Fall kickoff celebrations add a spark to your church’s youth ministry program. Discover four fantastic fall youth group ideas from veteran youth minister Kurt Johnston.
You have an ally in your youth ministry…one that most youth workers fail to recognize or leverage. It’s an ally that shows up unexpectedly at some times and has to be created at others. And fall seems to be its favorite season. I’m talking about momentum.
I’m always pleasantly surprised by what a little well-timed momentum can accomplish in our youth ministry. Because fall and back-to-school is such an exciting time, it’s the perfect opportunity to create an extra boost of momentum.
Here are four ideas to create extra momentum this fall!
Fall Kickoff: 4 ‘Momentous’ Ideas
1. Back-to-School Celebrations
About a week after school starts (but you could time this with the official start of fall), we host our annual Fall Kickoff Weekend. (Our large-group gathering happens on the weekend.) At Fall Kickoff, we pull out all the stops. The message we send to students? Although summer is over, the action is just beginning!
We leverage the fact that ninth-graders are excited to be in high school, and seventh-graders are thrilled to finally be in the youth group. We launch a brand-new series designed to get teens excited about the upcoming year and to attract unchurched teenagers.
Plus, we decorate the youth room and unveil new ministry logos and swag. We create an atmosphere that says, “We’re super-excited about the new school year and hope you are, too!”
2. Small Group Relaunch
Second, if you run your small groups year-round, I encourage you to rethink that strategy. We cancel small groups during summer for two strategic reasons. First, it gives small-group leaders a much-needed break. Second, it creates a longing to relaunch the groups every fall.
Relaunching our small groups creates a massive amount of momentum for our youth ministry. It really is a win-win scenario. It forces us to shake things up during the summer months while building anticipation for fall kickoff.
