A Nerf Battle to Unite Them All

In my rural region of Nebraska, surrounded by miles of farmland, I wondered with my fellow pastors and ministry leaders at Westmark Church (EFCA) how we might build relationships with nearby Free Churches. Six EFCA churches serve their communities in our local area, yet we acted like strangers passing each other in the grocery store—we kind of knew each other but avoided eye contact and kept moving. To advance the Kingdom of God, I knew we needed to change that. But how?

My answer: Wage a (Nerf) war with them. 

Preparing for battle 

Being the new guy with only 1.5 years at Westmark, I had no connections or relationships outside of the church—but I had a heart for students to experience a transformational life in Christ.  

I wanted to see EFCA churches in our local area connect with the unchurched youth in the community. According to the Census Bureau, there were around 13,000 unchurched people within 35 miles of Westmark, but I knew we couldn't do it alone. To “go and make disciples” (Matt 28:19), we needed to bring more Free Churches together.  

Few standing opportunities existed for church collaboration, so I had to get creative. What better way to give students an opportunity to hear the gospel and bring ministry leaders together than to reach out to the other local Free Church student pastors and pitch the idea of sending a legion of teenagers—full of pizza and pop—into the Nerf gauntlet? I’ll admit, uniting six churches with little collaborative experience around the idea of a Nerf battle proved a major challenge. 

Thankfully, intentional relationship building paved the way. As a former ministry leader in the D.C, Maryland and Virginia area, I saw both success and failure in collaborative ministry efforts. Having gone through some hard failures in the past, I developed deep insecurities around my capability and competence. Yet, my life is a testimony that you don't have to be anyone special when you serve Christ. So, I forged ahead, determined to make this event a reality.

After building relationships with local pastors, praying with them and establishing trust through a local ministry network, I reached out about working together toward this event. Their response was a quick “yes.” 

Organizing this Nerf battle taught me a lot. Unlike the fast-paced, entertainment-driven culture of D.C., rural Nebraska is a work-focused culture with a heavy emphasis on school sports. Understanding this, I meticulously planned around six different school sports calendars to avoid conflicts and maximize participation. As a life-long homeschooler, this was the first time I’ve looked at a school calendar––I'll let you sit on that for a second.

Once we settled on a date, I connected and met with the other pastors to brainstorm and structure the event. Our goal was clear: to create a welcoming and engaging environment for unchurched students. This provided the perfect opportunity for students to invite their friends for a night of fun.  

Things did not go as planned.  

On the battleground  

On the afternoon of the event, two churches backed out because no students were interested. That news hit me like a ton of bricks. I could feel the weight of my insecurities bearing down on me. We planned for 80-100 students, and I worried we wouldn’t hit those numbers and the event would flop. 

At the start, students rushed in, and attendance looked good, but by the time we gave a gospel presentation, only 30 students remained. I couldn’t believe it; I felt like we’d failed. That’s when a fellow pastor reminded me of a common church-plant saying: "Don’t punish the 12 faithful attendees because the masses didn’t come." When I heard that, my perspective shifted toward gratitude. 

Alongside four other student ministry pastors, I pressed forward with excitement—enjoying food, fellowship and an intense Nerf battle. After making sure everyone had their own gun and darts, we split up the students, pastors and their adult volunteers into two teams (blue and orange) and used the pre-created bunkers (turned-over tables) to play five- to 15-minute fan-favorite games (e.g., capture the flag, battle royale, etc.).  

In the end, the blue team fell to the orange team, but the biggest victory was the positive investment we made in our relationships with the students. The positive experiences with students naturally strengthened relationships to effectively point them to Christ. 

One senior student told us he had so much fun that he wished he would have invited more friends. That simple comment affirmed our mission: to create opportunities for future outreach.  

The other victory won that night was the gospel-reaching momentum we created by collaborative ministry among the regional student pastors. We were no longer strangers, but ministry partners in the gospel. 

Building connections among leaders 

As I reflected on this event, one major takeaway was the need for better delegation. In my enthusiasm, I unintentionally dominated the planning process, making the other youth pastors feel more like bystanders than active participants. Moving forward, I plan to share leadership responsibilities, ensuring that everyone has a role and a sense of ownership. 

I also learned that no matter who you are, where you come from or what struggles you’ve faced, when you live for Christ, you can accomplish anything for God’s kingdom. I feel blessed to have brothers in Christ right here in Nebraska who share the same mission and vision for student ministry and the same heart for God’s kingdom. I’ll never know what kind of brotherhood that Jesus and His disciples had for one another, but I do feel that I’ve experienced a taste of that with these student pastors. 

While the Midwest Regional Nerf Battle wasn’t as vast as we initially envisioned, it was a first step.With each event, we build steam, creating more of a presence, more opportunities and more chances for students to reach out to their lost and unchurched friends, while collective student ministries continue to focus on the greater mission—reaching and discipling students to know and follow Christ.