Are you designing a new youth space? Planning a building project for a new church? Thinking about redecorating your youth room? Wondering what exactly the teenagers in your church want in a youth space?
Well, when designing or renovating a youth space, the first question should be: will this space make the teens coming in feel at home and comfortable? For so many teens, life is unstable. And the church needs to provide a place for them to feel at home, whether they’re the new teen walking in or a teen who grew up in the church.
When attention is given to the youth space, a teen feels as if they are important, they feel welcome, and they know they matter because they weren’t given leftover space. As a teenager myself, I know that we often feel out of place, and having a place to belong is very important to teenagers.
When attention is given to the youth space, a teen feels as if they are important, they feel welcome, and they know they matter because they weren’t given leftover space.
I am a pastor’s kid who grew up going to youth groups where the spaces weren’t really decorated or specifically for youth. The ministries have been powerful despite that, but I can imagine how fun it would be to have a space for us, and how excited I would be to invite my friends.
At a time in life when a person is craving a little love and attention, a little bit of intention speaks volumes. The church has an amazing opportunity to do this by providing thoughtful, beautiful youth spaces that immediately feel welcoming to the teens coming in.
This can be done in a few ways, and I hope to give you a good idea of what a teenager wants in a space.
At a time in life when a person is craving a little love and attention, a little bit of intention speaks volumes.
Attention to detail
First, the space needs to be attractive, whether it has a subtle theme, feels like a coffee shop, or even someone’s living room. Nothing is a bigger setback to walking into a youth group than seeing a space that is messy and neglected.
The space doesn’t need to be over-the-top or ultra-themed, but first impressions are everything. And if a teen likes the room, you are already one step closer to fostering a connection with them.
When you are designing your youth room, here are a few things that I personally think can make all the difference and really make a space attractive to the teens coming in. For me, the first two things that set the mood are color and light. I would recommend staying away from bright and neon colors and veering more towards neutrals like beige, cream, and very light gray. Not only is it more versatile but it is tasteful and allows the space to be more focused.
Warm light
For lighting, sometimes bright overhead lights just don’t cut it. I think that warmer lights actually make a space feel warmer and more inviting, whereas sometimes bright white lights can make even the coziest space feel stark.
Some other things to keep in mind when it comes to decor is thinking about where teens spend their time. These days there isn’t much separation between the tastes of a teen and the tastes of an adult. Teens love coffee shops, living rooms, bookshops, and other places where they feel like they can stay and chat for a while. In today’s culture we no longer have to think about what a teen would like, just thinking about what you would like will lead you to design a space that is attractive to teenagers.
Dimenshteyn
Easy on the theming
Wood, galvanized metal, and leather are a few materials that can make a space capture the comfort of a living room or coffee shop.
There is also always the fear of a space becoming outdated, so what I would say to remedy this is to go retro or vintage. Retro and vintage styles are always popular with teens, and having a space mildly themed, like a diner or ice cream parlor, can make the space feel timeless. Using eclectic and antique furniture (tasteful, of course) can even make a space feel cozier and more welcoming.
Since food is something that brings people together, food-oriented options can also help with the community aspect of the space. Having just a simple snack bar or a table with food can immediately make teens feel at home—and most teens are almost always hungry.
High flexibility
The next really important factor is functionality. The space needs to be functional, which may mean it can double as a kids' room. Or this may mean the same chairs the teens in your youth group used for video games can be used when the message is being taught. But whatever it is, everything must have a purpose. I understand if you can’t have a separate space for the youth. That is what my church deals with right now. One thing you can do, though, is rearrange the spaces you have for the youth events. Moving the chairs into a circle, dimming the lights, and playing some music can make a shared space feel just as inviting as one that is designated for teens.
I think circles of couches and comfortable chairs are much more practical than an auditorium setting. Walking into a room where there are rows of chairs facing a stage isn’t very inviting, especially since teens sit in rows facing a teacher all day, every day. But a ring of chairs and couches in an open circle, inviting new people in, is showing that the purpose of this space is to foster community and love.
Youth pastors talk community + connection
The goal of any space within the church is to help share and spread the message of Jesus Christ. Making it tailored and comfortable for young people can help them be more receptive to the message.
Kevin Butterfield, student and young adult pastor at Black Rock Congregational Church in Fairfield, Connecticut, says that a comfortable room helps the teens to be able to share and discuss the message better. If a space is comfortable, it relaxes students and allows them to engage in more open discussions. Making sure the space is inviting welcomes sharing, questions, and thoughts about God.
A comfortable room should also foster community. That’s what church is for and is especially needed for teens who are living challenging and stressful lives.
Making sure the space is inviting welcomes sharing, questions, and thoughts about God.
Andy Patton, lead children’s pastor at New Life Christian in Trumbull, Connecticut, stresses the importance of peer-to-peer community. That is the most important part of the space—the fact that it fosters community and is a space where friendships can be formed.
We can have the best-looking rooms in the world, but the thing that sets us apart and makes the connection is community and Christ. In designing, you are gifted with the amazing opportunity to create a space to foster that community.
Jesus’s main focus was showing love; spaces can show love—and spaces need to show love. Especially youth spaces.
Things like games and video games in a youth room can bring a conversation about because they are a common interest for many teens. Use things in the space to pull the new teens in and make the teens who are always there comfortable inviting their friends.
I have said it before and I’ll say it again, a space needs to be well thought out and intentional. It needs to make the teens entering the room feel important.
Jesus’s main focus was showing love; spaces can show love—and spaces need to show love. Especially youth spaces. Teens are at such a challenging point in their lives, and they may have questions, and not know who they are meant to be. They may be lonely, afraid, and down.
The comfort and joy steeped into a youth room can immediately help them to leave their day at the door and be open to experience the truth and love of Christ.
