Tag: events

Tips for Hosting a Leader Christmas Party

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When this post drops, we are only a week and a half away from Thanksgiving, which means Christmas is just a little over a month away. For our ministry, Christmastime involves two big events: a Christmas party for our students and a Christmas party for our leaders.

I love both of these, but our leader party is by far my favorite because we get to do life with our leaders who are our friends and family. We get to celebrate what God has been doing, there’s good food, we give gifts to our leaders, there’s games and friendly competition, and time to celebrate the season together.

There’s a ton of work that we put into this to pull it off, but it is so worth it because it affirms and encourages our people, and it’s a special time to build into our community and show them how much they mean to us. However, that doesn’t mean that it needs to be a lot of work for you. Planning ahead, creating a memorable moment, and caring for your team are things you can do even without a budget or months of work. Today, I want to provide you with some key elements to consider implementing to make your leader Christmas gathering special and in doing so, help you plan ahead for a busy time of year.

Provide refreshments.

This could look a hundred different ways, but I would highly suggest having some type of refreshments at your Christmas party. This could be a full on meal, snacks, appetizers, or even a potluck. We have been asking students’ families to provide baked goods and appetizers for the past few years to resounding success.

We have simply put together a digital signup coupled with an email highlighting this past year and asking for supplies. This works best for us because it saves on finances and allows our leaders to see just how appreciative families are for the work and care they put into their students. You don’t need to incorporate our idea, but instead seek to implement whatever works for your ministry and your budget.

Incorporate what leaders enjoy.

This is a big part of making these moments special. If your leaders love to play games and compete, find ways to incorporate those types of activities. If they strongly dislike games, don’t play games or limit the amount of games to only one or two. I’ll be honest, we have found that our leaders enjoy more community than structured activities at our Christmas party, so we try to make our Christmas party more community-focused with time to fellowship, eat, and enjoy being together.

Share encouragements.

Encouragement is something I have striven to build into the schedule for our Christmas party because it helps leaders recognize their value and worth to our ministry and church. We highlight what we have seen God do in and through them. We look to highlight big God stories from throughout the year like baptisms, students following Jesus, students who have grown spiritually, and trips we have taken.

The reality is there can be hard moments in student ministry and it can be discouraging. Taking time to reflect and share encouraging stories and moments is so important to building up and showing your leaders the impact they are having.

Play together.

Earlier, I highlighted incorporating aspects that leaders enjoy and I mentioned that if they dislike games then don’t incorporate them. And you may read this point of “playing together” and question whether those two points are compatible together. And the answer is “yes.” Just because some leaders may not like games, that doesn’t mean you can’t play together; the two are not mutually exclusive.

You can incorporate activities that aren’t competitive or are more laid back like cookie decorating or gingerbread house building. You can play one game versus five. You can have fun by encouraging leaders to share stories from the past year that just made them laugh. Moments like these will help build the atmosphere and environment of celebration and fun into your Christmas party.

Build relationships.

This may sound like a no-brainer, but sometimes we need to be intentional in crafting opportunities to foster relationships among our people. This can be done in a variety of ways including how you set up seating, encouraging conversational moments, shaping the schedule to allow for intentional moments, and even stating that to your people. These times can be built in through a variety of means, but the key is making sure to do so. When you have these moments with your people it not only builds relationships at that specific time, but it also helps your team to draw together in ongoing ways and creates a stronger bond among your team.

Make the gathering special.

When it comes to moments like these where we are trying to bless and encourage our people, we need to make sure we are doing our best to make the gathering special. This can include how we decorate, bringing in environmental elements like cozy seating and decorations, having music playing, intentionally crafting a schedule that reflects the occasion, and giving gifts. These don’t need to be things that break the bank, but instead can be creative elements that bless your leaders and help them to know they are seen, loved, and valued.

Quick Tip: Prepping for Fall Kickoff

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Depending where you’re at in the country, it probably doesn’t feel like fall right now. Here in the northeast it’s been fairly warm and we haven’t seen a lot of rain. We have been utilizing our summer programmatic schedule and just finished our trips at the end of July.

Coming up, we still have a lot of activities and gatherings planned for August, but fall programming is just around the corner. Fall sports have started practicing, kids are preparing for classes, families’ rhythms are being reestablished, teachers are preparing classrooms, and it feels like summer is quickly fading away.

As fall approaches that means we are engaged in planning and preparation for the school year, and for us we start our Wednesday night programming with a celebratory fall kickoff. We host an invitational and relational gathering that is filled with high energy, connecting opportunities, and lots of food. It’s a total blast and helps us set the year off with a bang!

Your fall programming and your kickoff may look vastly different from ours, however there are some key elements every fall kickoff should have. So what are some ways to ensure that your kickoff is a success?

