Tag: planning

Resource: A Fun Christmas Party Activity

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This year at our Christmas Party we are bringing back an activity we took a risk on last year because it paid huge dividends. The activity: decorate your own Christmas t-shirt with the opportunity to win a prize for your small group.

Last year we went with Christmas hoodies but that proved to be cost prohibitive, so this year we switched to t-shirts. The excitement, expectation, and energy this competition created has blown us away, and so we want to share this with you as a resource you could incorporate into your Christmas parties.

The objective: Create a Christmas-themed t-shirt that will impress the judges and allow your team or small group to win the prize.

The rules: Teams or small groups must design and create a Christmas-themed t-shirt using only the elements on their table. They cannot bring in any outside elements. Teams may exchange items with the game host if there are additional items available. Teams will have a set time to create their shirt and when the time ends, a member of the team must be wearing it.

Penalties: Teams lose points for using outside items, not having the shirt on at the end of the build time, having items on the floor (trust us, your facility team will thank you), not listening, or whatever else you’d like there to be penalties for. The judges can choose how many points to deduct for each offense.

Judging: Each person wearing the t-shirt gets 30-60 seconds to present (think runway style) their group’s design and explain why they should win. Judges will confer and choose the team they think has won. Judges can use scorecards to rank the teams in different categories (most unique, most likely made by someone’s grandmom, most over the top, most annoying, etc.) on a scale from 1 to 5. Judges can deduct points throughout the competition for penalties.

Prizes: We decided last year to incorporate a prize that we could reuse each year that would allow students to have a lasting legacy at our Christmas parties. We found an inflatable snowman that we have the winning groups sign with markers. We bring it out each year for everyone to see past winners and for the new winners to sign.

Variants: We are incorporating a new element this year. Teams can win advantages by participating in two additional competitions. The first competition is a lookalike contest where they need to do their best to look like a member of our student ministry team. The winners of that competition receive a golden gift box of extra supplies that only their team can use. The other competition is the team who brings the most first time guests gets a time advantage.

Supplies: We use large or extra large t-shirts with a variety of decorations including bells, tinsel, ornaments, bottle brush trees, fairy lights, jingle bells, pipe cleaners, bows, ribbon, and any other fun dollar store or Amazon items. We also make sure to have glue guns and glue sticks to attach the items, and we found these for a good price on Amazon a year ago. Lastly, we got some multicolored fabric markers to allow teams to draw and write on their shirts. The key is utilizing fun elements that are inexpensive.

5 Steps to Picking Curriculum

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When it comes to what you are teaching, have you ever stopped to ask why you’re teaching what you are teaching? Or have you ever thought about the purpose of the lessons as they pertain to your vision and mission? Does what you’re teaching align with the general flow and direction in which your church is going? How does what you are teaching actually impact your students and help them to think about both internal and external applications of biblical truth?

Phew. Sounds heavy doesn’t it? You probably thought we would simply tell you to pick and teach what best suits your students. Yes, there is an element of that which is true, but we must be more intentional and thoughtful in what we choose to teach and why. Let me share with you some things to consider when choosing a curriculum and the direction it will take your students.

1. Choose a curriculum that will meet your students where they are at.

Each ministry is different and knowing what your students are experiencing and what they need will greatly increase your opportunity to reach and care for them. For instance, if your students are wrestling with grief and loss it may be a good idea to dig into a series on the Psalms or the hope that God offers us.

2. If using pre-made curriculum, don’t use it as is.

This is a big thing I always encourage younger youth pastors with: if you purchase a curriculum don’t just use it as is. Tweak it to reach your students. Make the stories and illustrations your own. Update the Bible passages to the translation your group uses. What you are doing is making this personal and relatable to both yourself and your group which helps them engage and process what is being shared at a deeper level.

3. Make sure your curriculum aligns with your mission and vision.

This is a big piece of choosing your curriculum. If it doesn’t align or communicate the heart and vision of your ministry and church, there’s a good possibility you shouldn’t utilize it. So be aware of what you’re selecting by reading through descriptions and content. Weigh the main points and applications and consider the implications for your group.

4. Look for opportunities to take your students deeper and wider.

Some curriculum can be pretty light on content and depth when it comes to Scripture and its application. In order to help your students grow and develop as disciples of Jesus, it is important to challenge them and have them think critically about what God’s Word says and its application for their lives. That means choosing and crafting curriculum that will challenge them to do just that. Pick topics and content that challenges their way of thinking, pushes them outside of their comfort zones, and helps them to think deeper about who they are in Christ.

