Fall is the perfect time to build youth ministry hype. Fall is a prime-time outreach for students. It’s the time of the year where students are injected back into their mission field. And I’ve learned that as a youth minister, one of our many jobs is to create a place where it’s easy for students to invite their friends. Especially, their unchurched friends. So here are a few tips to help you create excitement around your youth ministry this fall and help students promote to their friends!
1. Create a teaching schedule.
Knowing what you’re teaching on in the fall ahead of time, gives you the opportunity to be super creative with promoting each week to your students.
2. Create a fun theme.
Now, I’m not talking about a theme that’s super-insider or super-spiritual. I’m talking about out-of-the-box thinking. Theme this season something fun and relatable to all students whether they are Christian or not. Here are a few ideas:
- Serving – Fill the coming months with small and large group serving projects to which students can invite their friends.
- Own it – Allow your students to own an element of your youth ministry gathering each week. Whether it’s in the program or it’s a service event before or after the message.
- Rep your school – Highlight some great things happening at some of your students’ schools.
There are many ways to theme out this fall! It’s an easy way to create hype and help your core students invite their non-churched friends.
3. Use social media.
Embrace it and use it to your advantage. It’s the easiest way to get the word out about what’s coming up.
- Create a running hashtag for the fall for your students to share.
- Create a meme that’s funny, but also informative with the fall schedule.
- Do a video creation contest for your students that promotes upcoming events.
- If you haven’t noticed you probably have fewer students and more parents on Facebook. Create something for parents to share, promoting the fall schedule.
- Create a 3-minute recap video that you can post to social media to promote the next week.
4. Create a text list.
Create a text list that students can be apart of that will allow you to promote weekly via text message.
5. Enjoy holidays and special school events.
The great thing about the fall is all of the awesome things that go on during this time. What if you plugged into some of the hype that’s already going on? (Think high school football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, first day of winter, testing, New Years, April Fools Day, and so on) You could create your message series and events around those things that are already going on in the fall. Promotion would be easy and relevant to what’s on students’ minds.
I hope and pray that these ideas spark something in you that helps you create something awesome for your ministry this fall. I believe what’s key to promoting the fall creatively is knowing in advance what you want to do. How are you planning on promoting the fall?