1. Ensure it aligns with your vision and mission.

Whatever your event looks like, you need to make sure it highlights and champions your ministry’s values. This comes through in what the event is, how it is structured, the scope and sequence of the event, how it’s communicated, and what the message is for it. This ensures that everything aligns and is communicated in all that you do.

2. Create the environment that fits your programmatic structure.

There were many times earlier in my ministry career where I attempted to pack as much as I could into whatever event we were hosting. When you try to squeeze three hours of fun into a two hour event, something falls flat and people will miss out on things. Instead, I’ve learned that for our structure, less is more.

This means more time spent hanging out and building community instead of super structured games or activities, followed by an equal distribution of time for a message and small groups. Whatever environment you are going for, make sure that you align it with your program overall to ensure that your mission and vision are communicated through everything you do.

3. Connect students with their leaders and peers.

Fall kickoff is a wonderful opportunity to connect and reconnect students with their small group leaders and other students. Students crave community and authentic relationships. If you intentionally create an environment that embraces those aspects you will see your ministry start off on very strong footing heading into the school year.

4. Cast direction for the school year.

An integral part of your fall kickoff should include casting direction and vision for the school year. You should seek to incorporate your vision for the ministry and allow for that to drive the direction for the school year. In our ministry we will always talk about our vision for the ministry but we will use that as the catalyst for our direction for the school year.

Part of our vision statement has to do with “being sent to build the kingdom of God,” so the past couple of years we have challenged students to invite and reach their peers. When you can incorporate your ministry’s vision with the direction for the school year, you will be creating consistency throughout the ministry.

5. Have fun.

While this may seem like a no-brainer in student ministry, we need to be intentional in this. We aren’t supplementing the Gospel or discipleship in doing this, but instead creating an environment that is intentional in how we welcome, engage with, and care for students.

Typically fall kickoffs happen during our midweek programming which tend to be more invitational and evangelistic and so having an environment that is fun will encourage more students to participate and invite their peers. This is also an encouragement and reminder to us as ministry leaders and for our volunteers. Students see how we engage and respond and they will reflect that. So having fun, engaging, and displaying Jesus as we have fun is key.

    Ways to Honor & Celebrate Your Seniors

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    It’s May, and that means graduation season is coming soon! We have already started to receive graduation party invites, schools are sending out notices about commencement, and students are finishing exams and going on trips. Soon-to-be graduates are preparing for the next step in their journey as young adults.

    For us this is always a bittersweet season. We see our students graduate and we are so incredibly proud of them, but it also tugs at the heartstrings as we prepare to say goodbye to them being in our ministries. This year is especially bittersweet for Elise and I as this graduating class is the class that started in our middle school program the year we started at our church.

    We have watched these students grow in their faith, ask deep and meaningful questions, wrestle with practical application of what they believe, and navigate all the other complexities that come with middle school and high school. Couple that with our ever-evolving culture, figuring out a new normal post-pandemic, and the complexities of social media, and all of a sudden we realize just how much our students have walked through, overcome, and achieved.

    This is an incredibly special moment for seniors and their families, so we as the church should take charge of moments like these to honor, recognize, and celebrate our people. Seniors have many people celebrating them whether it’s at graduation parties, school events, social settings, or cards in the mail. But when was the last time the church celebrated them in a meaningful way?

    Many churches will bring graduates on stage and pray for them, but shouldn’t we be looking to up the ante? Can’t we do something more? This has become a passion of mine over my last decade in student ministry, and today I want to share some tips on how you can meaningfully celebrate your graduates and honor all that they have accomplished.

    Create an intentional brochure.

    Over the past few years we have revamped our senior brochure that we hand out to our congregation. It used to just be a picture of each graduate, what high school they graduated from, and where they were going to college. But in wanting to be intentional in how we honor our seniors, we took it a step further.

    We asked them to share their favorite memories, what God has been teaching them, their intended major or focus, and how the church can pray for them. These questions helped to personalize the brochure and give our church ways to engage with students at a deeper, more personal and spiritual level.

    Host a reception.

    After our commissioning we have a reception with refreshments, gifts, encouragement for graduates and families, a photo booth, and a time for families to encourage and pray over their graduates. A reception doesn’t have to be over the top to be intentional. By simply providing a space and opportunity to celebrate and honor students, you are highlighting the importance of what they have accomplished as you care well for them.

    We incorporate balloons, fun graduation plates and cups, refreshments, a table centerpiece, a photo booth, and a presentation. While this may sound like a lot, but many of these elements were made by our team or acquired over the years. It’s all about being creative and thoughtful and building upon each year.

    Write them a letter.

    In the last few years we have started writing a letter to our graduates that our student ministry team and senior pastor sign. These letters are intentionally thought out and highlight the ways our church is for our students and will continue to be for them. These letters can be from you personally, your student ministry, or even church leadership, and they are an opportunity for you to encourage your students and show them that the church is for them.

    Provide a meaningful gift.

