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Can you guess which one of these MLB logos has been FLIPPED and is NOT THE REAL LOGO?

Looking for a game to help your group get to know each other? This is perfect! Put each question on the screen, one at a time, and then have your students move to one side of the room or the other (or raise a left or right hand, if you group is large) to indicate if they “DID” or “DIDN’T” do it. The last slide ends on a question about a Bible verse, and you can also bring some up on the microphone to share one they have memorized.

Want to yet again help your group learn a few things about each other? Use this to put each question on the screen, one at a time, and then have your students move to one side of the room or the other (or raise a left or right hand, if you group is large) to indicate if they “DID” or “DIDN’T” do it.

Finish the line to see how many of these classic nursery rhymes you can remember.

Take your best guess to see who can get closest to these actual world records.

By Nick Clason. We know a couple of things about Gen Z (and subsequently will be true about Gen Alpha close behind them)--1) They're the first generation to be on their mobile device more than other devices combined. 2) They say a hybrid version of church will suit their needs in a post-pandemic world. 3) Greater than 80% use at least one social media app regularly. What these statistics show us is what we already know in our guts, that digital ministry is not going anywhere. As a youth ministry leader, you're doing all you can to keep up with the latest social media platform, use it effectively, post regularly, and leverage it to engage students, parents, and leaders. But gnawing at you in the back of your mind--you're aware that a social media presence matters and that your students live on it, but you don't know how to best utilize each social platform. That's what we're going to explore here in this module. We're going to look at the top five social platforms and discover the most up-to-date best practices. Then we are going to create an entire social media strategy for you and your ministry.

By Corey Watson. School campus ministry is a great way to meet students right where they are, minister to the faculty, bless the school in practical ways, and meet other students in your community. The questions that come up most often, however, whenever we talk about building a campus ministry are— How do I locate and leverage open doors at the schools in my community? How can I connect with my students there without crossing any boundaries? How can I get the critical meetings that need to be had with the key leaders at a school, and how do I make a great impression when I do? These are common questions for many of us as youth pastors as we attempt to solve the campus ministry conundrum. Oftentimes, however, we go about answering these questions during the busiest times of the school year. What if I told you there was a time when school leaders would be more open to meeting and engaging with you on this topic? There is such a time, the summer break. 

By Team YM360. If you start with "The Bible says," or in some way assume they already know much about the Gospel, you are, in effect, asking them to understand a clear that you understand clearly, but they don't, and they have no picture giving them a framework to start with. Not having a big picture to help put the pieces of life in perspective can be frustrating. Thankfully, God never intended for us to be without a clear picture of our life's purpose and direction. Instead, God gave us a big picture of life in order that we could live according to His design. It's only when we live according to this bigger picture, God's story, that our individual piece of the story makes sense. That's why understanding the Gospel story is vital to our witness. But it's also vital to teach this to our students today. This learn module will walk you through how to do just that!

By Dr. Noel Forlini Burt. Within this 6-lesson module, we'll enter what we think to be familiar territory with the first few stories in Genesis. These are stories we believe we know well until we read them again and discover that there are places in the text we didn't notice before or that our Sunday School experiences were omitted due to the things that weren't palatable for us as children. There are some hard stories in this collection of texts. That's probably why we don't hear them preached very often. Nevertheless, these are important stories, so I want to dive into the things that I think we as ministers need to know about the book of Genesis: the world "behind" the text, the world "of" the text, and the world "in front of" the text.

By Dr. Noel Forlini Burt. What are the words that resonate most with you in this season of your ministry? Do the words tired, worn out, or burned out on religion describe the state of your soul? Has serving the Kingdom become something you dread rather than delighted in? The longer we give ourselves to ministry, the more we understand that the words from Jesus found in Matthew 11:28-30 are not aspirational. For us to be sustained in ministry, they must become our lived reality. Amid busy ministry seasons, Jesus invites us to take a real rest. Jesus invites us into the overflowing, ever-deepening, unforced rhythms of grace. You’ve been teaching other people about this life for a long time. It’s time you remembered it for yourself. 

