This article from Churchgist gives you a well-detailed information on Ways to Sustain Your Youth Ministry, Youth Day Program Ideas For Church, Ways to Strengthen Ministry with Youth and so much more.
Here is a sample game plan for a Youth Mission Day. You may use any part of it as you plan your own youth mission day.
Topics For Church Youth Programs
Highlights: a visiting missionary family, group-building games, creating a plan of action for mission.
- Opening
Welcome and Introductions
Review Goals
1) to get to know each other better
2) build bridges and network for future activities
3) start a process to do something good for humanity-beyond bringing canned food to a food drive
4) realize that teens can make a difference in the world
5) be reminded that as Christians we are called to do good
- Worship
Scriptures – read in at least two languages and use youth as readers
Luke 14:18
Galations 6:9
Ephesians 2:19
Prayer to open-bless gathering
- Team Building Activities
Goals:
1) creative thinking
2) making do with what you?ve got
3) working as a team; pooling ideas
A. Game One
Set-up: put long line of masking tape on floor (if you’re on a carpet, use string)
Goal: line up alphabetically by first name, always keeping one foot touching the tape.
Action:
1) everyone stand with toes on tape-line
2) tell everyone the goal
3) let everyone try to move so they’re in alphabetical order
4) every time someone falls off the line, everyone has to return to their original position and start over
5) after starting over 3 or 4 times, call everyone into a huddle to discuss feelings, then suggest “strategy”
6) return to line and try again
7) when in alphabetical order, call out loudly first letter of first name down the line
8) give yourselves a hand!
B. Create Groups of 5
This is a fun way to get kids into small groups, rather than counting off. Ask random questions to create sub-groups. Move them around until you have groups of five. Use these questions to create sub-groups:
1) those whose address ends in odd number go to one side
2) those whose address ends in even number go to other side
3) Group #1 divide by telephone # that starts with a) even # and b) odd #
4) Group #2 divide by odd/even first number of phone #
5) divide and move to another group – who has a dog? cat? no pet?
6) keep asking questions to divide and move groups until you have established groups of 5. Questions might be about sports played, languages studied, etc.
C. Game Two
In groups of 5
1) Preparation: mark 2 foot square area on floor with masking tape
2) give each group 10 nylon stockings/socks and a tennis ball
3) place a road-work cone 10 feet from each square of tape
4) place stockings and ball in square of tape
5) goal: use stockings to move ball to top of cone without touching the ball.
6) everyone must be involved and help carry the ball.
7) in large group, each group shares their method.
8) This can take a lot of time and involves lots of trial and error. Be encouraging. If one group just can’t do it, get help from another group that has.
D. Game Three
In groups of 5
Goal: Make a self-standing tower as tall as you can using only a ream of typing paper and a roll of masking tape.
Action:
1) 5 minutes to plan before building
2) stand up in circle-ready, go!
3) 15 minutes to build
4) measure towers
5) gather in large group to share strategy
E. Game Four
In groups of 5
Supplies for 5 dozen cookies divided into 5 bags
1) 1 bag contains all bowls, spoons, measuring cups
2) 1 bag contains all but one ingredient for one dozen cookies
3) remaining 3 bags contain remaining ingredients divided up, e.g. one group has flour for 4 dozen cookies, another has sugar.
Goal: Make an edible desert for lunch
Rules:
1) barter items (no loans or gifts)
2) all group members need to be present when a trade is made
Action:
1) each group goes to a work table and is given one bag 2) open bag and review items in your bag 3) in silence, send all but one member of your group to “see” what other groups have 4) strategize as small group how to proceed 5) let them loose for 15 minutes 6) gather as large group – share ideas on how to strategize 7) back to work for 15 minutes 8) finish and clean up 9) gather in circle, share feelings and ideas for next time.
talk about team building, planning
ask how this relates to the global picture
some people don’t have what they need
the need to share
the need to plan and strategize
Lunch
- World Resources Simulation
Click here for the directions and game plan.