    This was never something I experienced in high school, and it wasn’t until I had my first full time job in student ministry that I saw seniors receive a gift. I’ll admit, at that time we simply gave them a book, but that stirred in me a desire to be intentional with what we give our students.

    A meaningful gift doesn’t have to be expensive or over the top; it does need to be thought out and purposeful though. Today, we give our students a gift bag filled with candy, glow sticks, a confetti popper, a book, a card from church staff, a letter from church leadership, and a few other small items. We want our students to know we thought about them when we put the gift together and that it is both meaningful and practical.

    Share photos.

    Whenever you honor your students, try to share photos of them to highlight them. These can be photos from when they were in youth group, family photos, their graduation photos, prom photos, or photos from trips and retreats. You could include throwback photos for a “trip down memory lane,” which some of your students may cringe at but all will chuckle at how much they have grown. However you choose to do this, make sure that you have all your students in the photos if at all possible.

    Honor them at youth group.

    Another way to honor and celebrate your seniors is to acknowledge them in front of your youth group. This could be sharing memories and stories about the students, it could be praying for them, giving them a gift, or having a cake for them to celebrate. Whatever it looks like at your youth group, make sure to celebrate and pray for them as they prepare for the next step in their faith journey.

    Commission them.

    Over the past five years, our family ministry team has been intentionally attempting to make our time celebrating our seniors more than just a celebration and more of a commissioning. We are sending our students out into the next part of their faith journey and as such we should commission them in the same way we commission and send out missionaries.

    Take time to highlight where your students are going, what they are pursuing, and how the church can pray for them. If possible, I would encourage you to bring up family members, small group leaders, and church leaders to pray over your students. This helps to confirm to your students that you and the church will be for them as they head out.

    Pray for them.

    Praying for your graduates is one of the best things you can do. If you’re honoring them in front of the church, consider having your senior pastor, an elder, or multiple leaders pray over them as your church participates with them. Another way to pray for your students is asking them what their prayer requests are and sharing those requests with the church. This will allow for multiple people to pray for your students in intentional and personal ways.

    Creative Ideas: Easter Engagement for Students

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    Happy Easter Monday! We hope you had a wonderful Easter and that you were able to celebrate our Savior, His death, burial, and resurrection.

    Easter has always held a special place in my life and in my faith journey. I remember sunrise services growing up and then leading them at the first church at which I was employed. The Easter brunches and dinners with family and friends were always a celebration. Hunting for Easter eggs at my godparents’ house and then reading the Easter story together while we scarfed down as many jelly beans as humanly possible. (Trust me, I could put away a couple of bags!)

    But do you know what I didn’t have a lot of? In youth group I barely remember talking about Easter, let alone engaging with it. For some reason the holidays that the church celebrated weren’t really engage with at a student level. As Elise and I have grown in our ministry careers, we have taken opportunities to help our students engage with these important moments in our faith. And we’re also sought to engage in creative avenues to help students understand them at a deeper level.

    Today our hope is to provide some creative ways to help your students engage with Easter (next year of course), and to give you ideas to begin considering as you build out your calendar for the next school year.

    Incorporate students for a reading of the Easter story.

    Bringing in a variety of voices–especially students’ voices–when reading the Easter story allows for the story to be heard in new and vibrant ways. It brings in different aspects that perhaps may not have been noticed before, and it also allows students to hear the story in voices that are similar to their own. When we allow ourselves to be transported into the story we have a deeper appreciation and new perspective from which we are able to better hear and understand God’s Word.

    Allow students to creatively retell the story.

    Give your student groups an opportunity to retell the story creatively and allow them the freedom (within reason) to retell it in their own unique ways. Allowing students to immerse themselves in the story and to take ownership of it will help them to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Easter story.

    Provide a Bible study for your small groups.

    Our Home Group for April immediately follows Easter and provides a unique opportunity for our small groups to dig deep into Scripture. Providing a variety of passages from the Gospels that journey through the Easter narrative gives students a unique perspective and helps to highlight the beauty of the Easter story from different vantage points. Typically when we do something like this we write out the material for our groups rather than using a pre-made study. This allows us to shape the questions and applications to specifically relate to our groups.

    Engage in character studies.

    In the Easter story there are many different individuals with whom you can engage. You could assign a character or group (the religious leaders, a disciple, one of the women at the cross, the women at the tomb, the centurion, Pilate, etc.) to each student or to a small group. Have them think critically about the character, their interactions, their emotions and responses, and about their relationship with Jesus. Stepping into the story in this unique way helps us to grow our connection with Jesus as we understand the relationships that He had with various individuals.

    Provide artistic opportunities.

    I am not very artistic (I still struggle to color in the lines), but many of my students and leaders are. Providing them with an opportunity to draw, write, or illustrate in various ways the Easter story will allow for them to have a unique engagement with it that will provide a deeper understanding. They could engage in this way with a reading of the story, watching a video of the Easter story, or even through a song.

