Faith-based ice breakers are a great way to help anyone attending church events or gatherings feel relaxed and welcomed. Having great ice breakers can remove anxiousness for new members of the group and creates a chance for members to get to know each other. Funny ice breaker games for church add humor and smiles to an even and while it might seem like Christian ice breaker games would be tough to find, here are 10 great ideas to get you started. That way, the next time any group has a get together, you can suggest one of these church ice breaker games to make their event even more fun. They work for everyone from youth groups to ladies church groups. To generate interest and excitement for these get togethers, make sure to get the word out and promote your church events so everyone knows when and where they can take part. A church event invitation letter is a great starting point for any of these activities.
1. I Am Blessed
This is one of the simplest faith-based ice breaker games. You can play it with a large group or a small group, so it's good for either small meetings, youth groups or full church gatherings.
There's also almost no prep work involved.
It's good for all ages. Even small children should be able to play this one without any trouble or help from adults (though very small children may need a boost).
Materials You Need
You don't need anything at all to play this game! We will talk about an alternative version, however, where you can either use:
- A ball (pick one that's soft)
- A bowl and slips of paper, as well as a pencil
However, these items are not necessary to play the game in its purest form. As far as faith-based ice breaker games go, it's simple.
How to Play
Start by putting everyone in a circle and choosing a volunteer. That volunteer will say their name and something that they think makes them blessed. It can be something that happened that day, something that's very fortunate about their lives, or anything else that feels like a blessing.
After that person goes, you can go around the circle and every person will do the same thing. The only catch is that no one can share the same blessing. For example, if one person says "I am blessed because I have a career that allows me to feed my family," no one else can say that.
Modify it for more fun faith-based ice breaker games. You can have the starting volunteer throw a ball to a random person. That person has to go next.
This adds an element of surprise.
Alternatively, you can also have everyone write their names down and put them in a bowl. You pick the next player by drawing a name.
2. Character and Scripture Matching Game
This is a good game for a youth group, but it can also work at any church gathering. This is one of the most fun faith-based ice breaker games that can also be educational.
Materials You Need
You'll need a few simple items. They include:
- Index cards or post-it notes
- Markers
Before the game, write one character from the bible and a scripture that involves them. You'll be passing them out randomly when it's time for church ice breaker games.
How to Play
Each person will get a card that has either a character or a scripture on it. Their job is to find the person who has their matching card. Scripture cards will look for character cards and vice versa.
If you want to make this extra challenging, you can have people stick the cards to their foreheads. This way, no one knows what they have and they have to ask each other questions to determine their own cards.
When people think they've found their match, they stick together. The faith-based ice breaker games end when everyone has a partner. Then, you get to see if everyone was right!
3. Animal Pairing for the Ark
This game is similar to the previous one, but it's a bit sillier. If you love funny ice breakers games for church, this is the one for you. It's also perfect for young children who are learning about Noah's Ark for the first time.
Materials You Need
Since this game is similar to the previous one, the materials are the same. You're going to need:
- Index cards or post-it notes
- Markers
Before the faith-based ice breaker games start, do some prep work. You're going to write the name of an animal on every card and make sure there are two of each so they can match.
How to Play
There are a few ways to play this game depending on how silly you're willing to get.
Each person should stick the card to their head without looking at it. No one knows what animal they are at the beginning of these Christian ice breaker games.
Then they have to find their match so they can get on the ark! They can ask questions to figure out which animal they have on their head. When they're confident they've found a partner, they stay together.
If your group is full of children who love funny ice breakers games for church, there's an alternative option. Instead of having the card on their forehead, they can look at their cards.
They try to find their partners by making sounds that their animal would make. This gets super silly but it's really fun!
4. Bible Jeopardy
This is another one of the best faith-based ice breaker games for learning, but it's also a lot of fun. It's good for groups of all ages as long as you plan the questions accordingly.
You'll need to stick with simpler questions for younger children, while teens and adults can handle more difficult questions. After all, you don't want it to be too easy.
It mimics the popular Jeopardy game you can watch on TV.
Materials You Need
As far as faith-based ice breaker games go, this one requires more prep work than most of the others, but it’s worth the effort.
If you want, you can use an online Jeopardy game maker. If you happen to have a projector and a large amount of space, this is a fun way to use technology for your church ice breaker games.
