Ideas for Your Youth Ministry

Tivvi Pare
Jan 23
4 min read

Updated: Mar 3

Meaningful Events, Activities, and Programs Your Youth Might Just Love

A group of youth in a huddle around the camera.

Keep this article handy for your youth ministry or the next time your church is planning a youth-oriented event!

Events For Youth

Service-learning opportunities – whether it be a week-long trip to some distant part of the country, or an afternoon visit to a local organization, service-learning opportunities are bound to attract families, build community, expand understanding, and inspire youth!
Book clubs – do you have a group of youth who love to read? Get several copies of book to read and discuss together. Does your group love movies? Music? Consider adapting the Book Club style gathering to these interests!
Pen pals with church adults - the church is full of mentors and leaders, but talking to adults can be intimidating or feel awkward. Connect each youth in your program with an adult in the church to be pen pals for a few weeks. Maybe even plan a lunch at the end of the period and encourage youth to sit with their adult pen pals to celebrate their new relationship.
Visits to other places of worship – there’s no better way to understand something you’re so used to you hardly see it anymore, than to go experience something new. Connect with a leader from another place of worship nearby. Attend a service together, have the youth come up with questions ahead of time to ask while they’re there. Debrief afterwards with open ended questions and see what they observed and learned!
Lock in – there’s something thrilling about an overnight stay at church. Get the adults of the church involved in planning activities, preparing a meal, etc. Make a church-wide event!

Events By Youth

Fundraising activities – going on a Mission Trip and need to raise some money? Projects with outcomes that impact your youth in a meaningful way will bring them together like never before! Have the youth lead as much of the planning, preparation and execution as possible.
Preparing and serving meals – Kids love to serve. They might even like to cook, set tables, serve as waiters and more! Have the youth plan and put on a meal for adults in the church and local community. Youth will take ownership of a place where they have been encouraged to and supported as leaders.
Involve youth in the leadership of worship regularly – we’re not just talking about reading the scripture one Sunday a month. Involve youth in writing prayers they think will be meaningful, have kids select hymns and share why they picked it before the congregation sings it, make worship interactive and encourage youth to get involved!
Involve youth in church and community events – Does your church have an annual craft fair? What role(s) could youth serve in planning and preparing for the event? Does your community put on a cultural festival or holiday parade? Connect with organizers in your community to get your kids involved. Show them that the church isn’t just a building they visit once a week!

Ideas for Intergenerational Ministry

Intergenerational Worship

Wild Church - (https://www.wildchurchnetwork.com/) search the directory and bring your church to a service there OR read up on Wild Church and try your own hand a wild service!
Prayer stations – worship in a new way! Incorporate a prayer station into your sanctuary for folks to visit whenever they want, or set up several stations and make visiting all of them the worship service!
Waffle Church – one Sunday a month, breakfast is served an hour before worship begins. Encourage youth to help prepare the meal! Enjoy a scrumptious breakfast together then, lead a game, activity, song, prayer practice, etc.
Café Sundays – Another yummy idea! Once in a while host a service in your largest meeting area. Perhaps you’re seated at tables. Coffee? Tea? Hot cocoa? Yes, please! Maybe there is an activity for everyone at your table to work on independently at times and collaboratively at times throughout the service. Face each other, sing to each other, not the backs of the heads of those in the pew in front of you.

Intergenerational Events

Picnics, Potlucks – everybody loves a good meal, right? Come together as a community to break bread and to break the ice! If the weather’s nice take it outside and play some games together.
Service work days at church – when we think of service opportunities we often look elsewhere, and that’s good! But don’t forget to see what projects could be done around the church with the folks who are already there! Kids will remember the time they helped rake the leaves the every time they walk by the front lawn.
Movie nights – Choose an appropriate movie to show at your church. Could it connect to a worship series you’ve been doing? Is it a new popular family friendly flick? Maybe everyone comes in their pajamas and enjoys some popcorn and sweet treats together! Is it a movie most people have seen? Pause it at different points to ask questions and get discussions started between all ages!
Intergenerational bible studies – why are bible studies just for the adults? Those kids might just surprise you with their wisdom, insights, and questions! Get them involved in wondering and questioning in community.
Trip to a local museum – everybody loves a good museum trip! Create or find a scavenger hunt for groups to work on together. Does your local art museum have religious paintings to seek out? Does your local science museum present a different way to think about the creation of our world? Let’s get out there and experience it together!
Family Camps, Retreats – Time spent away from home base knits a community together tighter than ever! Attend a camp or retreat together to unplug, relax, play, explore, and see others outside those four walls of the church!