    How to Host Intentional Events

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    Yesterday Elise and I watched the Super Bowl from the comfort of our own home as we relaxed, ate snacks, and enjoyed the commercials and Taylor Swift commentary. That wasn’t always the case though. We were reflecting this past week about how at our prior church we hosted a massive “Big Game” party.

    We provided wings, pizza, and snacks. We brought in a mobile laser tag company. We had inflatables going all night long. There was a dodge ball tournament and few rooms down we had Just Dance going. We had the Big Game going in a room filled with couches and comfy seating. We also incorporated a lesson at halftime for our students. And that was just during the game.

    Prior to we had all the organization and set up. We were attempting to pre-screen all the commercials. We were ordering all the food and connecting with the companies who were bringing in our event items. And we were organizing prizes for our annual game day quiz.

    But do you know what this party actually lacked? Intentionality. The only real purpose this party had was just that: to be a party. Students would invite their friends and attend, but there was very little spiritual reward for the amount of effort, time, and work that went into it. We rarely saw new students return, students weren’t focused on the lesson, leaders were frustrated by how intense and long the event was, and no one really got to watch the game.

    In many ways, it was discouraging in the moment and now reflecting back it has challenged us to be more intentional in how we plan, organize, and run events. So how do you actually host intentional parties or events?

    Align with your mission and vision.

    This is a big part to any event or gathering that you host. I’m ashamed to admit that it took me a long time to get to this point but once I understood it, it radically altered my approach and methodology to ministry. Aligning your mission and vision with what you do helps your ministry to drive home what you’re seeking to replicate and cultivate.

    Our vision is this: to be an encouraging community of disciples who are sent to build the kingdom of God. That means we will say yes to events that help us build out our vision of disciple-making. On the flip side it means we will say no to other things. That doesn’t mean we don’t like them or that they don’t serve a purpose. We are simply saying we are seeking to align with our mission and vision and that is what drives us. This point will help you focus on what you are doing by giving you purpose and direction, and it will also shape the identity of your ministry.

    Have a stated purpose and goal.

    This goes hand-in-hand with the previous point. While you may have the understanding that the event you’re hosting aligns with your vision, does everyone else? Do your leaders know? What about the students and their families? I’m not saying you need to write out a thesis statement for each thing you do, but by providing a purpose and goal you’re helping to bring clarity, understanding, and direction to your ministry.

    It could be something as simple as putting a line in your newsletter explaining the event and what your hope is for it. It could be announcing it to your students and leaders at youth group. Or it could be something you share at a training for your leaders. Outlining the goal and purpose will provide understanding and clarity for your group.

    Generate buy-in.

    This is really important when it comes to hosting events. If you and your leaders aren’t excited and talking about your event why would you expect your students to be excited? Your excitement and attitude is key to generating buy-in, but you can also do this by empowering your students to be the voice for your ministry.

    If students are excited and participating in the event, let them be the vocal supporters and challenge them to invite their friends. Also, look to create unique elements to your events that are outside of the normal everyday programming that you host. Whether it’s a competition, prizes, different snacks, or something else, look to bring in different elements that will excite and engage your students and their peers.

    Incorporate students.

    Just as we said with the previous point, students are essential to the success of intentional events. Having their buy-in is huge, but so is utilizing their gifts and having them help facilitate the event. Students are amazing leaders and if you give them the opportunity they will seize it and do great things. Bring them in, hear their ideas, incorporate their suggestions, allow them to thrive and fail, and see what God will do in and through them.

    Utilize the church body.

    Crafting spaces for inter-generational relationship opportunities and community to occur will help your intentional events thrive. We have an amazing older couple who faithfully serve in our cafe each week and at any event that has food. They embody the love of Jesus as they smile and engage with students, even going so far as stopping what they are doing to sit and listen to a student who is having a bad week.

    These type of volunteers and others in your church can show students the love of Jesus and help foster a true inter-generational church atmosphere. This will do wonders to help your church grow and mature. It may take time and effort on your part to create these moments and challenge the church to step up, but keep beating that drum and pray for God to awaken the church toward this vital mission.

    Create space for connection and community.

    Whatever your event, creating opportunities for community and connections is key. There will always be students who desire quieter spaces and opportunities to engage in conversations. So having places for those opportunities will help to create a successful event. It can just be some couches or tables and chairs that have games, coloring books, or activities, but that are situated in a way that encourages conversations. These spaces will help everyone feel valued and seen and provide a place for people to be refreshed and encouraged.

    What are the priorities you seek to embody at your events?

    Last Minute Christmas Party Games

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    It’s the week before Christmas and for some of us, that means taking a break from ministry for a week or two. But there are other ministries that keep going and may be meeting sometime this week for their Christmas party. If you are in the latter category and looking for some easy, quick, and little-prep games for your party, you’ve come to the right place.

