But let’s be honest, that can be the hardest part! Planning can be extremely difficult: coming up with new games each week, making sure your message is ready, adding some new excitement, planning things that will engage different types of students, it’s not easy! But we know the importance of a plan, if we don’t plan it then it will flop and the students will more than likely not enjoy themselves, not learn, and not want to come back.
Here are 6 tips for
planning youth group night…
1. Get help
We just talked about how
hard it can be, and if it is your responsibility you know how hard it can be.
So, don’t do it by yourself! Get help. But you are the only one on staff…that’s
fine, get input from your adult volunteer leaders. Well, I don’t have adult
leaders I am a one person show…that’s fine too, get input from your student
leaders. But I don’t have those either…that’s fine, get input from your
students.
You get it, the point is
that there IS someone that can help you plan and shoulder some of the burden of
the week in and week out planning of youth group. You do not have to do it all
on your own. Delegate.
2. Use the
resources available
We are youth workers, we
are innovative, we are awesome we want to try and reinvent the wheel every
week!! But that is completely unnecessary, there are resources to help you when
it comes to planning your weekly youth group games, discussions, lessons,
activities and more. Here are a few of those resources…
DYM – Download Youth
Ministry. Literally, you can just download to your computer TONS of games,
lessons, activities, time fillers, videos, and more. No, I don’t work for DYM,
but YES I am a member of their site because it is totally worth it and will
help you immensely in your planning of youth group.
3. Be creative
Think outside the box.
Yes, your students may love dodgeball but don’t play it every single week.
Change it up, come up with new ideas, try things that you have never done
before. Stretch yourself and your ministry by dreaming big and being creative
in your planning.
4. Keep your
mission and vision in mind
Plan according to your
mission and vision. If you do not know how what you just planned fits into your
mission and vision then don’t do it. Be intentional about what you plan,
because in the grand scheme of things you do not have time to waste with things
that do not fulfill your mission and vision for the ministry.
If
you do not have a mission and vision for your ministry click
here to check out this guide on how to create a mission, vision, and plan
of attack.
5. Communicate
Let your leaders know
what is going to happen that week at youth group. Communication is often the
most over looked piece of the weekly planning for youth group. Part of your
planning and preparation needs to be communicating to your leaders what they
can expect that week and how they can help make it happen.
Also, let your students
know a piece of what is going to happen. Not all of it, because you still want
it to be exciting but tell them something to perk their interest. Give them a
teaser on social media to promote what is going on that night. Communicate.
6. Be prepared
Planning ahead is great
but now the leg work of preparation needs to be done for the plans that you
have made. It doesn’t matter how far in advance and how awesome the game you
planned is if you didn’t do the work to get the supplies necessary to complete
the game. We have all done it before, we improvise on the supplies needed and
yes, the game gets completed but it is no where near as awesome as it could
have been if you would have put in the work before hand to be prepared. Plan
for the time to prep to make your plan a success.
_______________________
Todd Jones has been in youth ministry for over a decade and has a passion for reaching lost students and training youth workers to do the same. He is the founder of Stoked On Youth Ministry, a speaker, author, and pastor. When Todd is not writing or speaking he enjoys surfing, baseball and most importantly hanging out with his awesome wife and three beautiful daughters. You can connect with Todd on Twitter @TheTodd_Jones, Instagram @Todd_Jones or for speaking inquiries visit TheToddJones.com
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