Planning a Youth-Group Lock-In

Ask any church youth pastor about the amount of planning and manpower it takes to pull off a successful and fun student lock-in and you should be prepared to hear endless stories of stress and long nights! What is a lock-in, you ask? A lock-in is an overnight party/activity in which the attendees (in this case, your youth group students) are "locked inside" for a predetermined amount of time. The vast majority of lock-ins typically take place within the church gymnasium, where there is plenty of room for students to run free, play games, listen to loud music, etc. Lock-ins may last anywhere from twelve to twenty four hours and usually include scheduled times for a devotion and/or lesson(s) taught by the youth pastor(s).

Before throwing your lock-in activities together, here are several things you should consider:

1. Type Out & Print Up Permission Slips for Parents to Sign

A week or two before the date of the lock-in, give each of your students a permission form to be signed by his/her parent(s). This form should include the date, time and location of the lock-in, as well as an emergency contact phone number, should the parent need to contact his/her child. It should additionally contain a paragraph mentioning that the parent is hereby granting the youth pastor(s) full custody of their child for the duration of the lock-in.

Reserve a section of the form for student information, including:

• Name, age and grade level

• Emergency contact information: parent's phone numbers, address, e-mail, etc.

• Any allergies, conditions and/or medications he/she may be taking or that you need to be aware of.

• A blank section in which in the parent can include additional pertinent and important information about their child.

2. Plan Food & Drink Items in Advance

No youth group lock-in is not complete without pizza, soft drinks high in sugar and caffeine and plenty of sweet, cavity-inducing treats. Make certain you account for all of your food and drink needs a week or two in advance, being careful to remain within your youth group budget. And remember, you can always ask parents to chip in by sending a 2-liter drink or bag of chips with their child or to make monetary donations toward food.

3. Plan Your Activities in Advance

Youth lock-ins typically include a wide array of games and activities, from rollerblading on the gym floor to playing basketball, video games, board games and even watching movies. Because many of these activities involve several elements and pieces of equipment, you will need to make certain in advance that you have all the necessary resources. Plan activities and games that are fun, adventurous and even a little crazy. For game winners, you will want to award prizes. Here are a few game and activity ideas you may want to consider:

a. Mystery/Disgusting Food Eating Contest

Have a select number of students (usually no more than five) volunteer for a game which will require some bravery. Be careful not to reveal the name, nature or any elements of the game when asking for volunteers. Seat your selected students in chairs and blindfold them. Serve each student a sample of a mysterious and/or disgusting food. Each student should be required to guess the name and/or ingredient of the food in order to win. For disgusting foods, the student should be required to swallow the sample as well.

A few disgusting foods for your student torturing pleasures include: spam, canned sardines, haggis, raw oysters, and uncooked egg yolk. A few disgusting food combinations include: chocolate coated corndogs, cornflake cereal mixed with ketchup, Tang® juice mixed with Nesquick® and pickles dipped in milk.

b. Group Rollerblading and Skateboarding

If you plan to schedule a timeslot for group skateboarding and/or rollerblading, be certain to denote this in advance either on your printed permission slips or on a list of things for students to bring. Because the vast majority of churches are unable to provide such resources, students will need to bring their own. If you have the set up, you may want to find some loud music to play during this time. After all, rollerblading to loud music is better than rollerblading in silence.

c. What's On Your Person?

If you're on a tight budget and have students who are easily entertained, this game is for you. Divide your students into equal groups, or assemble a guys vs. girls group. Before the start of the game, create a list of odd and/or unique items a person may carry with them or may happen to have on their person. Think outside the box and be specific with colors, etc.. Don't make this game easy for your students. Award a prize to the student or group who possesses the most items on your list. A few item suggestions include:

• A stick of gum

• A guitar pick

• A paper clip

• A yellow cell phone

• Blue nail polish

• An out-of-state driver's license

• A business card containing the color green

d. Lesson and Theme Related Activities

These activities typically require a little more planning and creativity, but can be beneficial in the long run. Create activities and/or games which reflect the spiritual lessons and or themes of the lock-in. For example, if your theme centers on Christian brothers and sisters needing and depending upon one another, you may want to include game that reflects this, such as a three-legged footrace. In a three-legged footrace, two students are harnessed together at the leg and must use their free legs (one for each student) to race against another pair of students. Such a race requires working together to avoid falling.

4. Establish a Bedtime or Quiet Time at the Outset of the Lock-In

Before you start an activity or crank up the music, be certain you inform your group that there will be a set time for students who wish to sleep or just relax. Although the majority of your students will likely stay up all night and remain energetic for the duration of the lock-in, a handful will wish to crash at some point during the early morning hours. Reserve a quiet section or room of your church for sleeping, remaining certain to divide rooms between guys and girls. This means you will need to include sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, etc. on your list of things for students to bring.

5. Encourage Students to Maintain the Cleanliness of the Gym or Room

While you can't expect to have a gymnasium full of teenagers without having a lot of trash, you can encourage your students to pick up after themselves and to throw all garbage away in the appropriate containers. You may wish to utilize the early morning hours to clean up before your students depart to go home.

6. Be Clear on Rules and Regulations

In order to ensure organization and the safety of all students, go over some ground rules with your students at the outset of the night. For example: no hitting, no foul language, no throwing balls at one another (unless part of a game), etc. Hopefully, this will serve to reduce the amount of conflicts that tend to arise between teen students and will simultaneously ensure your sanity as a youth minister. Ultimately, as a youth pastor or student minister, the success of a lock-in depends on advanced planning, creativity and lots of hard work on your part. Bear in mind much of the aforementioned and never be afraid to consult with your senior pastor and/or parents within your church. After all, their input may shine light on something you haven't thought of. Have a great lock-in!