Ah, summer. The days are long, the evenings are warm, and students have more time to linger. Plan now to make the most of the season by building memories and building God’s Kingdom with these five youth group activities.
- A “Gospelized” Car Wash
Summer is the perfect time for this service opportunity. This idea came from Virginia youth pastor Josh Weatherspoon:
“We did an outreach event called the $1 Car Wash. As people pulled in to get their car washed, they’d try to give us money up front, to which we’d tell them that we’d get it all settled up after their car was clean. Once clean, we would then have them look their car over, and we would give them $1 (or at least try to). This would lead into a somewhat natural transition based on this simple analogy about grace and God giving us what we didn’t deserve.”
To get ready, make a church-wide announcement about the car wash a few weeks beforehand so that people can start inviting their neighbors. You can also take up donations of buckets, sponges, towels, soap, and other supplies.
- Water-Fight Night
Who doesn’t love a good water fight on a hot day? This summertime favorite is a great chance for students to invite friends to come have a blast and hear the Gospel. This event will take some planning upfront.
Announce the water fight plans a few weeks in advance so students have time to invite their friends. Give instructions on what to bring (appropriate clothing, water guns, etc.). Find a place on your church property, or in someone’s backyard, where there’s plenty of space to run around and access to a hose.
- A Bonfire and S’mores
This classic event is ideal for students to invite unsaved friends to because it’s a welcoming setting where good conversations about God can happen, especially while leaders are around to help answer questions.
Share the Gospel at some point during this event by giving a short message while everyone is gathered around the fire. Also make sure to provide enough s’mores supplies and maybe bring some yard games for another avenue of fun.
- Neighborhood Invites
Don’t let your students stay siloed in the youth room this summer! Instead, give them an opportunity to reach your community. If your church is hosting a VBS, a Fourth of July celebration, a church picnic, or other event, get a bunch of flyers and take students into the surrounding neighborhood.
Break up your group into smaller teams and assign them a few streets to canvass. The goal is for them to knock on doors, give a friendly invitation to your church’s event, and ask for prayer requests to hopefully spark a Gospel conversation.
- Gospelize Your Summer Trip
Camps and missions trips provide ample opportunities to make sure students both hear and share the Gospel. If your camp speaker isn’t sharing the Gospel during the talks, be sure to share it during your group discussion times and invite your students to trust in Christ.
If you’re embarking on a missions trip, be sure to plan a Gospel-sharing element, in addition to any humanitarian work you might do. After all, there’s nothing more humanitarian than helping someone come out of darkness into God’s wonderful light!
We hope these youth event ideas will help you plan a summer that’s exciting and spiritually significant for your teens!
Madison Lewis is an author for Dare 2 Share Ministries, an organization that helps youth leaders empower students to reach their world with the Gospel, www.dare2share.org.
