Youth Ministry Curriculum and Resources

For anyone who has ever felt unqualified to share the Good News, this training is for you. My Eight: Embrace and Engage in the Wonder of Evangelism uses Scripture and stories from Dr. Newton’s life to make plain how not only are we, as Christ-followers, more than capable of sharing the Gospel, but we are also called to do so. It does away with the idea that you must have a microphone or a stage to make Jesus known, but instead invites us to see the beauty and joy of embracing and engaging in evangelism everyday.

Every Disney movie has some recognizable symbol. Have a couple of players face off to see who can guess the name of the movie (not the character) first!

See who can get the closest to the actual answer.

Can your group recognize which animals that are Omnivores (that eat meat and plants)? Test their knowledge on this multiple-choice quiz. Play it as a face-off or having everyone stand and vote (winners stay standing, losers sit down). Enjoy!

Simply guess "Yes" or "No" if you think these items hit the target weight of 50 pounds.

There have been a lot of famous cats in the history of pop culture. See how many of these cats you can correctly name.

Everyone grows up with a mix of awkward phases and shining moments. See if your students can recognize what some of their favorite celebrities looked like back then. Play it as an icebreaker, in teams or as a face-off!

Can you match these famous frontmen with the bands they are a part of? Let's find out.

All those P.E. classes are about to pay off! See how well your group can identify which exercise works which muscle groups. Play it as a face-off, as an all-play, or as a move-to-a-side-of-the-room icebreaker!

Are you ready to challenge your students with a second round of science trivia? Check out the question and have them decide if it's "Fact" or "Fiction." You can play the game by having students indicate an answer by moving from one side of the room to the other, or by bringing students up on stage to face off on who gets the right answer first.

You will be given the name of a famous NBA player. Simply guess how many teams that player played on during their career.

How well can your group identify facts about our U.S. Military branches? Bring them up on stage to find out. If they get it right, have the audience give them a real salute!

We've all heard horrible Dad Jokes, but how well can you remember the punchlines? You will be given the question part of the joke, you give the answer.

There are so many classic games we’ve all played, but how well have you paid attention to the official instructions? See if your group can tell where the rule given comes from! If they can’t name it outright, use the hint to trigger their memory! You play this as an all-play, or create teams to face off on who can get it first.

Sitcoms let us have a good time laughing at ourselves or our favorite characters. See how well your group can guess between two shoes which came first as you cover different eras of TV. Play it as a face-off or as a turn-to-your-neighbor icebreaker as you ask, “WHICH CAME FIRST?”

It's a trivia game about Fortnite. That's it.

There have been a lot of famous dogs in the history of pop culture. See how many of these dogs you can correctly name.

Some things are hard to figure out when you’re too close to them… kind of like this game. Use it as a fun icebreaker/competition, or as a primer to a message on perspective. Students will have three tries to guess the answer and earn points accordingly, whether competing up front or with the person next to them.

Tragedy ignites a group of teens to find a legendary landmark hidden in the wilderness. Together, they navigate the adventure while confronting the darkness within themselves. Channeling teen classics like The Goonies and The Breakfast Club, the story wrestles with depression, anxiety, doubt, and identity. What Rhymes with Reason sparks a fun and emotional tale of hope for teens and families of the social media age, reminding everyone that no one has to struggle alone.

Take your group on an epic journey through iconic catchphrases from TV shows that are ingrained in everyday culture. Test their knowledge (or get them guessing) at all the nostalgia through this fun trivia game that will transport students through decades of television magic!

You will be given four brands names. Simply determine which category of product they provide. Example: Crest, Colgate, Aquafresh, & Sensodyne. Category = TOOTHPASTE.

Veteran youth worker Kurt Johnston writes, "Getting better at youth ministry is worth the effort because teenagers are worth the effort." With that in mind, he put together this compact, practical, and approachable book for youth ministry volunteers, brimming with insights and wisdom from his decades in youth ministry—including some memorable and hilarious stories of the mistakes that taught him along the way.

Watermelon may be the ultimate refreshing snack, but can your students separate the juicy truth from the fruity fibs? Dive into this watermelon-themed true or false screen game and add a splash of fun to your program or event. You’ll find out how much everyone really knows about the fruit… or is it a vegetable? Students will get the chance to guess at that along with other questions that challenge them to pick “true” or “false.” 

Serve up this game as an stage game with one student per round, a player-versus-player showdown, or let the whole group join in on the melon madness. For an extra slice of excitement, serve watermelon slices to the players or teams if they get a question right. Get ready to see who knows their stuff and who’s just full of rind!

Step into the time machine and journey back through the decades with "Retro Trivia" – the ultimate blast from the past game through four iconic decades, each filled with its own unique style and culture. From disco fever to neon lights, grunge rock to Y2K fears, every round is a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Players are presented with a series of trivia questions, each offering two options to choose from. Will they pick the rad choice or the totally tubular one? Whether you have them play solo or against rivals, turn it into a full-on night of old school fun for everyone!

As youth workers, we are in a tough spot these days. On the one hand, we're finding that teenagers who have little to no church background and Bible literacy tend to be hyper tolerant of all religious views except for Christianity. On the other hand, students who grew up in the church and have heard all of the right answers are still struggling to articulate their beliefs and live them out day to day.