    Let’s face it: we’ve all had a moment where for whatever reason, our event and activities have been placed on the back burner. That’s not a reflection of you or your heart, but it sometimes happens. And right now you may feel pressed for time and wondering if you’ll even be able to pull this party off because you still need a great Christmas message and games may not be your thing. It happens, we’ve all been there or will be there. This post is meant to help you have a great Christmas party for your students, or maybe even show up at your staff party as the hero with fun activities, or give you something fun to do when all of the family is over during the holidays. So here are some quick and easy Christmas party game ideas.

    An easy Christmas scavenger hunt.

    We have written about scavenger hunts in the past where we have used Scavr. This is not what I am suggesting. That takes a lot of back end work and would completely bog down any prep time you have this week. Think of this in the classic “Bring Me” style game but instead of doing it one item at a time, it’s a scavenger hunt where students either have to physically collect items or take photos of them. It could also have various elements like “have a group take a video singing Christmas carols in front of a manger,” “take a group picture by Christmas lights,” or “have your group dress up as wise men.” Including elements that are within your church and relatable to your church will help make this game relatively easy and successful.

    Charades or reverse charades.

    Charades is always a fun group game to utilize where you have a group of people guessing the action of an individual. This can be played in head-to-head fashion with multiple teams competing against each other, or if you have a smaller group it can be played all together with your group guessing the actions of one individual at a time.

    Another fun way to play this game is reversing the function of the game: the group will act out the action while one person or only a couple of people guess. This allows for your group to be a little more creative and to craft a scene. I would suggest giving your groups around 30-60 seconds to come up with a plan if you are doing reverse charades. The scenes that you are utilizing should be Christmas-focused and could be Christmas movies, winter/Christmas activities, Christmas carols, or Christmas stories.

    Christmas Scattergories.

    Scattergories is a great game regardless of the time of year. It can be utilized in a smaller group where individuals play against one another. Or larger groups can be broken into small groups competing together, or even as a head-to-head style game where competitors go back and forth on answering. Regardless of how you run this game, think about different categories you can use to make the game more Christmasy.

    Here are a few ideas to get you going: Christmas movies, Christmas songs, Christmas food items, Christmas characters, stocking stuffers, Christmas activities, Christmas traditions, something at the North Pole, gifts, or Christmas decorations. This is a game that is sure to produce lots of laughs and some spirited debates. But as long as you can keep it moving and see that your crew is having fun, the longer you can lean on this game to help make your Christmas party a blast.

    PowerPoint Games.

    Download Youth Ministry has a bunch of PowerPoint games available on their website, and I’ll be honest with saying these have saved me in many circumstances. There are all different styles of games and they can be utilized in a variety of ways depending on your group size and dynamic. Most of these will need to be paid for, but they are totally worth it. My advice would be to purchase games that have a higher review rating and ones that will connect with your group.

    Christmas tree or Christmas present decorating.

    Now I know what you’re thinking: why would we have our students decorate a tree or wrap a present? But hear me out: what if the tree or present was a student or leader? Right?! Now you’ve given your group the challenge to decorate someone in the most festive way possible and this is easily accomplished by purchasing (or finding) some gift wrap, bows, tinsel, tape, and maybe a few other additional items.

    Another fun piece to include if you’re going with the gift idea is to get some larger boxes to wrap your people up in. Let your group go crazy with how they decorate their people and then up the ante by having them walk a runway and have a teammate explain their creativity. Another quick tip: purchasing these items can be done in an inexpensive way by shopping at a dollar store or Walmart or in a pinch purchasing online on Amazon.

    How to Pick a Guest Speaker

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    We’ve all been there at some point in our careers: on the lookout for a guest speaker. It may be finding someone to share on a youth group night or Sunday morning, looking for a camp speaker, having someone speak at a retreat or DNOW weekend, or having someone who can cover for you when your sick. We know the pains and difficulties that can go into finding a speaker who aligns with our ministry. We especially know those feelings if we have had a speaker who isn’t great or doesn’t connect with your group.

    The reality is that we will need to find speakers who can engage with our students and fulfill the mission and vision we are seeking to implement in our group setting. But the are many details and questions we need to consider when it comes to doing so, because we want to approach this with intentionality, passion, and faith to make sure we choose the best possible speaker for our group. Today I want share some tips on how you can do this well and show care to all involved.

    Be clear with what you’re seeking.

    As someone who has spoken at different venues, one of the most frustrating things is when the expectations and directions aren’t clearly communicated. I like to know the culture of the program, the intent and focus of the speaking engagement (i.e. filling in on a youth group night or the focus for a week-long camp), the vision of the ministry, how long the messages are to be and how many there will be, and even what hasn’t worked in the past. When you’re open and clear about what you’re seeking, it will afford potential speakers the opportunity to say yes or no as they think through their skill sets and time obligations. The clearer you are the more likely you are to find the right person(s) needed for your event.

