/or embarrassing for the sake of the entertainment of the group, this says something to the group about the ministry’s theology. While unintentional, this has communicated multiple beliefs to the participants within the ministry. This has said some people in the group who are created in the image of God do not have the value of others. They are merely entertainment. Or even to the ones who really wanted to be on stage, but are the ones that are never chosen, this communicates to them they are less-than, they aren’t noticed, etc., which one can bet has ramifications into the rest of the ministry night. What if participants were truly richly valued, all participants, and the games they played called them into community, showing them they cannot do it on their own, that every person, whatever their giftings are, has value and worth and need in the body of Christ? For example, even a game as goofy as a noodle freeze tag game in which participants get hit by a noodle and turn into dinosaurs and the only way to free them is for two people to come up at the same time and scream, even this can have value and worth. All participants were involved; it put a level playing field for everyone, and called them into community, needing each other rather than everyone turning into dinosaurs. Games teach, just as a sermon, time in prayer, time in musical worship, or time in small groups do.
We at Not Just Games want to change the way the church looks at games to have a rich theology interwoven in games that allows for a difference in the way one selects and leads games for the cause of Christ. There four theological values that Not Just Games holds that have ramifications for the games one plays within ministry setting and the way these can be used as a help or a hindrance to the ministry’s theology. These include, everything being for the glory of God, all are created in the image of God, we are wired for community, and the gospel changes everything. Over the next several weeks, we will be examining how each of these play into the practical theology in games.