Stephanie wanted her life to be big.

Through the years in our ministry, I watched her go back and forth between radical ways of living, whether it was following Jesus or living a restless and dangerous life of sin. There was no middle ground for her.

Stephanie walked away from faith believing the invitation to follow Christ was boring and lackluster except when we were at camp. I had told her Jesus offered her life and life to the fullest, but when she looked around at my life and the church, she believed there was no proof.

She had seen glimpses of it—at camps or retreats, away from the everyday routines, where she experienced something more—but because every day couldn’t be a camp experience, she went in search of greater adventure. Stephanie’s story is not unique to me or to my church setting.

My experience with Stephanie leads me to ask, “How do we live lives and create ministries that are fully alive and filled with adventure?”

For adventure to be teachable and transferable, it needs to be a part of every aspect: our personhood, our relationships, our teaching and our programs.

You can’t simply plan an adventure experience and check it off your list. In doing so, we create a greater divide between the call to full life as an embodiment versus a one-off program.

So, here are some ways we can begin to bring adventure into all aspects of our lives and ministries.

Embody adventure.

The old adage, “You can’t take others where you haven’t been,” holds true here. We can’t lead a ministry filled with adventure and wonder if we ourselves haven’t experienced these things. So often our work reflects who we are and that’s certainly the case in this area.

The definition of adventure implies some sort of danger or thrill. When was the last time you did something that scared you? When have you done something that challenged you? It could be climbing a mountain, running a 5K, marching in a peaceful demonstration for a cause you believe in, or jumping from a plane. Personal adventure means living in the moment and being willing to scare yourself.

When we begin to take these steps that force us to be present in the moment, we’ll notice how our own wild, brave journeys impact our ministries.

Teach the theology of adventure.

The American dream is not the kingdom invitation. There is no full life in the pursuit of a big house, nice car and 60-hour workweek. We get the privilege and responsibility to teach students about the bigger story of creation and redemption. There is so much good in helping students see the full-life invitation. I’ve noticed the teenage drama goes down in our ministry when I do better showcasing the exciting adventure that is taking place right now in God’s story.

Consider answering two questions in your messages each week: How does this truth impact my future? How does it impact right now?

The reality is that adventure isn’t something we are capable of all the time, but we always should be preparing students to step into the adventure that waits. So, part of the dilemma is balancing the message of preparation for the adventure yet to come, while teaching them adventure can be right now.

Another way to teach adventure is to expose students to other adults who have lived their faith in non-traditional ways. A few years ago, we invited a young man who chose to be homeless for a year to come and speak to our students. Our students were inspired by his story and his courage to live out something that seemed so risky and unknown to them. Our teaching began to reflect our belief of God’s call to full life.

Be playful in relationships.

There is a level of vulnerability that is required in stepping outside the norm in our relationships. Good things are happening in these moments: Relationships are deepening; credibility is growing and a greater vision of church is coming alive.

Playfulness in relationships might include normal activities with an extra touch of fun: going to a sporting event for a student (with group of students) with a huge and embarrassing sign; or instead of being T.P.ed by students, joining them as they prank another leader in your ministry. Another option might involve spontaneously texting to invite students to meet you at a local ice cream place on a non-event night. (Crazy, right?) Not one of these activities is dangerous, but they do help us become more alive and connected to our students, all of which point us to a bigger context of faith as individuals and as the church.

Be playful in programs.

Our weekly programs quickly become routine and predictable. By simply adding unique elements and sporadically changing the normal order, you can have playfulness and spark adventure in your programs. These playful elements may intentionally create tension because change can be difficult for people. This is where we must embrace tension, allow students to wade through it, and lean into the experience of the unknown.

One Sunday, instead of doing a normal service, we did a water walk. Everything appeared normal until we came to the message portion of our service. Everyone got up, and we proceeded to carry 5-gallon buckets of water around our building. We can talk about the issue of clean water around the world, or we can help students experience it. Not everybody loved it, but everybody understood it. That year, we raised a significant amount of funds to dig wells in Kenya. As we’ve allowed our programs to be playful and to be different, for better or worse, it has forced our students and our leadership team to see the adventure in our programs.

Embrace imperfection.

In the pursuit of adventure (personally and in our ministries), embracing the imperfect is essential. Adventure is risky, and where there is risk, there is a chance for failure. Not every attempt we make at adventure in our lives will lead to the real thing. We may see areas in which we must grow before we can try again. We are so prone to see this as negative, but what if we embraced our failures as the real adventure of faith? Years ago, I attempted to climb a rock wall in front of the entire church staff. I didn’t want to, but people were pressuring me and I caved. Sadly, I didn’t make it to the top. I’d like to blame it on my lack of appropriate gear, but the reality is my arms are weaker than a toddler’s. I was laughing so hard, and people were cheering me on that despite the fact I didn’t make it, I experienced something that made me feel alive and connected to those around me.

Imagine if we lived and encouraged our students to live in such a way that failure wasn’t the end or the worst thing that happened to them, but rather a path to being fully alive and connected to the great big story God is telling right now.

I believe with all my heart that God is inviting us to Life with a capital L. I pray we would have the courage to live it ourselves so we can breathe into our ministries. Adventure is waiting. Let’s get started.