5. Be willing to make your own.

Ultimately you know what your group needs to hear and you know your context and setting. That means you can discern what curriculum your group needs. But the reality is that sometimes there isn’t a curriculum that works for what is needed in your context. So, be willing to make your own when needed. Yes this may be more labor intensive but it may be the best thing for your students.

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.

    Quick Tip: Preparing Yourself for a Trip

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    Let’s just pause for a moment and consider how all-encompassing student ministry trips are. If you’re the primary leader you’re in charge of everything. Organizing transportation, collecting and distributing medications, handling first aid, making sure students are following the rules, pouring into leaders, making sure curfew is followed, engaging in discipleship and relational community, tackling tough questions and circumstances, handling administrative tasks, and so much more! These trips can truly take a lot of planning and organization, but they also can take a lot out of you physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.

    Trips require our holistic presence and as a result, they can deplete us rapidly. While I don’t yet have a miracle booster to rebound from trips, I can tell you that proper personal planning leading into the trip can do you a world of good that will help you lead and live well, and prayerfully bounce back soon.

    1. Rest well before you leave.

    This is so important because leading up to a trip it can be all go, go, go. But that can lead to a lack of sleep, more stress, and more anxiousness. If you take the time to rest and sleep well, it will help you lead well on the trip and be able to give everything you need to while you’re serving your students and teams.

    2. Be preventative when it comes to illness.

    Trips are notorious for sickness. Every youth pastor has a story about their students getting rocked by illness on a trip (ask me about the time norovirus hit our winter retreat), but there are steps we can take to stay healthy. Rest and sleep, hydrate, eat good meals, take preventative medicines like Airborne or EmergenC, and drink things like herbal teas and kombucha to help your body gain natural boosts. Also make sure to wash your hands regularly, especially before eating anything.

    3. Have a plan and stick to it.

    When it comes to preparing for a trip, it’s important to plan things out so you can reduce any anxiousness in the prep period and ensure that you’re not forgetting anything. Plan when you’ll communicate to your team, plan how and when you’ll communicate with families, plan what to pack, and plan down time for yourself.

    While some of this may seem a little excessive, when you create structure and stick to it you are allowing yourself space to breathe and acknowledge you have completed all you need to. This helps to relieve stress and anxiety.

    4. Pack your essentials and everything you need to lead well.

    There are two types of packing we do as leaders of the trip: packing for the team and packing for ourselves. When it comes to packing for yourself, pack all the things you will need. Think about things like personal snacks, power strips, phone chargers, a camera, medications, ear plugs, clothing, and whatever else you may need.

    When it comes to your team, think about not only what your team will need on the trip, but also ways to encourage them and lead well. Things like prayer journals, candy, fidgets, extra Bibles, coffee and tea for leaders, snacks for leaders, Bible studies, sharing the Gospel tips, and whatever else will help you lead, shepherd, and care well for your team.

    5. Stay organized and communicative.

    This ties into point 3 well, but the more organized and communicative you are, the better the trip will function overall. This isn’t a foolproof way to ensure a perfect trip but it is a way to ensure everyone is up to date and informed. That helps to make sure that plans are followed and understood which helps the trip to function well and for everyone to know what is happening.

    Quick Tip: Trip Communication for Parents

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    We just wrapped up our first out of two summer trips for our student ministry. It was a great time with our students but it also contained multiple calls and communications with families due to the intense heat we were experiencing during camp and the subsequent heat-related illnesses.

    That got me thinking about how we communicate with parents before and during trips in order to provide the most effective and clear communication when needed. Here are five tips to help you do this well and keep parents up to date on what is happening.

    1. Before the trip, provide information about how to get in contact with you and/or your team. One of the best things you can do is host a parent meeting, send emails, and have a print out of contact info for parents on departure day. These intentional steps will help parents know how to contact you and your team and also get all the pertinent information that they need.

    2. Prior to departing, make sure to indicate how and where updates and communication will happen. Letting families know how you will post updates and where they can find them is important as it will help alleviate confusion or questions. Whether it’s via a texting group, social media, emails, or whatever works for your group, make sure that it is clear how and where you will share updates and communications.

    3. Provide timely updates and prayer requests. One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that families love to see photos and know what is going on while their students are away on trips. The more photos you share the more engagement you will get from parents, but it will also help to amplify any information you are sharing. Therefore, you can utilize the photos to share prayer requests and updates for parents and there is a greater possibility of them seeing and retaining the information you’re sharing.