    Know what your group needs.

    This is hugely important because as the shepherd to your group you know what they need to hear, how they will receive people, what kind of care they need, and how they will engage with the person speaking. When you’re aware of the needs of your group, it provides clarity for you to choose a speaker who will be the best equipped to help meet those needs. You aren’t looking for someone to take on your role but for someone who will compliment it and provide a meaningful and safe place for students to engage and grow in their faith journey.

    Get a resume.

    This may sound weird because it’s not a job interview, right? But if someone is coming to speak to your group, especially for a longer period of time, this is a job interview. They are putting forth their services and they should be able to share their experiences, passions, and reasons for seeking to fulfill this role. In doing this, you will better understand if this person is truly the right fit for your group.

    Now let me clarify something: I am not saying they need to actually give you a full on resume. I am saying to look for the pieces that go into a resume and seek to understand more about the candidate. If you get a resume, follow up with their references and see what they have to say about the speaker’s skill sets, communication style, and ability to connect with students.

    Know their connection to student ministry.

    It may seem easy to find a speaker for student ministry; just look in any of the numerous student ministry Facebook groups to see people who are ready and willing to jump in as a speaker. Or you can look at various people’s social media profiles and find tags like “influencer” and “speaker.” But just because someone says they are a speaker doesn’t mean they will be qualified to speak to students.

    One of the best things you can do when looking for a speaker is to find out their connection and draw to be a speaker to students. Sometimes people think that speaking to adults and to students are the same, but there are important and noted differences. Being able to ascertain if someone has a connection to speaking to students is a key aspect to be looking for when choosing a speaker.

    Consider cost.

    Sometimes you will end up finding someone who will speak for little to no cost. These will typically be when you ask someone to speak on a Sunday morning or at youth group, but not so much for speaking at retreats or longer settings. Being aware of the cost associated with picking a speaker is important but should not keep you from choosing the best selection for your group. There are times when costs can be prohibitive to what you’re seeking to accomplish, but if you’re open with the reality of cost from the onset of your search, it will allow you to think creatively about who you bring in to speak.

    Preview some of their teachings.

    This is something that I would suggest no matter where you’re having someone speak. Whether it’s a speaker for a camp or retreat or someone speaking on a Sunday morning, getting to know their material, methodology, and how they engage with people is key. Getting this preview will help you make an informed decisions on whether that individual is someone you want sharing with your students, if their communication aligns with your vision and mission, and if they bring the necessary skill set to the table.

    One final thing: how do you say no to a speaker?

    There have been times where I’ve checked in with multiple people to speak and I’ve had to have an awkward conversation where I say no to them sharing. Depending on the circumstance this can be more awkward than not (i.e. telling someone at your church or a youth leader no). The key is how you go about this. Do you simply say “sorry we are going in another direction,” are you direct to the reasons why, do you try to soften the blow?

    I would say that the closer you are to the individual, the more intentional, relational, and pastoral you are with them. Make sure to care for and love them well. Explain your reasoning and if there’s areas to grow in be willing to share those. If someone is fairly far removed from your group (i.e. you connected with someone referred to you over Facebook), simply stating you’re going in another direction is fine and thank them for their time. If they want more information that is up to you on how much you’d like to share.

    Theme Night Ideas: Spring Kickoff

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    Most of us are not thinking about spring right now. In fact, some of us are probably revisiting our winter weather and wellness policies because those fall sniffles and murmurs of snow are beginning to materialize. But that is why this is the perfect time to think about a spring kickoff because it gives us time to prepare. Preparing in advance helps us to put things together without feeling rushed or disorganized. It allows us to build something meaningful and intentional that will reach our students and their peers.

    I do want to clarify what I mean when I say “spring kickoff.” For our ministry, we host our spring kickoff in January after we come back from Christmas break. Many of you are probably crying afoul because January is most certainly not spring, unless you live in a place that is perpetually warm. But here is the rationale for calling it our spring kickoff: we have just come back from a prolonged break and we want to celebrate being back and it is the start of the spring semester for students.

    Our church is a regional church which means we serve multiple school districts and none of them follow the same format for semesters or marking periods or trimesters. So instead of trying to do a “semester kickoff,” it made the most sense for us to call it our Spring Kickoff. I am not advocating for you to replicate the name–thought it most certainly isn’t trademarked–but I am encouraging you to be intentional with the time when you come back from a prolonged break in programming. This is a great point at which to celebrate and reconnect with your students, and to have fun in the process.

    In looking at the time of year this happens, many of us we need to think about indoor activities. There are some ministries that can be outside in January, but for those of us who cannot, we must think about activities that can be utilized indoors. All of the ideas below can be used outdoors as well and can be shaped and molded to fit any space and ministry size. Today, I want to share with you five ideas for a spring kickoff event that are guaranteed to be a ton of fun!

