We’ve compiled a list of some of the best family ministry event ideas out there. We’ve also included our own “intergenerational twists” on some of these creative ideas.
What Makes a Great Family Ministry Event
Family ministry requires a great deal of creativity, especially when it comes to planning events. The key is connection.
You need a family ministry event that will connect with kids and parents. AND you need a family ministry event that will help kids and parents connect with each other.
At the Pray for Me Campaign, we truly believe that parents are their children’s primary faith influencers. We also believe that the Bible encourages intergenerational relationships and intergenerational church communities.
We know that family ministry events provide the much needed time and space to help families connect with one another (and the church), but we also recognize that these kinds of events present the perfect opportunity to establish and encourage intergenerational relationships.
To help you lead fantastic family ministry events that are well-attended, well-liked, and well-remembered by the families at your church, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best family ministry event ideas out there. We’ve also included our own “intergenerational twists” on some of these creative ideas.
Take a look!
Top 5 Family Ministry Event Ideas
#1 Family Photo Scavenger Hunt Event
Kari Brimacombe from Arlington, TX shares this idea in an article on childrens.ministry.com. Kari suggests that you create, what she calls, a “Scripture-related scavenger [hunt] list” for families to follow over the course of a morning or afternoon, where “each item on the list includes a Scripture reference and an instruction.” Her idea is that families take photos to demonstrate that they’ve found, created, or done the items on the scavenger hunt list.
We love the idea of families going all over town chasing down items on a scavenger list. These are some of our own ideas:
- Take a photo of the youngest person in your family pointing at a sign (Judges 6:14-17)
- Blindfold one member of your family and take a photo of someone leading them (Genesis 12:1)
- Take a photo of one family member sharing a snack with another family member (Luke 3:11)
- Write a thank you note and take a photo of a family member giving it away (Colossians 1:3-4)
- Find a trail with wildflowers or a field with tall grass and take a photo of your family members in the midst of them (Matthew 6:27-30)
At the end of the event, ask families to submit their favorite photos, or encourage them to make a silly album that includes pictures from each of their adventures.
Our Intergenerational Twist: Use this game to mix up the generations. Pair families with an older couple or a group of young adults, and have them tackle the scavenger hunt together.
#2 Family Olympics Ministry Event
Courtney DeFeo is a Christian mom, author, and former marketing profession for Chick-fil-A. She runs a blog called courtneydefeo.com focused on providing great parenting resources, and one of her awesome event ideas is Family Olympics.
>> Get her detailed list of ideas and instructions here.
To sum it up, Family Olympics is about giving families a chance to show up in uniform, shout out a cheer, and compete in a series of fun, Olympics-style competitions. She lists out specific ideas for Mom, Dad, Kid, and Family Events.
Our Intergenerational Twist: Create teams where families are mixed in with church members across the generations. Find Olympic-style games that will showcase each of the generations.
#3 Family Worship Night Event
Ministryfeeds.com shared this idea (originally posted on youthmin.org), and they give several suggestions for how to run a Family Worship Night in this blog post.
Their first idea is what they call a “Preview Service.” This is a time where parents can come and see what their young children or teens might experience during a typical morning or evening of children’s or youth ministry.
Their second idea they’ve dubbed “The Change Up.” The focus of this style night is to help families break down walls and connect with one another. It’s an excellent way to encourage conversations between parents and their children and teens.
We think that Family Worship Nights should become a regular part of the church calendar because of the way that they invite families to take a pause from the day-to-day grind and focus on a time of corporate worship.
Intergenerational Twist: Instead of limiting the evening to just families, invite the whole congregation. Consider a varied set of worship songs that reflect worship throughout the generations. Invite children, teens, singles, parents, and seniors to share what worship means to them.
#4 Serve Saturday Family Service Project
Jeremy Steel from resourcumc.org has created a list of 5 Outreach Ideas for Families, and we’re particularly fond of his “Serve Saturday” idea. Jeremy makes a great point that most church service projects aren’t family-oriented. So he suggests that churches plan a service project that can get the whole family involved.
Like Jeremy writes, any number of service projects might work. You could invite families to collect and sort donations for a local food pantry. You could engage the congregation on landscaping projects around the church.
Intergenerational Twist: Try to involve more generations in your project. Or determine a way that the church can serve a particular generation at the church. Suggest potential conversation starters between children and parents or teens and seniors.
#5 The Pray for Me Campaign
The Pray For Me Campaign is a church-wide initiative that equips adult believers from every generation to pray for children and students. It’s uniquely designed to link the generations of your church together through prayer. And it’s a powerful family ministry event idea.
Imagine a scenario where every child, student, and family at your church was seeking out a Prayer Champion each week to pray for them. That is a picture of how generations come together through the Pray for Me Campaign. During the campaign, adult believers from various generations become Prayer Champions and commit to a year of prayer for one student or one family with young children.
While most churches have silos divided by age (i.e. the ministries of the church are disconnected), churches that use the Pray for Me Campaign build a bridge between the generations and are a better able to connect and support families.
If you’re ready to get started, get the Pray for Me Quick Start Kit. Or you can explore how the Pray for Me Campaign equips Prayer Champions to pray through the 7 Essentials for children, students, and families by downloading our 7 Essentials Prayer Roadmap.
Don’t let families stay separate from the overall life of the church. Instead use the Pray for Me Campaign to help families connect to one another as well as an intergenerational church community.
Help Families Pray Together
Download a family prayer activity that’s designed for children in grades K-5 and their parents. Invite families to read and discuss a passage of Scripture and do an activity together. You’ll also receive emails from our team. You can unsubscribe at any time.
