Who wants to have fun learning the basics?

Group, Sep/Oct 2000 by Baggett, Geoff

When I discovered that many of our young people knew little about our church's basic doctrine, I took a clue from Regis Philbin and created an active, fun way for them to learn the fundamentals. We're a Baptist church, and every other month during our Wednesday youth worship, we play Who Wants to Be a Baptist? (Any denomination, though, can easily adapt this idea.)

Kids work their way through a series of 10 increasingly difficult questions presented on a PowerPoint program. The grand prize is $100 applied toward the winner's summer mission trip. We award prize money in increments of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $75, and $100, with "cutoffs" at $10 and $50 (if they reach either level, they get to keep at least that much even if they go out of the game).

Lifelines include "poll the audience," "ask a Sunday school teacher," and "phone the pastor." Our pastor, who's in the adult service during this time, carries his cell phone with him. He'll answer questions even if he's in the middle of his sermon. Our kids and adults love it!

After the game, I recap the basics we've focused on. Young people have fun, hear new information, and remember what they've learned.

Geoff Baggett is a youth pastor in Kentucky.