By Dr. Noel Forlini Burt. The Church has often assumed the book of Ruth to be a rural little love story, an Ancient Near Eastern version of a Hallmark movie. A young, grieving widow travels to a foreign country and marries a wealthy, handsome landowner. The story ends with them holding a baby, living happily ever after. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, the book of Ruth teases out ancient Israelite tensions about foreignness and prejudice. It deals with the themes of scarcity and lack, barrenness and bereavement, overflowing generosity, and especially, questions about who God is in the midst of suffering. While we are much removed from its ancient customs, the book of Ruth has much to teach us thematically and theologically about life with God and with neighbor.

Written by Kerry Ray. Do you ever wonder why it feels so difficult for you to gain any real traction with the students you are leading? It's probably not breaking news to learn that teenagers are busier and more distracted than ever. By most estimates, a "regular attendee" is defined as a student who shows up around 1.7 times each month. On top of that, recent studies suggest that teenagers are dropping out of the church in record numbers, with 80% saying they're doing so simply because they've lost interest or stopped seeing the church as necessary to their life. So what are you doing to address this when it comes to your students and your ministry context? Do you recognize and account for the differences between Generation Z and Alpha in your approach to ministering to them? Have you examined, tweaked, or started to strategize new ways to meet this generation of students where there are rather than where you want them to be? In this 7-session module, we'll ask some thought-provoking questions and identify some practical steps every youth worker or small group leader can take to address these issues, cut through the noise, re-evaluate our approach, and effectively meet students where they are versus where we want them to be.

Grab your ship and jump into a game that’s light years ahead of hyperspeed as you unscramble famous Star Wars characters from a galaxy far, far away! Use this game as a fun icebreaker as your students face off to see who can decipher the names faster. First, it’s the name scrambled on its own, and then a clue follows. Play in teams or one on one!

We often turn to our favorite singers when we feel mixed up, but what happens when they’re mixed up? Unscramble their names using this game as a fun icebreaker. First, it’s the name scrambled on its own, and then a clue follows. Play in teams or one on one!

Put your group’s knowledge of sports, teams and mascots to the test! Each category will challenge players to name as many teams or players possible in that category, earning one point for each. Rotate players in per category, or do it as an all-play!

Put your group’s knowledge of sports, teams and mascots to the test! Each category will challenge players to name as many teams or players possible in that category, earning one point for each. Rotate players in per category, or do it as an all-play!

Put your group’s knowledge of sports, teams and mascots to the test! Each category will challenge players to name as many teams or players possible in that category, earning one point for each. Rotate players in per category, or do it as an all-play!

Some school mascots are strange! See if your group can tell which ones are real and which ones are made up. Play as a large group, as a face-off or simply as an icebreaker.

If you’re ready to become more confident, competent and consistent in sharing your faith, then Live Sent book is for you. You’ll receive simple, step-by-step guidance that will equip you to share Jesus effectively in everyday life.

Written by Heather Quiroz. Teaching students the Bible can feel overwhelming. So much history exists between its pages. Many of the customs that were common during the time in which the Bible was written are extremely unfamiliar to us today. Therefore, the Bible can feel a little bit more like a crossword puzzle than a road map to easily follow. After all, the Jewish people had a distinct identity and way of life. They were steeped in a rich cultural heritage that influenced how they wrote and why they communicated in the manner in which they did. As intimidating as all of this might feel, removing ourselves from the Jewish roots from which our Messiah was produced can have drastic consequences for our understanding of Scripture. Therefore, having a deeper appreciation for the group of people who produced our Messiah has the ability to radically bless our faith and the faith of the teenagers we minister to. Therefore, understanding books that are outside the Biblical canon yet played a very influential role in the history and development of the Jewish nation can have something valuable to teach us. This, in turn, helps us become better teachers of the Bible when we have a better understanding of the cultural milieu that influenced the historical backdrop of the Jewish people.

Written by Josh Haight. Everyone loves a good retreat, right? I know I do. But if you’ve never planned one, there are more than a few things we could easily forget to think about. Though our programming or messages may be the primary focus, neglecting these other things may create more headaches than you care to navigate. In this eight-lesson module, we will look at all the things that go into planning a great retreat: vision, identifying your target audience, programming, recruiting a team, communication, logistics, follow-up, and problem-solving.

You've seen them, but can you name them? See how many of these famous paintings you can correctly identify from the choices given.

Do you know in which decade the first McDonald's restaurant opened? See if you can guess the correct decade these fast food chains first opened from the choices given.

Some school mascots are strange! See if your group can tell which ones are real and which ones are made up. Play as a large group, as a face-off or simply as an icebreaker.