If not, no worries. You'll need:
- Index cards
- Markers
- Tape
- A list of questions about Christian subjects
- A bare wall or board for the cards
- Buzzers or instruments for the players (bells work well)
Before the game starts, come up with a list of "answers." Remember, Jeopardy works backward. So a prompt may be "this person gathered animals on The Ark" and the right answer would be "Who is Noah?"
Write the answers on the back of the index cards. On the front of the index cards, write a point value. Place the cards in order of point value on the board (lower values at the top of each column, with increasing values as you move down in the column) in categories of your choice.
How to Play
Now it's time for the faith-based ice breaker games to begin.
Put players in three to four groups. Each group gets a "buzzer" or instrument they will use to make noise if they know the answer. The players take turns picking a category and a point value to choose a prompt.
Whoever "buzzes" first gets to answer the question. If they're right, they get the points and they can choose the next prompt. If they're wrong, they lose the same number of points.
The game is over when there are no more cards on the board. The winning team is the one with the most points. This is a great way to get people working together.
5. What Do We Have in Common?
If you're looking for faith-based ice breaker games that are more low-key and personal, this one may be right for you and your church group. It's called "what do we have in common" and it's fairly self-explanatory.
If you have a big group, you'll want to divide it into smaller groups. You can also do rotating pairs.
Materials You Need
You don't need anything at all to play this game. You could give everyone a small notepad and a pencil, but this isn't really necessary. Most people will be able to play with nothing at all or they can use the notes app on their phone.
How to Play
Put people in pairs or small groups. Each group will work together to come up with as many things as possible that they have in common.
At first, it will be easy. They may have the same hair or eye color or be wearing the same color shirt. Obviously, they're going to have the same faith in God.
After that, though, they're going to have to go deeper. Do they have any shared life experiences? Do they have the same favorite animal?
The goal of the game is to come up with as many similarities as possible. The group with the most similarities wins.
This is a great game to play over and over until every person has been in a group with every other person at least once. They'll get to know each other quickly.
6. "Speed Dating"
If you're looking for faith-based ice breaker games that you can do quickly but are still effective, try speed dating. Don't worry, it has nothing to do with actual dating! It's a great way to introduce people to each other in a flash and learn a few new things about each other.
You don't need to do any serious prep work for this game if you don't want to, but we'll talk about how to add more structure as well.
Materials You Need
For this game, you don't need anything at all. You could set up a bunch of chairs, but this isn't necessary and can be cumbersome.
For a more structured game, you can use:
- Index cards
- Markers
Each person can write down either three quick faith-based questions or one conversation starter on their index card. This way, they have something to talk about to each person and they don't have to waste time trying to come up with something on the spot.
How to Play
Split your group in half and have every person face another person. They should be in two lines. If there's an extra person, you may need to step in and join the faith-based ice breaker games fun.
Set a timer for however long you like. Anywhere between three and five minutes tends to work well for this game.
The players use that time to get to know the other person. If they have questions or conversation starters, they try to get through them in the allotted time. Once the time is up, they have to stop talking.
Everyone should then move one spot clockwise. This will mean that people on the end of each line will move to the other line. This way, everyone has a brand-new partner.
The game is over when every person has gotten to talk to every other person once. This is such a good way to get to know everyone at church quickly! People may even leave with new friends.
7. Would You Rather
"Would you Rather" is a great ice breaker game. It's easy to modify it so it has a perfect place amongst faith-based ice breaker games. This is also a game that you can keep going endlessly if you choose to do so, and it doesn't require much (if any) preparation.
You can modify it for adults or children.
Materials You Need
Again, you don't need anything at all to play this church ice breaker game. If you feel like assembling materials, you just need:
- Strips of paper
- Markers
- A bowl
As far as prep goes, if you want to use your materials, write down scenarios on each strip of paper. These scenarios will be the "would you rather" questions. They can range from simple to difficult.
Good examples include:
- Live through famine or live through the 10 plagues?
- Live on the Ark or in an isolated room for the same duration?
- Be baptized by John or hear Paul speak of Jesus?
You could also pick simpler scenarios like:
- Spend Christmas Eve serving the homeless or donate your Christmas money?
- Go on a mission trip or help your community locally?
You could have people choose their own questions, but that may feel like too much pressure. Prepping questions ahead of time is helpful.
How to Play
When you're ready for the faith-based ice breaker games to start, have a volunteer pick a slip from the bowl and read it aloud. They should be the first person to answer the question. They can choose to give their reasoning or not.