    4. Share arrival and departure information clearly and multiple times. The more you share clear and concise information about timing for your the trips, the more likely it is people will be on time and know what is happening. When sharing information be sure to make it abundantly clear and simplified which will allow for better understanding.

    5. Utilize students and leaders to help with communication when appropriate. When you’re traveling with students and leaders you may have more opportunities to get information out to parents and families. The key to leveraging this aspect effectively is clearly stating what needs to be disseminated outward. That means information is clear, constant, and consistent across all mediums. This resource when utilized correctly can be a big win in helping to share information.

    Meal Ideas for Students

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    This summer we are trying something new. Periodically we are going to host brunches during the summer months to provide an opportunity for students and their families to fellowship and have fun together after church on Sundays.

    But here’s the thing: we don’t want to take the easy and typical youth ministry approach to these brunches and offer up a variety of pizzas. Instead, we want to provide something different and fun that will appeal to a variety of people. As we were thinking through what these options could be, I wanted to share these ideas with you to help you think outside the box on meals you could offer throughout the year to your students.

    Keep in mind that these types of meals can be elevated and shaped in any way you would like. You can also compliment these meals with various sides and toppings to make it a more complete meal.

    Breakfast foods.

    Whether it’s for dinner or breakfast, breakfast foods can be a ton of fun and offer a lot of variety. You could provide a cereal bar; pancakes and bacon; a fill-your-own-crepe evening; various types of baked oatmeal; breakfast casseroles, or even go all out and do eggs, hash browns, and bacon. Breakfast presents a bunch of fun opportunities to be creative and offer a creative approach to meal time.

    Build your own sandwich.

    Let’s be honest: sandwiches tend to be a bit boring. But what if you allowed everyone to build their own from the supplies provided? You could have a variety of breads, proteins, cheeses, toppings, and spreads and all of sudden everyone can jump in and be creative and unique in what they make, and it provides a variety of options.

    Walking tacos or taco bar.

    These can be as easy or creative as you like and are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Walking tacos can be done with individual bags of Frito’s or Doritos, or you can up the ante and allow people to choose from a variety of chips and create their own flavors. You can also get creative with the type of meats you use. You could incorporate ground beef, steak, pulled chicken, grilled or shredded pork, or incorporate fajita-style veggies. The toppings can be as minimal or vast as you’d like, and you could even ask your group to bring whatever their favorite toppings are to ramp up the variety.

    Pulled pork, chicken, or beef.

    These are always an easy go-to for a dinner or lunch and they can be flavored in so many different ways you are sure to please a wide variety of people. We found a super easy recipe for pulled pork that simply incorporates root beer and bbq sauce. We tweaked the recipe by getting a couple of marinated pork loins from Aldi and our students raved about it. An easy way to help this work with even picky students is by simply cooking and shredding the meat and allowing them to add their own condiments and toppings to make it their way.

    Meatball subs.

    Buy a large bag of frozen meatballs, some jars of pasta sauce or bbq sauce, buns, and some shredded cheese and all of a sudden you have yourself a party! The beauty of meatballs is you can simply throw them in a crock pot with your choice of sauce and forget them until it’s time to eat. Providing some quality hoagie rolls and cheese makes these meatball subs a great option.

    Pasta night.

    There are so many types of pasta you can make for your students! And you can boost this by providing a variety of sauces that your students can add to their favorite pasta. You can also make this a bigger meal by purchasing meatballs and garlic bread to make it feel like a more complete meal for your group.

    Hot dogs and hamburgers.

    Being able to grill hot dogs and hamburgers is a great way to provide for students and it’s relatively inexpensive. You can purchase bulk hot dogs and hamburgers from a local supermarket or big box store and feed a crowd easily. To make this more fun, make sure to have different condiments and some side items, and maybe consider getting some brats or other unique sausages to grill. You could also have some fun toppings like grilled peppers and onions, and you could do cheeseburgers with various cheeses (these can be purchased inexpensively from stores like Aldi). I’d also recommend seasoning the patties if you do hamburgers to add an additional layer of flavor to your burgers.

    Why Have Mission Trip Training?

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    I remember going on my first mission trip in high school. I was a junior and we went to Mexico to serve in one of the cities there. I knew some of the group I went with and had a little bit of an idea of what we would be doing. I knew we would be performing some dramas portrayed to music because we were separated into groups and told to find time to practice and prepare.

