Teen Club Rules
Preface
We recognize that parents are entrusting their children to our care during organized youth meetings and activities. Therefore, we have established the following rules to help provide disciplined, godly and safe meetings and activities. These rules should be understood as our “house rules.” They are similar to the “house rules” that parents establish for their children (such as a curfew, etc.). Though our “house rules” are based on Biblical principles and have a Biblical purpose, they are not necessarily direct commands from God. Our “house rules” have been established to help us do everything “properly and in an orderly manner” when we meet together (I Cor. 14:40) and to help us fulfill our responsibility to “keep watch over you as men who must give an account” (Heb. 13:17).
Having a list of rules for the purpose of doing things properly and in an orderly manner and keeping watch over the flock as those who must give an account is not to be confused with legalism. Legalism is setting up rules for the purpose of exalting self. The Pharisees set up rules for this purpose and were severely rebuked by our Lord (Matt. 23:1-39). This is not our purpose and it never will be. We don’t want anyone to think they are spiritual because they keep a list of rules.
The Deacons, Pastors and Teen Club leaders have all helped in establishing our “house rules.” We expect teens to willingly and cheerfully submit to these rules. Those who knowingly and willingly violate these rules are not submitting to the spiritual leaders of our church. Scripture warns that such disobedience is not profitable for the members or spiritual leaders of our church (Heb. 13:17).
Meetings & Activities
*To demonstrate obedience to God’s Word, teens are expected to willingly and cheerfully submit to the leaders and others in positions of authority (Heb. 13:7).
*To demonstrate respect and courtesy, teens are expected to refrain from talking to others when someone else “has the floor.”
*For accountability reasons teens are not to leave a meeting or activity without the express permission of a leader or chaperone.
*For legal reasons and medical emergencies teens must turn in a completed Activity Release Form when attending an overnight and /or out-of-town activities. We will inform teens of activities for which a form is needed. Copies are available and families are encouraged to keep extras at home to be used as needed.
*For obvious reasons there is to be no smoking, drugs, alcohol or offensive language at any youth meetings or activities.
Guy/Girl Issues
*For accountability reasons and for the reasons listed below, a guy and girl are not permitted to be alone or out of public view during meetings or activities. This means that they should not be alone together in a room, behind a building or anywhere else where they cannot be readily seen by others or where others might question what they are doing.
*For the reasons listed below there is to be no personal displays of affection such as hand holding or other personal contact (“PC”) between members of the opposite sex during meetings or activities. This means that guys/girls should restrain from touching each other’s face, hair, neck, back, feet, legs, etc., as well as allow a normal social distance between each other. To help teens understand what we expect we offer this guiding principle – We expect guys and girls to relate to the opposite sex the same way that godly married adults in our church relate to those who are not their spouse. With this rule we do not intend to eliminate accidental contact or other appropriate contact (such as helping a young lady who has fallen down).
*For the reasons listed below guys and girls rooms are off limits to each other when staying somewhere overnight.
*For the reasons listed below when riding in church sponsored vehicles, guys and girls are not permitted to sit in the same bench seat as members of the opposite sex unless they are a family member (sibling or cousin). Exceptions may be granted by the driver, if necessary.
The Biblical Purpose and Biblical Basis of the Guy/Girl Rules
*To maintain a spiritually focused environment that steers teens away from flirtatious behavior and the lusts of the flesh (II Tim. 2:22; I Cor. 10:12-13; Prov. 6:27; I Cor. 5:1-13).
*To uphold a standard of absolute purity (I Tim. 5:1-2 & I Cor. 7:1 which says “it is good for a man not to touch a woman”).
*To help teens avoid the appearance of evil and maintain a good reputation (I Thess. 5:22; Prov. 22:1; I Tim. 4:12).
*To help teens set an example for others to follow (I Tim. 4:12).
*To keep teens from becoming a “stumbling block” to others (I Cor. 8:1-11:1; Rom. 14:1-15:2).
Transportation
*To help us keep track of everyone teens must ride in the same vehicle to and from a destination unless they get permission to make a change from the drivers.
*For your safety and to meet our church insurance coverage requirements, adult drivers (21 years of age or older) will be provided for all church sponsored youth events. Teens are not permitted to drive for scheduled youth events unless we receive a Transportation Release Form. The form must be signed by a parent and a legitimate reason for the request must be given (such as “heading straight to work after the event”). We ask that parents limit such requests to good reasons. Teens may not be transported in a vehicle that is not provided by our church unless a Transportation Release Form is submitted for them as well.
*For the sake of our testimony and out of consideration for others, nothing is to be thrown out of windows.
*For your safety please refrain from doing things that could potentially distract the driver.
*For your safety please do not communicate with other drivers with signs in the windows.
*For your safety hands and feet are to be kept inside the vehicles at all times.
*For your safety no one is to enter or exit the back door of the bus unless there is an emergency or they are instructed otherwise.
*For your safety no one is to remain standing or up on their knees in their seat while the bus is moving.
*For ease of movement in the event of an emergency the center aisle of the bus is to be kept clear.
Dress Issues
*When swimming, girls must wear modest swim suit as well as a dark colored t-shirt. Guys must wear loose fitting suits.
*When ministering in front of others, teens are to follow dress standard set for the event.
*When attending Teen Club and Teen Club activities, ladies shorts, are to be no shorter than fingertip length. Skirts need to touch the knee. No mid-riff shirts. Tank tops need to have a three finger width shoulder strap. Guys shorts need to be pulled up so that no underwear is to be exposed.
*Extremes in appearance or immodest dress that we feel may be distracting or offensive to others may disqualify teens from service ministries. Teens will be given opportunity to correct the problem. Teens that are unwilling to give up their “freedoms” in Christ as outlined in Rom. 14:1-15:7; I Cor. 8:7-13 and I Cor. 10:23-33 will disqualify themselves from service ministries until the problem is corrected.
Music & Reading Materials
*To better facilitate fellowship with others and to relieve the leaders of the need to monitor the music listened to and/or confiscate ungodly music, personal CD/Tape players or radios of any kind are not to be brought along to church sponsored youth events.
*Music played in a church vehicle or in personal or rented vehicles must be acceptable to the adult driver.
*To help us avoid potential problems with unacceptable music and to help relieve the leaders of the need to monitor what is being played, teens are not to operate any church “boom boxes” without permission. Only pre-approved music may be played.
*To help teens get their focus off of the things of the world and to steer them away from becoming a stumbling block to others, reading material that could stimulate lustful and ungodly thinking are not to be brought along to any meetings or activities. Reading material that promotes the values of the world or are questionable will be confiscated and returned to their parents.
Consequences
Step One – A warning.
Step Two – Placed under direct supervision of a leader/chaperone for the remainder of the meeting/activity or a designated time.
Step Three – Parents contacted and informed of the problem either during or after the meeting/activity.
Step Four – Parents requested to remove their teen from the meeting/activity or to directly supervise them at the meeting/activity.
Additional Consequences: Those who continue to knowingly and willfully rebel on several occasions will disqualify themselves from being part of our SMO Team for the coming summer. Such teens may also disqualify themselves from participating in other Christian Service ministries until they have demonstrated the fruits of repentance.
But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner. I Cor. 14:40
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden,
for that would be of no advantage to you. Heb. 13:17