I’m glad to hear that there are youth groups finding success in having a digital ministry. It hasn’t been much of a success in my personal experience.

I’m finding that many parents are limiting screen time in the evenings (which is when Youth Group typically scheduled) due to the high use of screens used for schoolwork and their entertainment in staying home.

I also have many kids who don’t like the idea of people looking at them on a screen. (Too much attention on their person.) These kids either don’t participate at all or have the camera turned off or turned far enough away to not show themselves to the group.

My Middle School students miss the interactions with others. Now, if they do participate in a zoom meeting, their interactions must be watched by all the other participants and that’s not as freeing. My High Schoolers, may not enjoy the format of digital meetings but are mature enough to know that it is good for them to participate.

This is definitely a sticky situation for all of us in Youth Ministry; I hope that we’ll continue to adapt and improve to the point that we are reaching out and meeting the needs of all our students.