More about effective church youth outreach today from Monday Morning Insight, which indicates that some churches have taken the lead in offering gaming in order to reach that all-too-elusive demographic—teenage boys.

According to the Daily Vidette Online, Sweetwater Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Ga. offers Halo 3 for its youth. Gaming sessions are usually followed by something to eat and a lesson.

I don’t know anything about this game, except what I’ve seen on television advertising. It’s a violent game. Halo 3 is rated M for mature audiences, meaning you have to be 17 or older to purchase the game. So, is it a church outreach tool? Depends who you are trying to reach.

An omnipresent habit

A new study by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital's (MGH) Center for Mental Health and Media shows that most (94 percent) young teens play video games. A third of boys and one in ten girls play video or computer games almost every day.

But what about the content? Most 7th and 8th graders (ages 12 to 14) regularly play violent video games. Two-thirds of boys and more than one in four girls reported playing at least one M-rated game "a lot in the past six months."

The MGH study found that Grand Theft Auto -- rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, and drug use -- was the most popular game series among the boys surveyed.

Should your church use Grand Theft Auto to lure young teens? The Georgia church probably made the safer choice with Halo 3. But is that safe enough?

Using discernment

Some instructive comments come from Christian teens who have added to the discussion of the Halo 2 game review on the ChristianAnswers.net page:

"As far as blood and violence … if you find these things offensive, then you should not play this game. However, realistically, an accurate movie of the bible [sic] would be more graphic than a few hours playing Halo … Besides, Master Cheif [sic] is trying to save the Human Race, and is ready to give his life if that is necessary (Who does that remind us of . . .:-))"-- Kaleb Havens, age 16.

As for Grand Theft Auto, no real redeeming allegory here. The review on Answers read in part: "GTA3 clearly considers itself a sick joke and boldly displays a warped sense of humor throughout, however Christians may find this joke to be in poor taste."

Learning the language

So what’s the bottom line on gaming for churches that want to reach teens? It may be as simple as paying attention to gaming as a part of the culture—learning the language, if you will. Ignoring games and trying to reach teens may be like eschewing PowerPoint and parking lots while trying to reach adults who continually see visuals in presentations and drive cars. In the same way, teens see games all the time, and drive Xboxes, PS2s, Game Cubes, Wiis and other Nintendos.

Churches can't offer teens a nice flannel graph story and expect to find an interested audience. Youth ministry leaders should get into the game if they want to reach the gamers.