The Loop experience standards are designed to help volunteer leaders understand the purpose and the intent of each segment of The Loop experience.

The Four Objectives of the Loop Experience

1. Fun: Is it fun? If so, students will be back. If not, they will be in the auditorium or somewhere else.

2. Discovery: What can I learn about me? Students are discovering who they are, who God is, what they believe, what they think about family, etc. We get to go on this journey with them.

3. Relationships: Does someone care about me? If you care, students will share. The more accepting you are, the more a Loop student will open up and allow you to influence his or her life.

4. Jesus: Who is Jesus and what does He mean to me? This is the key. How can we help students have fun, discover Christ, and grow in a relationship Him? Every week, we give students an opportunity to take the next step in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Loop Segments

Leader Huddle

The leader huddle allows leaders to intentionally connect and communicate with other leaders. The huddle is designed to inspire, inform, and encourage leaders before the experience. Leader Huddle Expectations:

• Lasts three minutes or less
• Share success stories, wins, and lessons learned from previous experiences
• Review the experience agenda and the delegation of roles

Pre-Experience

The time before the experience is designed to be relational and allow students to hang out with friends and leaders, while creating an environment that will help guests feel comfortable in a new setting. Pre-Experience Expectations:

• Leaders and staff will connect with every student and encourage students to connect with each other
• Use screens and music to create an energetic and fun environment
• Write questions on the boards and have students answer them
• Capture new student information
• Communicate with parents during drop-off and pick-up
• The leader at the door will welcome all students entering the room and will help set the energy for The Loop

Worship

The worship segment is designed to teach students what worship is, model how to worship, and give them the opportunity to worship through singing. Worship Expectations:

• Worship will last 10-15 minutes and consist of two or three songs
• There will be a leader or a group of leaders designated for each experience whose role is to lead, coach, and engage the students in worship
• Worship sets will be chosen by staff and will remain the same throughout the weekend
• Students are not required to sing, but they will be required to stand and be respectful of students who are singing
• Worship will happen inside The Loop room
• For campuses that share a wall with or are near the main experience room, all worship must be completed 18 minutes into the experience

Games and Interactive Elements

Games and interactive elements are designed to create fun, excitement, and energy in the experience. Games are also used as a way to break down barriers for those who may have preconceived ideas about church. Game and Interactive Element Expectations:

• No more than six minutes of an experience may be spent on the game
• Less than one minute for the rules
• Five minutes or less for actual game time
• Be prepared – make sure all resources, props, and equipment are ready to go
• Every game will have a five-minute countdown clock that starts when the game starts
• At the end of five minutes, the next segment will immediately start, therefore, ending the game
• Keep it simple and try to get as many people involved as possible

Small Groups (Loop Groups)

Loop Groups are the most important thing we do in The Loop. Loop Groups are designed for relationships and connection. We want students to connect with other students, their leader, and with Jesus. Small Group (Loop Group) Expectations:

• The staff determines the length of the Loop Groups (usually 10-15 minutes) and will remain the same for every experience throughout the weekend
• A countdown clock will be available to help leaders stay on track and to keep the small group discussion going
• Groups should not exceed more than eight students (no “super groups” by combining two groups with two leaders)
• Our goal is to have one leader for every five students
• Leaders will use the questions found in the leader guide to direct the conversation in their group
• Groups will be gender specific
• Leaders will ask for students’ prayer requests

Emcee

The Emcee is the point person for The Loop experience and oversees all aspects of the programming. Emcee Expectations:

• The emcee will lead from the front and will make sure that energy is up throughout The Loop experience
• The emcee is responsible for meeting the objectives of The Loop experience
• The emcee will ensure all communication is clear and effective

The Loop Message

In the Loop, we use both video and live teaching to help 5th and 6th grade students learn the truth of God’s Word in a way that directly applies to their lives. Loop Message Expectations:

• All messages will be video driven unless content calls for a live Loop message
• The Youth Pastor or NextGen Staff will deliver live messages
• All videos will be shown in their entirety unless noted otherwise by Central NextGen leaders
• The close and the ABCs will be video driven
• The call to Christ will be family driven. When a student is ready or highly interested in giving their life to Christ, we will invite their parents into the conversation and allow them to lead their kid to Christ. If the parent is uncomfortable, or in need of assistance, we will help lead the students to Christ with the help of the parent.

Follow-up

The Loop team will follow up with first-time guests, students who make a decision for Christ, and regular attenders through email, social media, postcards, or other forms of communication. Follow-Up Expectations

• Follow-up will happen within two days of the experience
• Each experience team should handle the follow-up needs for their experience
• The leaders from each experience should write cards to guests, those who make decisions for Christ, and in response to prayer requests