- Missionary Presentation
If possible have a missionary family come and share. Click here for a list of missionary visits and contact information to plan a visit.
Look at a world map to celebrate all the places the UCC and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have missionaries living and working. Remind everyone that your church supports these missionaries financially through Disciples Mission Fund and Week of Compassion (Disciples) and Our Church’s Wider Mission and One Great Hour of Sharing (UCC).
Learn a bit about the area where the missionaries live and work. You may even want to use a trivia game.
Presentation about missionary work and life. Have missionary show slides and/or photos.
Questions and Answers-if there are missionary kids present, have them do this section.
Remind the youth that they do mission where they live! They are missionaries, too. Brainstorm-What do we do already for mission? For example, Child Sponsorship, Heifer Project, Habitat trip, community garden for local hunger center, book collections for schools.
- Video – Connecting Threads: Partners in Mission
Share this 7-minute video to get an overview of Global Ministries mission work around the world. You will see how threads of sharing and service connect and sense deep needs and ways the church is responding to make a difference in people’s lives.
- Small Group Discussion
What struck you the most about the video?
What work did you see with people around the world?
What problesm do people face in other countries, especially children?
Which problems do you feel strongly about?
How can you and your church respond?
Brainstorm ideas of responses we can make.
- Plenary
Reminder: Our goal is not to go home depressed, but to identify a way we can act to make a difference.
Share about above questions
Leaders: Remember, at this point, energy is low
Introduce existing programs that can help us respond to the problems, e.g. Global Ministries Child Sponsorship program, Africa AIDS programs, work trips
Break into groups by for practical planning-What will we do?
Share plans
- Closing Worship
Gather in a circle around a worship table.
Rice message-click here
Hand out One Great Hour of Sharing/Week of Compassion collection boxes
Have everyone take a grain of rice from a common bowl and place it in their offering box. Put box down by their feet.
Hold hands
One word-prayer (Each person says one word in prayer, e.g. love, peace, Africa)
Lord’s prayer
Friendship squeeze (pass it around the circle)
Ways to Sustain Your Youth Ministry
Now that you’ve got the look and feel of your ministry taken care of, teens are showing up to give it a shot.
It’s time to make sure you’re set up to sustain your ministry and ensure teens are emotionally invested and in it for the long haul.
We’ve got two suggestions to help you foster a community organized around inclusion and care that will keep teens coming back.
1. Use church software to get organized
This seems too simple, I know. One of the best features of church software is its ability to track attendance, and one of the best things about teens is their willingness to use a new app.
Whereas it can be difficult to get adults to check in during Sunday morning services (we have some tips to help with that, too), in a youth group setting teens are more willing to download an app that allows check-ins. Teens are quick to embrace technology, and it’s easier to monitor and ensure correct usage in a group that isn’t congregation-sized.
Once you’re tracking attendance, you can learn a lot from the data you collect. For example, if you find that the attendance rate for youth group slopes off at 14, highschoolers may need differently designed youth group experiences after middle school to stay engaged. You can also figure out if certain monthly themes bring in bigger numbers by cross-referencing attendee numbers with your message history.
2. Mobilize your members into teams
It’s important to make sure that your teens aren’t just involved with your youth group but also develop friendships with each other. Facilitate this by organizing small groups, in which older teens help guide younger teens through each week’s materials.
Smaller group settings will help teens bond with each other by removing participation barriers that can exist in intimidating, large group settings. Getting older students involved in each group will also foster natural mentorships between teens. These relationships are the lifeblood your ministry needs to remain alive.
Ways to Strengthen Ministry with Youth
Honor the spirituality of youth
- Appreciate and validate youth as persons of sacred worth with legitimate spiritual needs and responses.
- Understand young persons as participants in ministry, not objects of ministry.
- Shake off stereotypes of youth as irreligious, rebellious and difficult.
- Don’t make young people be like you before they can be like Jesus.
- Don’t guess at young people’s needs. Solicit input and feedback from teens themselves, not just parents and adults leaders. Invite them to suggest ways the church can help them grow in faith.