    We were given a music video and told to try and replicate that for our trip. We got together and practiced, and we ended up being pretty good (minus my lack of musical skill and being able to keep time). We had a couple of team meetings where we’d talk about knowing some Spanish and were given a brief overview of what to expect. Other than that we were told to have our passports ready and were given a tiny packing list. I had no idea what we were walking into, I didn’t really know what to expect or what we’d be doing, and I wasn’t prepared for the culture shock.

    In other churches where I’ve served, mission training and prep work were not in-depth nor did they actually prepare us for what we would do. It was very basic and broad, and probably not overly helpful for our teams. Now, I have completely tried to shift how this is done with our students in order to better prepare them, help them grow and mature, and to set them up for success on the trip. I am not saying that what we do for our training is perfect or a one-size-fits-all approach, but I do believe what we offer is helpful and beneficial for everyone who goes on the trip. Below are the aspects we incorporate to make training important, necessary, meaningful, and developmental.

    Team building.

    Thoughtful and practical team building is a must for your group because it helps them prepare for the changes that will happen and the flexibility that is of vital importance on a mission trip. This can look different depending on your team and can include different games (Minefield, 4 Person Skis, Relay Races, Obstacle Courses, etc.) with thoughtful engagement and questions after it’s done. It could involve practicing building things or using different tools, it may involve different assessments, or it could even be assigning the group a task and removing aspects that we take for granted (i.e. speaking, seeing, lighting, directions, etc.).

    In order for these to be successful you must make sure to debrief, engage, and help students process. Students will get frustrated by these exercises, but helping them to understand why they did and how these moments will develop in trips is key because then they can begin to thoughtfully engage better on the trip.

    Self-awareness training.

    This often goes hand-in-hand with team building because effective team building should have thoughtful reflections and questions afterward to help your team think deeper about how they engage with one another. But that shouldn’t be the only self-awareness training you do. Consider bringing in a spiritual gifts assessment, a small personality assessment like DISC, having students do an assessment like Strength Finders, or even having students think through what will be difficult for them on the trip. Create space for them to share those things in a smaller group and think creatively about how to respond.

    Relationship training.

    Now hold on for a moment because I know how some of you read that. I am not thinking about couples or “purpling.” What I am talking about is helping our teams understand how to have authentic, interpersonal relationships with one another in the midst of a mission trip.

    Prayerfully, you are taking a group of students and leaders who are all very different people. That means their stressors will be different, how they respond to certain tasks or leaders will differ, and how they engage when overtired, stressed, hungry, or frustrated may cause them to butt heads with other members of your group. Training your team on how to understand those moments will come, how to work to prevent them, how to respond during them, and how to love one another well before, during, and after them is of vital importance.

    Understanding where you are going.

    Currently, we have been taking teams of high school students to rural Kentucky in the Appalachian Mountains. It’s an amazing community that we have the privilege of helping recover from devastating flooding that occurred in 2022. While we are only 8-9 hours away from there, it is a completely different setting. Culturally it’s different, their vocabulary is different, how they do things is different, and even what they eat is different (remind me to share what soup beans are sometime).

    In order to help your team prepare, it may good for you to do a site trip or a vision trip so you can bring back firsthand knowledge to share with them. Regardless of whether you can go to the site first or not, you should work to help your team to understand the setting and culture you are entering into. Set expectations, help them know what to say and not say, talk about what they will see and hear, walk through how to engage with the community, and help them prepare their hearts.

    Providing updates.

    Mission trip training sessions allow you to provide your team with all the updates they need. Whether it’s updates on the trips, updates on support raising, or updates on packing lists, training allows you to communicate what needs to be shared and help your team be as prepared as possible. Updates help your team to know what they need to know in order to be successful and capable in their service to others.

    Engage in thoughtful conversations.

    One of the parts our training includes is thinking differently about poverty, how we see people, and how we can help. We want our students to not judge people or fall prey to the typical societal responses toward those individuals who are living in poverty. In order to accomplish this well we incorporate videos from Helping Without Hurting from Life.Church. There are six videos in total and crafting questions for before and after the video will help your team think critically about how and why they are serving.

    Mission trip training is vitally important to helping your team gel together, serve well, and be equipped for what they will be doing. Trip training doesn’t guarantee success but it does provide your team with the resources and training that they need in order to thrive on their trip as they seek to serve others.

    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?