During the warm, school-free days of summer, your students will have a little more time. When you look back, how will this summer measure up to your overall ministry goals? Will you have used it to its full potential and kept students focused on the Gospel?
Summer in youth ministry has its pros and cons, but the warmer weather and extra free time make summer ideal for doing outreach activities as a youth group. These ideas from The Ultimate Guide to Outreach Ideas for Your Youth Group will help you maximize the last days of summer break and get your students serving others and sharing the Good News of Jesus.
Idea #1: Host a “Gospelized” car wash.
A classic summer sight is teenagers on the street corner holding signs for a car wash—usually for the cheer team, National Honor Society, and the like. Turn this traditional fundraiser idea into an outreach event where students can serve the community and share the Gospel!
This idea is from a Virginia-based youth pastor named Josh Weatherspoon. Josh says:
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.
Check out this post for a closer look at how to “Gospelize” a car wash and to find a list of supplies you’ll need. This idea is also included in 5 Outreach Ideas for Summer for Youth Ministry, a Dare 2 Share e-book that has even more awesome warm-weather outreach suggestions.
Idea #2: Picnic at the park.
When the weather’s nice, parks and other public places can fill up fast. Brandon Van Dyk, one of Dare 2 Share’s youth leader friends from California, shared this outreach idea with us that’s perfect for summer:
We have a park nearby where homeless people frequent. If you plan on serving your students lunch or a snack, buy a little extra. Have your students share their food and their life story with the people they meet. It’s encouraging to watch students fan out and begin offering a slice of pizza, a dose of encouragement, a listening ear, intercessory prayer, and the Gospel.
Find a more in-depth version of this idea and other summer outreach ideas for youth ministry in this free e-book from Dare 2 Share!
Idea #3: Ice cream outreach.
Before school starts in the fall, challenge your students with an ice cream outreach initiative. The challenge is to take one unsaved friend out for ice cream, ask intentional questions, and start a Gospel conversation.
Before you commission your students for this ice cream outreach month, train them on initiating and navigating Gospel conversations. (Check out these Gospel-sharing resources from Dare 2 Share for help training your students!) And of course, prioritize tons of prayer and encouragement during youth group. This will help your students feel well-prepared, prayed for, and empowered to share the Gospel.
Then at the end of the ice cream outreach month, take all your students out for an ice cream celebration during youth group and ask for testimonies of how they saw God work in their conversations. Hopefully you’ll have a few new faces in the group that your students have brought along—a perfect opportunity to explain the Gospel to those who have more questions about Jesus.
Transform Your Students Through Outreach
Regular outreach activities can radically change the culture of your youth group. Through these experiences, students metamorphize from spiritual consumers into spiritual contributors. Outreach helps students focus on the needs of others—especially the need for the Gospel—instead of viewing youth group as simply a time to meet their own needs and preferences.
Doing outreach activities now will also prepare your students for the Day of Global Youth Evangelism—an event that will keep the Gospel Advancing momentum going in your youth ministry once school starts. Your students will receive vision to see the lost around them, tools to articulate the clear Gospel, and confidence to share the Good News. Plus, it’s easy to participate in because all the Gospel training is done for you!
Teaching students to live for Christ and no longer for themselves is one of the most important lessons you could ever pass along. Outreach activities are just one way to help them get there, and we hope to see you participate in the Day of Global Youth Evangelism this year to keep the momentum going.