When these two realities combine in youth ministry, they can make teaching teenagers about spiritual things an infuriating experience. It can feel like you're banging your head against a brick wall. So maybe it s time we try something different when it comes to teaching theology to our students.Maybe it’s time we shift from being a content dispenser to a conversation cultivator. Maybe it's time we stop treating teenagers like consumers and instead start creating learning environments that lead to faith exploration and ownership.

We know we want to have our students living a life on mission. Yet, oftentimes, we find ourselves providing “one-off” trips that create Instagram memories and some great stories…but little more. So, how do we create lasting opportunities that call students to “live on mission” far beyond the specific mission trip? Corey Watson will dig a little deeper in this three-lesson module and explore that answers to that question.

Could disruption and doubt be gifts of the Spirit that move us (and the students we work with) beyond our comfortable categories and into a wild and holy trek taking us “further up” and “further in”? Could the desperation so many churches and youth workers feel about their future and the uncontrolled velocity of our culture be the ants in the pants the church needs to move us beyond a Gospel that has been reduced to showing up for meetings and not causing a stir? In part one of this three-part module, author Brock Morgan tackles the consistent elements of yesterday and today, like character development, individuation, and doubt; but he invites all of us along as the capital-C “Church” into greater collaboration as we partner with students to creatively form the ministry of tomorrow. You’ll find yourself encouraged by how you are practicing youth ministry and challenged to think differently, so you don’t hold on too tightly.

Youth ministry is truly an incredible calling, but unfortunately, it is not void of its times of struggle and disappointment. In fact, serving as a youth worker seems to come with some struggles and disappointments that are uniquely its own. So, what are we supposed to do when things don’t go as planned? How are we supposed to respond when we start to wonder if all this work and effort are returning void? How do we keep moving forward in our service to the Lord through youth ministry when we feel like we are walking through thick mud? I don’t have all the answers, but I do want to share some thoughts and four things that have helped me navigate my own encounters with disappointment over the years. My hope is that if you are struggling right now, something in this video reminds you of who you are, whose you are, and that what you do matters.

Over the years, there has been one particular student ministry event that has excited my students more than most and blown away my expectations each and every time. Not to mention that it’s proven to be a winner regardless of the size of the youth ministry I’ve been a part of or the ministry’s typical participation rate. Curious? Well, that event is a silent disco...in particular, a glow night silent disco. Sound fun? That’s because it is! So, let me walk you through all the ins and outs of hosting your own glow night silent disco for your ministry.

Whether you see it as a waste of time, a danger to society, a tool of a foreign government, or just the next version of Myspace that will go as quickly as it came, TikTok has your students’ eyes and attention. According to the Pew Research Center, TikTok claimed the #2 spot in the rankings of online platforms used by U.S. teens in 2023, surpassing the former powerhouses of Snapchat and Instagram. As we look at engaging our students and creating opportunities to share the Gospel with the lost, the question isn’t if TikTok will be banned or sold but how youth workers will redeem it and utilize it for the Glory of God. In part one of this three-part TikTok series, I want to share with you the pros of utilizing this social media platform in your ministry.

Whether you see it as a waste of time, a danger to society, a tool of a foreign government, or just the next version of Myspace that will go as quickly as it came, TikTok has your students’ eyes and attention. According to the Pew Research Center, TikTok claimed the #2 spot in the rankings of online platforms used by U.S. teens in 2023, surpassing the former powerhouses of Snapchat and Instagram. As we look at engaging our students and creating opportunities to share the Gospel with the lost, the question isn’t if TikTok will be banned or sold but how youth workers will redeem it and utilize it for the Glory of God. In part two of this three-part TikTok series, I want to share with you the cons of utilizing this social media platform in your ministry.

Whether you see it as a waste of time, a danger to society, a tool of a foreign government, or just the next version of Myspace that will go as quickly as it came, TikTok has your students’ eyes and attention. According to the Pew Research Center, TikTok claimed the #2 spot in the rankings of online platforms used by U.S. teens in 2023, surpassing the former powerhouses of Snapchat and Instagram. As we look at engaging our students and creating opportunities to share the Gospel with the lost, the question isn’t if TikTok will be banned or sold but how youth workers will redeem it and utilize it for the Glory of God. In part three of this three-part TikTok series, I want to share with you some ways to create engaging content while utilizing this social media platform in your ministry.

The students of Gen Z and Gen Alpha are seeking to belong before they believe. As youth workers, we can either fight against that felt need or come up with creative ways to meet a student’s need and desire for belonging. It starts with asking a simple question: What are some concrete ways that I (and those who serve alongside me) can help teenagers find belonging within our youth ministries? From there, it’s honestly a mix of creativity and trial/error. In this video, I want to act as a catalyst for your imagination as you seek to answer this question in your ministry by sharing three ways our ministry does to foster unity and belonging.

When you think about your students and student ministry, here are two questions I’d like you to consider: 1) What are you doing to help teenagers take more ownership and be more active or engaged during your small group experience? 2) Instead of allowing students to be passive participants in this formative time, what can you do or dream up that could give them regular opportunities to be discipled and grow in their faith in practical ways? Now, I don’t claim to have it all figured out, but we have created and implemented an idea in our student ministry that seems to be effectively answering these two questions. That’s why I want to share this idea for you to use in our own ministry or to serve as inspiration to try something different to move your students from “renters” to “owners” of your student ministry.