4 Reasons to Sit in the Middle

LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:

When was the last time you sat in the middle of your large group time instead of at the front or the very back? Have you ever sat in the middle? You know, the time when the music is blasting, and someone’s about to get up and deliver a message? If you have a smaller group, you may sit there frequently, but maybe not. I know it doesn’t always seem reasonable when you have a million things to do for the night, but have you ever tried it?

If you haven’t, could I encourage you to pause and sit in the middle? To take a deep breath and listen? Maybe you need to be still and see what God is doing in your group. Maybe you need to discover what isn’t working correctly. Maybe you need to be surprised by God. 

Why?

As a volunteer, I realized there was a lot to learn from sitting in the middle—quite a bit more than standing in the back of the room with a bird’s eye view. But I get why you stand in the back of the room. When I worked for a non-profit, and we put on events, I was that person. Sure, I had volunteers to help, but I was the one in charge. I had to make sure everything ran smoothly and was in place. I had to do this or that. I had to remember to do that one thing. I had to get everything in working order before people arrived.

Do you see a theme? Me. I had to.

When in reality, God didn’t need me. He could work without me, but His goodness let me take part in the night. Sometimes, standing in the back and making sure things ran smoothly was precisely where I needed to be. But looking back, I wish I had sat in the middle more often. 

Now that I get to sit in the middle on a regular basis, I’ve noticed a few things.

1. It’s fun! Each student brings a different energy to the room. Put them all together, and it’s electrifying! You know this, but have you felt it lately?

2. Sitting beside a student can make their night. Most of them would love to have you join them in the middle! (There will always be an exception to this one. HA! I’m sure you can already imagine someone.)

3. It demonstrates the trust you have in your volunteers. I think this one is huge. By sitting in the middle, you’ve given your volunteers control. You trust them enough to let them run the night. I mean, it might be the night you get fired, but…I’m kidding! It will grow your volunteer relationships in ways you could never imagine.

4. You’ll learn how you’re doing. What’s the attention span of the room? Are students talking through worship? Snapchatting during the sermon? You’ll learn very quickly that things look a little different in the middle than they do in the back or from the very front. Maybe you’ll find some areas of improvement, along with the things you’re doing really well. 

Sitting in the middle isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but what’s the worst that can happen? 

Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

• If you tend to sit in the front or back of the room, what keeps you from sitting in the middle? Why do you think that holds you back?
• What do you think you could gain from sitting in the middle of your large group time?

Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts!