Group Icebreakers For Your Congregation

08 May Group Icebreakers For Your Congregation

Matthew 18:20 reads, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” When gathered in His name, there is nothing that can come between the bond shared among the members of your church. However, we are sometimes still limited by the natural fears, doubts, and insecurities that can keep us from being truly open, honest, and retentive. Here are some quick and easy icebreaker and small group activities that can help your bible study group, Sunday school, or congregation embrace each other.

Summer Church Activities

Photo Scavenger Hunt. Divide into groups with at least three people who have phones. The leader will call out picture categories, and the first team to locate a photo that matches on their phone must show the judge at the front of the room. Categories can include pictures of feet, someone in a cap and gown, a person on a bike, the family dog or cat, a picture at the beach, a picture of food, crazy Christmas clothes, etc.

Team Balloon Race. Good for a slightly larger group — with teams of 10 or more. Have participants stand in a line and place an inflated balloon between them and the next person (stomach/chest level is best) so that the entire team is lined up with the balloons wedged between them. Make a finish line some distance down the room. The group has to move in unison toward the finish line without dropping any balloons or they have to start over. The first team to reach the finish line and burst all the balloons together wins.

Twizzler Tie Up. Form groups of two and hand participants 10 Twizzlers (make sure they are fresh). The goal for each team is to tie the Twizzler into a knot. The catch is that although they work together as a team, each participant can only use one hand. The first team to tie up all 10 is the Twizzler-tying champ!

Fact or Fiction? The Story Behind My Name. Parents often share with their children the “story” behind their names. Give members the chance — either with the large group or divided into smaller groups — to tell the story behind their name or they can make one up.  Groups can vote if the story sounds like fact or fiction. This can also be done with middle names.

My Better Half. Write out well-known pairs on tape or name tags and as people arrive, put one half of the pair on each person and give them the task of finding the other half of their pair (mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, etc.). Have them introduce themselves and find out something interesting about each other. Have pairs get in groups of six and introduce their “better half.”

Life Verse. Students often choose a verse from the Bible that represents their goals or purpose and call it their “life verse.” What if that verse was randomly chosen for participants — for fun, of course! Have group members pair up, with one person holding a Bible while their partner, without looking, opens it and points to a random place on the page. Read aloud to see if they got a funny or thoughtful one as this random “life verse” is shared.

These are just some of the many activities you could undertake with your congregation, Sunday school group, or bible study group. Running out of ideas? You can always create your own games too!