    Cutthroat Kitchen.

    Cutthroat Kitchen was a cooking show on Food Network where competitors were given a set amount of starting cash they could use in each round to either buy advantages or purchases sabotages for their competitors. DYM put out a Christmas version of this competition that can easily be tweaked to meet the needs of a spring kickoff. You will need to play around with the graphics and some of the names of the games, but it is a great springboard and has a ton of helpful guidance.

    This is an event you can do for one night or for a months-long competition. We took a month leading up to it for small groups to win “money” by competing in various games that they could use in the main competition. It was a ton of fun, and our students still talk about it.

    Team Competitions.

    Team competitions don’t have to be like the relay games of yesteryear. They can actually be a lot of fun and it is all in how you cast the vision and know what your group enjoys. You can host a trivia night where small groups compete against each other. You could have small groups plan and share skits or a talent show. You could have a lip-sync competition between small groups. Or it could be any number of things, but the key is knowing your group and what will get them excited and participating.

    Scavenger Hunt.

    We have written about using Scavr for our spring kickoff before, and honestly this is an amazing resource for youth ministries. This is an option that costs money depending on which version you would like to use, but I will say it is totally worth the value. All you need to do is figure out the clues and answers for the hunt, have your teams download the app beforehand and create a log in, and then just manage the submissions.

    Gone are the days of trying to track all the scores or figure out who did what. Scavr does that all for you. This is something you can completely scale and shape to fit a theme, environment, or your church setting. We love to incorporate trivia questions about leaders and staff, utilize staff who are on-site for photo opportunities, and have our students running all over.

    Minute to Win It.

    This is a classic event for student ministries. You can literally find tons of Minute to Win It games online and even find websites with the games broken down by categories. There also a lot of Minute to Win It countdown times on YouTube that you can use for this event to keep things moving and make it feel like you are actually competing on the show. You can set this up where you have multiple stations and students will move through them in groups and you keep track of which student/group got the quickest time. Then you figure out which team or individual won the most games or had the best overall score, and you have your winner.

    Bigger and Better.

    This is a classic game that we used to play all the time at my youth group growing up. The premise is fairly simple: each team starts with the same “small item.” We always started with a quarter. You would then have to travel around and trade your small item for something bigger and better, trading items until you’re out of time. When time’s up, everyone reconvenes at church to see what each team got, and to pick a winner.

    We learned pretty early on that you had to have certain ground rules in place like “no stealing,” “no drive-able items if you’re under 18,” and the item you receive you have to be able to keep. The last two were because someone had a family member drive their 18-wheeler to church. But this is a game you could play in a neighborhood, a smaller community, or by utilizing church staff and/or members to engage in more inter-generational community. The last one could even be an opportunity to have dessert at one of the homes and celebrate together.

    6 Tips for Designing Your Space

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    Typically there are two responses to this type of an article: I don’t have a designated space or I already have my space set up.

    Those responses highlight a mentality of frustration or completion and I can fully resonate with both. When you don’t have a space that is specifically for your ministry due to multipurpose usage it can be really discouraging and frustrating. On the other hand when you have your space and it is fully set and designed how you like, your response may be to continue with the status quo, because why change what is working?

    But may I suggest to you that neither of those responses are helpful nor beneficial? In fact both of those attitudes can lend themselves to complacency and an unwillingness to adapt and change. That is not a helpful place to be because it leads to tensions, frustrations, resentments, and bitterness. Instead what we should should be doing is thinking creatively and identifying ways in which our space can be most utilized to reach and impact the communities we serve. The question then is how can we design and utilize our space to that end?

    1. Know your ambiance.

    What is the vibe that you want your ministry to have? Is it a classroom setting? Do you want it to feel more like a party? Or is it a coffee shop environment? It may be none of these or a hybrid of a few different options. Regardless of what you choose, how you embrace the ambiance and build your space to reflect that is key. So know what you are going for and commit to it.

    2. Consider your lighting options.

    Our space is pretty set with lighting options because it’s a multipurpose room. This means we can’t add or change anything unless it is something the entire church agrees on or the items must be able to be removed after each event. For us, that means that either we use the lights that are in the room or we get creative. We chose to get creative and we have purchased floor lamps and market lights to change the ambiance of the room for our youth group nights. While yes, they do make set up a bit longer, the change of lighting and the effect it has on our environment has been more than worth it.

    3. Think about seating.

    Here’s the thing: chairs and tables aren’t always necessary. They can add to an environment but they can also detract from it. Deciding how you want people sitting may sound like it isn’t important but it can shift the the entire ambiance and purpose of your space.

    When I started at our church, Sunday mornings were a little dull and lifeless. Students would come and sit in rows and there wasn’t a reason for why we had rows. So I shook it up, and we moved to round tables with chairs to foster conversations and discussion on what we were teaching. Changing seating will switch up the ambiance, the energy, and even the purpose of what you’re seeking to accomplish. So think through how you want your seating to be and make sure it matches your vision and purpose.

