10 Ministry Events You Should Be Planning

For a well-rounded and holistic approach to your ministry events, there are 10 different kinds of events we recommend including in your annual event strategy. That’s because different kinds of events can help you achieve different goals. We’ll get to those 10 kinds of events in just a second, but let’s start by talking about our goals.

When planning an event, it’s important to know what your goals are. For every event you plan, we recommend choosing no more than 3 goals from this list. (Because if you try to do everything, well…you just won’t.) So does your event exist to help kids and teenagers…

• GROW SPIRITUALLY? If so, you probably won’t want an event that sounds too silly or is all fun and games. You’ll want teaching, discussion, and an event name that makes it clear your goal is to help kids and teenagers learn and grow.
• HAVE SOME FUN? If fun and games is your goal, that’s great! There is nothing wrong with doing an event that is purely designed to help kids and teenagers have fun and connect with each other. Remember, Bible-teaching isn’t the only way to disciple. Relationship-building is part of it, too!
• ATTRACT NEW PEOPLE? If attracting and welcoming visitors to your event is your goal, you should be designing your entire event around it! When you identify upfront that you want your event to be visitor-friendly, it allows you to focus on each aspect of your event through the eyes of a visitor. Anything that might be strange or uncomfortable for them should be adjusted in light of your goal for that event.
• HELP SMALL GROUPS CONNECT? If your goal is to help pre-existing small groups spend time together, this should significantly impact your event structure. From games, to teaching, to discussion, to activities, just about everything you do should be structured in a way that helps small groups participate in the event together.
• SERVE OTHERS? If the goal of your event is to help others, maybe because it’s a mission experience, fundraiser, or service project, make sure kids and teenagers know and buy into your goal. Especially for service-based events, you don’t want people showing up just because they want to have fun or see their friends.

While every event can help you accomplish something, no event can help you accomplish everything. So be clear about your goals upfront, so you can design events that really do help you meet them. Okay, are we ready for that list of 10 events now? Great! Here we go. Every year, your church should make sure these 10 types of events are showing up on your calendar at least once a year…

1. JUST FOR FUN EVENTS

This type of event is focused on relationship-building! Through fun, games, laughter, and teamwork, kids and teenagers get to practice the spiritual habit of spending time with others. These events probably don’t include any teaching or discussion. Instead, they’re all about building relationships, creating a safe place for kids and teenagers to bring their friends, and making memories together. These types of events are great when your goal is to have fun, attract new people, or help small groups connect.

For kids, you might try a water day in the church parking lot with inflatable slides, sprinklers, and popsicles. Or maybe host a Lego build night where kids work together in teams.

For students, you might try a themed game tournament or a trivia night with snacks and prizes.

If you’re looking for something ready to use, take a look at Dodgeball Dance Party, where students get the chance to showcase their best moves on the dodgeball court and the dance floor. Or check out Opposite Day for kids, where they’ll dive into backward and upside-down games that turn the usual rules on their heads.

2. OUTREACH EVENTS

This type of event is designed with visitors in mind! Through fun, games, and teaching, kids and teenagers can invite their friends as a way to practice the spiritual habit of sharing their story. These events probably still include plenty of fun stuff a kid or teenager wants to get involved with, but they also include a short time of teaching that introduces them to (or reminds them of) the good news of Jesus. These types of events are great when your goal is to have fun, attract new people, or help kids and teenagers grow spiritually.

For kids, you might try a carnival with bounce houses, carnival games, face painting, and a short Bible story. Or maybe you host a “Back-to-School Kick Off” with school supply giveaways and a parent lounge.

For students, you might throw a taco and laser tag party, or an event where you raffle off a huge prize like a new game console or tablet.

If you’re looking for something ready to use, you could try Trick Shots & Treats, where kids will put their bottle flipping skills to the test in a variety of fun and challenging stations—all while winning tons of candy and prizes along the way. For students, check out Splash Bash. You’l get to beat the heat in an all-out water extravaganza packed with exciting games and friendly competition.

3. CHRISTMAS EVENTS

This type of event is focused on celebrating together! Through fun, games, and sharing the Christmas story, kids and teenagers practice the spiritual habit of spending time with others. These events always include lots of Christmasy fun and games, but they may also include a time to share the Christmas story. These types of events are great when your goal is to have fun, help small groups connect, or help kids and teenagers grow spiritually. And if you incorporate a holiday service project or fundraiser, you can make serving others part of your goal, too!

For kids, you might host a Christmas craft workshop where kids and parents make ornaments together. You could even run a cookie-decorating party followed by the Christmas story.

For students, this could look like an ugly sweater party with small group gift exchanges. Or maybe you host a “Christmas Movie Marathon” with snacks and short devotionals between films. You could even plan a “White Elephant Night” with a Christmas worship service at the end.

If you’re looking for a “choose your own adventure” Christmas Party, then you’ll love the This or That Christmas Party, where the group votes on every decision. But if you’re more into building the perfect Christmas world, you might like Winter Wonderland for kids, where kids will be transported into an Alice in Wonderland-inspired frozen world full of snowy scenes and curious activities.

4. EASTER EVENTS

This type of event is focused on celebrating together! Through fun, games, and sharing the Easter story, kids and teenagers practice the spiritual habits of spending time with God and others. These events always include lots of Eastery fun and games, but they may also include a time to share the story of Jesus resurrection. These types of events are great when your goal is to have fun, attract new people, or help kids and teenagers grow spiritually.

For kids, you might try a giant Easter egg hunt with inflatables, games, and snacks. Or maybe you host a “Resurrection Party” where kids play Easter-themed games and hear the story of Jesus’ resurrection. You could even set up family photo booths with Easter crafts to take home.

