“When the lifeblood of your program is recruiting, when you live and die based on your ability to introduce awe in teenagers, subtlety and understatement are not your assets.” —Austin Murphy
Earlier this week, North Point Community Church’s Reggie Joiner said during the Get More Volunteers conference:
“If you want to see a church grow old fast, if you want to see a church not grow because it’s not reaching its community, if you want to see a church become irrelevant, then create a culture that doesn’t make children and teenagers a priority. But when you make children and teenagers a priority, you grow, you don’t grow old and you become relevant because you have to be relevant and stay relevant.”
Reggie reminds us there are few things as important as churches having a viable future by prioritizing and making significant investments into students.
I also read this week an article in the November 4 edition of Sports Illustrated about the relevance and attractiveness of the Oregon football team to potential recruits.
When coupled with Reggie’s comments, the University of Oregon’s view of facilities has tremendous meaning to pastors and church leaders and their ability to reach the next generation.
Let’s look at their recent history.
After the team’s 1995 loss to Colorado in the Cotton Bowl, Nike founder Phil Knight asked then head coach Mike Belotti, “What do you need to take this to the next level?” Belotti replied, “An indoor practice facility.”
One year later, Oregon broke ground on the 117,000-square-foot Moshofsky Center, allowing athletes to practice throughout the year without being encumbered by weather.
In 2003, the university then constructed a new two-story locker room complete with Wi-Fi and ventilated stalls.
Why ventilated stalls? Because Oregon does not want its locker room to smell like a locker room. This was then followed by the Athletic Treatment Center and a $41.7 million dollar Jaqua Academic Center for its athletes.
Writer Austin Murphy says of the academic center, “With its vast atrium, the first-floor cafe warmed by an open-air gas fireplace, and the etched steel mosaic of Albert Einstein composed of thousands of photos of Oregon athletes. Because when the lifeblood of your program is recruiting, when you live and die based on your ability to introduce awe in teenagers, subtlety and understatement are not your assets.”
Read those statements again:
- When the lifeblood of your program is recruiting
- When you live and die based upon your ability to introduce awe in teenagers
- Subtlety and understatement are not your assets
Pastors and church leaders, let’s learn from the most fun, creative, relevant and original program in college sports—the Oregon Ducks.
Youth and children’s facilities should be magnificent.
No expense should be spared to introduce awe in teenagers for the things of God. These facilities should show value, priority and the cultural relevance you place on reaching the next generation.
And don’t be subtle with your youth and children’s facilities. Make a statement. Include every bell and whistle you can afford. Hire the finest builders and architects you can afford.
Your facilities should say to every teenager in your community:
“I know you have a lot of options on where to spend your free time and get together with your friends after football or basketball games. But let me tell you this—there is not a cooler place to hangout than our youth building. It has everything you could dream of and more. We built it for you and you are welcome here.”
How much should you spend on your children and youth facilities? MORE.