    4. Intentionally set up your room.

    We just talked about chairs and tables but it is important to think through your room setup holistically. Where do you have your TV or your projector? Where are you putting snacks? Does your room setup convey a welcoming environment? Where and how will you incorporate games and activities?

    Like I said above, we utilize round tables and chairs but that really inhibits us from being able to do active and mobile games. We knew that with our current set up we would need to be creative, so we utilize PowerPoint games that are usually in an all-play style.

    We should also think through how our rooms bring people in and what we are conveying. Is it welcoming? Does it feel warm and inviting? How are students engaging and interacting? These questions will help us to think critically about room setup and if it is what we need for our program.

    5. Incorporate student elements.

    This is something I would love to do in our main spaces, but unfortunately cannot at this time. Instead I’ve encouraged students to bring in paintings and drawings, poetry, photos, stories they wrote, sculptures, or any other artistic elements to decorate our Leader Hub. Allowing students to contribute not only highlights their gifts and skill sets, it also helps to encourage your leaders as they see their students growing and flourishing.

    6. Utilize food and music.

    Music and food are two amazing elements we often don’t consider but just have at our gatherings. But why do we use them and how should we use them? Food is a natural barrier breaker. Have you ever noticed how often Jesus had conversations around food? I believe it is because when you share a meal, people’s walls start to come down and it allows us to engage in community. So as you think about designing your space, think about where you’ll be incorporating food and if it is truly helping your group engage in community. If food is at the back of the room and difficult to get to, you aren’t helping your cause. But if it is readily accessible and in a place students see, it will help you succeed in your vision for your program.

    Music is hugely important when it comes to designing your space. Have you ever gone to a coffee shop or a supermarket and there’s no music playing? It’s a little creepy right? We begin to wonder why there isn’t music, it feels awkward, and we pull inward. The same is true for student spaces. You could have the most beautiful space but if there’s no excitement and nothing filling the dead air, students will not want to be there. So play music but also think about what kind of music you want, and how it is rounding out the environment you are seeking to create.

    Theme Night Ideas: Prizes

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    Our theme nights often have some type of competition between small groups. That may be entire small groups competing against one another in a scavenger hunt or an “Amazing Race” challenge, or it may be a representative or two competing for their group. Regardless of how we structure it, we frequently offer prizes for the winners.

    Here’s the thing: I think for some youth groups offering prizes is normal and a good chunk of their budget can be apportioned to it. But there are other youth groups that the thought of prizes is something they can’t even consider due to constraints or lack of a budget. What I would love to do today is share some prizes we have utilized that I think should be applicable to any youth group regardless of financial standing. This isn’t meant to say one is better than the other, but a way to highlight the intentional and relational approach we can take with giving prizes to our students.

    Food.

    For some youth groups this may mean treating the winners to Chick-fil-A, for others it may mean giving them an ice cream party or cupcakes, and for others it may mean the prize is something that you or one of your leader makes for the group.

    Gift cards.

    You may be thinking, “Hold up Nick, you said these are applicable to any youth group.” You’re right, I did. I think when we hear “gift cards” we default to the belief that we have to pay for them. No, I’m not advocating that we steal them. But what I am suggesting is to be creative. Do you have a cafe you sell food from? Create gift cards your students can use there. Connect with local businesses and ask if they’d be willing to donate some gift cards for your event. Local businesses tend to have bigger hearts and want to bring in locals, so an opportunity to bless students is a great way for them to advertise.

    Dinner out.

    This is similar to the one above. We default to going out to dinner at a restaurant, but that doesn’t have to be the only option. What if you lined up a list of people within the church and their “menus” and let students choose where they want to eat? You could ask staff, elders, or volunteers to donate their time, home, and a meal for the winning team. Dinner out doesn’t need to be a restaurant but instead can be more about a memorable experience students can have with people who care about them.

    Start a tradition.

    I have seen youth groups do this in different ways. Some utilize a random item students get to sign if they win, which is displayed in the youth area or youth pastor’s office. You could also purchase imitation Emmy awards online that are fairly cheap but are something students can take home and display. How you theme, emphasize, and champion these traditions will help students be excited about them and desire to win them at each event.

    Something personal.

    This past year I decided to try something different as a prize. I’ll be honest, I lumped this idea in with three other prizes students could choose from and honestly they all chose the one I tried out. It was a huge hit! What was it? I offered to bake whatever they would like (within reason and my skill set) and bring it to their Home Group and spend the evening with them. I couldn’t believe how successful this was. My students loved it and we will continue doing it for prizes this year. I also enjoy making candles as a way of decompressing and we have offered a candle making class for winning groups and that was another successful prize. Creating a prize that is personal and relational is something students will desire because it’s meeting needs and offering them something they are craving: authentic relationships.