- Appreciate that youth ministry is more than youth group. Encourage youth to be involved in all aspects of church life.
- Advocate for youth.
Equip parents to nurture their children’s faith
- Know that parental influence is the primary factor determining the religious commitment of youth, even for older teens.
- Support faith formation in the parents of youth. Getting parents involved and serious about their own faith is the best way to get youth involved and serious.
- Start a study group for parents of teens aimed at helping them understand how to nurture their teenagers’ spirituality.
- Provide resources for practicing and discussing faith at home — for praying together as a family, for observing Christian holidays, and conversing about faith issues.
- Consider an intergenerational format for Christian education that has youth and parents study together.
- Provide support groups and resources on family concerns and child-raising issues.
- Teach parents the importance of just hanging out with their kids.
“Get real” with Christian Education for youth
- Ask if your youth Sunday School curriculum is seriously addressing the questions kids are really asking.
- Honestly address issues related to sexuality. Offer a first-rate program on human sexuality to which parents would want to send their kids.
- Recognize that discussion and conversation are essential to faith formation.
- Use current events as discussion topics.
- Give teens permission to ask questions and talk about their doubts.
- Empower youth to rewrite hymns and prayers in ways that are meaningful to them.
- Get acquainted with the music kids spend their time listening to. Help youth make connections between their music and faith. Allow them to find their voice and worship God in their own musical languages and styles.
- Articulate the basic tenets of the faith clearly and often.
- Emphasize experience-centered learning. Faith must be experienced before it can be articulated. Experience is often more important than information about faith.
- Provide training in spiritual disciplines — prayer, Scripture reading, acts of mercy. Emphasize the practices of faith.
- Integrate “service learning” into Christian education to teach discipleship. Involve youth in planning and leading mission activities.
Provide excellent adult leadership for youth activities
- Recruit adult leaders for youth activities who are knowledgeable, committed, spiritually mature, and effective in communicating with young people. Don’t assume that a young adult is necessarily best suited for the job.
- Provide training for youth teachers and leaders, especially on discussion and listening skills.
- Perform required background checks for volunteers and staff working with youth. Implement policies and procedures to prevent child abuse.
- Invest in youth ministry. A meaningful commitment to reach youth must be reflected in your budget and staffing decisions and the commitment of the pastor’s time.
Make worship meaningful for young persons
- Give youth meaningful and visible roles as worship participants.
- Make youth worship experience-based. The elements of worship should all connect to a central message that causes the worshiper to make a connection with God.
- Use popular songs, movie clips, or poems to connect the message with the broader culture.
- Have youth write their own liturgies and prayers.
Create a sense of belonging for youth
- Youth ministry is about relationships. Relationships are more important than programs. Young persons are seeking a sense of belonging.
- Strive to integrate youth into the church as a whole. Youth programs should equip and empower youth as congregational participants, not isolate or “ghettoize” them.
- Be present for kids. Listen.
- Kids need and value stability, routines, and ritual, even if they don’t act like it.
- Combat cliquishness. Reinforce inclusiveness and acceptance of peers.
- Build group cohesiveness with retreats and mission trips providing opportunities for sustained interaction.
Cultivate competence in youth
- Build a sense of accomplishment among young persons with challenging music, drama, or service activities. The ability to develop “competence” is one of the hooks connecting kids to church.
- Give youth real responsibilities.
- Extend leadership opportunities to as many youth as possible. Give them an active role in the leadership and decision making of the church.
- Start a youth-led worship service.
Strive for effective Youth Fellowship
- Be consistent with your meeting times and place. Meeting at the church is often preferable to meeting in different homes because it is a well-known location and “neutral” territory.
- Divide junior high and senior high youth if possible. Older teens will tend to fall way from groups with many younger kids.
- Involve the youth in planning all their activities.
- Balance recreation, study, devotion and fellowship.
- Schedule a “big event” every month to make it easy for youth to invite their friends.
- Enlist parents as allies. Their support is critical.
- Have clear policies about behavioral boundaries and discipline.