For students, this could look like a reflective Stations of the Cross experience where groups rotate through interactive stations with prayer, journaling, or creative elements like art. Or maybe you host a sunrise service followed by breakfast together. You could even plan a worship night that focuses on the story of Jesus’ resurrection.

In Tie-Dye Everything, you’ll give kids a chance to make some vibrant, unique designs on a range of clothing and other fun items. From t-shirts to bags and everything in between, each child can experiment with colors and patterns, watching as plain items transform into works of art they can take (or wear) home.

5. FAMILY EVENTS

This type of event is focused on creating an experience kids and teenagers can have alongside their parents or caregivers. Through fun, games, and conversation, kids and teenagers practice the spiritual habits of spending time with others—specifically, their families. Depending on the age of the kids or teenagers you’re working with, these events could include competitions (like adults versus kids games), activities (crafts, experiences), learning, guided discussion, or any combination of those things! These types of events are great when your goal is to help families have fun or grow spiritually together.

For kids, you might try having parents join their kid’s small group for food, games, and conversation. Or maybe you host a family field day with relay races, inflatables, and a short devotional. You could even do a family service project like packing meals together for your community.

For students, this could look like a trivia where parents and teenagers team up for a mix of Bible, pop culture, and silly challenges. Or maybe you try a Parents Night where parents join and participate in your weekly gathering and small groups.

If you’re looking for something to do when families have lots of time, check out Family Fest. With bouncy houses, dunk tanks, and games galore, kids and parents alike can enjoy an afternoon of excitement, laughter, and friendly competition.

And to get parents and students together, we’ve made Cardboard Wars. Teams will transform ordinary cardboard into Viking ships ready to set sail, towering fortresses, or mighty swords forged from a wrapping paper tube. But building is only half the challenge! Once their creations are complete, teams will put them to the test in a series of epic competitions that require skill, teamwork, and a whole lot of imagination.

So far, we’ve covered 5 events that work for both kids and youth ministry. But now let’s cover a few types of events that are specific to kids ministry or youth ministry. For kids ministry, we recommend one extra type of event on your ministry calendar, and that’s an annual…

6. VBS EVENT

This type of event is a week-long “vacation Bible school” experience for kids during the summer. Through fun Bible stories, skits, crafts, activities, and more, kids will practice all four spiritual habits: spending time with God and others, using their gifts, and sharing their stories. A summer VBS is great when your goal is to have fun, attract new people, or help kids grow spiritually. And if you incorporate a service project or fundraiser, you can make serving others part of your goal, too!

You could try a Carnival-themed VBS with all sorts of fun games, skits, and carnival snacks like we do in Step Right Up.

Or, if your kids love solving mysteries, you could help theme solve a series of clues that reveal more about how they can grow closer to God, like in On the Case.

For youth ministry, there are a few more types of events you might consider adding to your annual event calendar.

7. CAMP

This type of event is a week-long experience for teenagers. Through teaching, conversations, team competitions, and plenty of fun, they’ll get to practice all four spiritual habits: spending time with God and others, using their gifts, and sharing their stories. Camp is great event to plan when your goal is to have fun and help students grow spiritually. And if you incorporate a service project or fundraiser, you can make serving others part of your goal, too!

For a nostalgic camp experience, you could take your students back to the world of the 90s and help them discover how they can grow To the Max as they follow David’s story and see how he navigated different seasons of his life.

8. RETREAT

This type of event is focused on helping teenagers grow spiritually and build relationships. Over a weekend, they’ll practice the spiritual habits of spending time with God and others. A retreat is a great event to plan when your goal is to have fun, help small groups connect and help students grow spiritually. And if you incorporate a gospel message, you can make reaching new teenagers part of your goal, too!

You could try a theme that inspires teenagers to think about who they want to be like. Then, use your sessions to explore what it really means to follow Jesus and become more like him. Take a look at Just Like You for a few more ideas on how to help students reflect and grow together!

9. ALL-NIGHTER (OR HALF-NIGHTER)

This type of event is designed with both regular students and visitors in mind. Through fun, games, and a little teaching, they’ll practice the spiritual habit of spending time with others. An all-nighter is a great event when your goal is to have fun, reach new students, and help teenagers grow spiritually.

These types of events might feel like you’re a bit trapped with your students, so why not make the most of it! You could try designing a few escape room puzzles and help your group work together to solve everything and break out. Check out The Great Escape for a complete guide on making your own escape room retreat.

10. MISSION EXPERIENCE

This type of event is an opportunity for teenagers to share the good news of Jesus with words and actions by practicing the spiritual habits of using their gifts and sharing their stories. A mission experience can happen locally or even internationally. It can happen for an afternoon, a weekend, or a week or more. It can be done in your local community or in the community of a ministry partner you’ve decided to work with. However you choose to structure it, a mission experience is a great event when your goal is to serve others and help teenagers grow spiritually.

There are lots of different ways you can create mission experiences for your students. Try connecting with organizations that are already doing work in the area you hope to serve. You’ll have yourself time, energy, and make a lasting impact. You can also look for ways to build, paint, or clean up your community. And you could have your group make some community care kits to share with a partner organization. For more ideas, check out our Mission Experience Event Guide that will walk you through everything you need to know.

So, there you have it! Just a few ideas for events for your ministry! Whether you’re looking to add some fun, build relationships, or give your group a chance to serve others, we’ve got you covered.

Oh! And you don’t have to start from scratch, either. You’ll find all the events we’ve talked about here and more over on the Grow Marketplace. Everything is ready for you to use, and we include all the graphics, guides, and information you need to have a great event!