Then, everyone else will also give their answer. This is a great way to generate discussion and even friendly debates. Remember, there are no wrong answers!
You'd be surprised at some of the interesting reasons people will give for their answers.
8. Is This You?
This game requires some prep work on your part, but it can be a lot of fun! It's one of the best Christian ice breaker games for getting people talking even if they're shy about sharing things about themselves.
It's also kind of like a scavenger hunt!
Materials You Need
First, let's start with prep work. Before the game begins, you'll ask everyone to offer fun facts about themselves privately to you. You can pick themes, like their favorite way to spend Christmas, their favorite hymn or simple "get to know you" questions.
While this is one of the faith-based ice breaker games, it's good to have a mix of religious and non-religious questions so people can get to know each other beyond church.
Once you have answers, you're going to write some of those traits or fun facts down. You'll need:
- A sheet of paper for each person
- A computer and printer
- A timer
There should be one trait or fact for every person on the sheet of paper. The paper is now a scavenger hunt list!
How to Play
Make sure every person gets a scavenger hunt list before the faith-based ice breaker games begin. Their job is to try to figure out which person matches which trait or fun fact.
Players should only ask directly about one fun fact at a time. If they're wrong, they need to move on to another person before they can come back to the first person for another question.
Set a timer for about 15 minutes. The person who has the most correct answers on their list at the end of the game is the winner.
9. Bible "Pictionary"
This is such a good game for people of all ages. Not all faith-based ice breaker games get people laughing, but this one will.
This is just like normal Pictionary, so if you already know that game, you know the drill. If not, we'll break it down.
Materials You Need
This game does require a few materials. You can modify it a bit, so use what you have available. You'll need:
- A whiteboard or large paper pad
- Markers
- Strips of paper
- A bowl
For prep work, you're going to need to brainstorm things for your participants to draw. They can be characters, symbols or even scenarios from the bible. Try not to make it too complicated.
You're going to write those things on strips of paper. Fold them up so no one can see what they're getting until it's time for them to play.
How to Play
Once you're ready for your faith-based ice breaker games to start, have someone volunteer to go first. Everyone should be sitting in such a way that they can all see the whiteboard or large paper pad easily.
The volunteer will choose a slip of paper and see what's written on it. They will then try to draw whatever is on the paper so everyone else can guess. We recommend allowing one "re-do" if they don't understand the prompt on the paper.
The players can yell out guesses while the person is drawing. They have one minute to guess the right answer.
You can divide them into teams if you like. In this case, only the people on the volunteer's team will be guessing. If they don't guess right, another team can try.
This is a fast-paced game that people love. It's also one of the best faith-based ice breaker games for kids and teenagers.
10. "Never Have I Ever" With a Christian Twist
Most people know "Never Have I Ever," but did you know you can turn it into one of the most fun and inspirational faith-based ice breaker games? It's easy!
This is a game you can play quickly at the beginning of any gathering. It's different every time and it can inspire good conversations.
Materials You Need
You don't need any materials for this game. If anything, you could prepare a few "never have I ever" prompts before the game begins, but this isn't necessary. You can do this with nothing but the people in your group.
How to Play
This game is easy. Everyone in the group starts by holding up three fingers. You could do all five instead, but that makes for a much longer game. Faith-based ice breaker games are often pretty quick.
Have everyone sit in a circle. Someone will volunteer to start. They'll say something they've never done with the phrasing "Never have I ever..."
In this case, it should be something related to their faith in some way. This is flexible, however.
Here are some examples. Never have I ever:
- Gone on a mission trip outside of the country
- Fed the homeless on Thanksgiving
- Been on a pilgrimage
- Brought a friend to church
- Decorated with a nativity scene
- Gone Christmas caroling
- Sang in the choir
There are so many options. If someone in the group has done one of those things, they put a finger down. The person who has all of their fingers down first is technically the "winner," but you can keep going until everyone has no more fingers raised.
This is a great way to inspire people to do new things. They may realize that some of those "never have I ever" prompts sound fun or interesting. They'll also learn a lot about each other in the process.
No matter which of these fun church event ideas you use, you'll have a great tool to help energize and connect members of any church group.
Looking for More Helpful Tools for Church Events?
Running a church event is stressful for you and your volunteers. Get some help with our free Ultimate Church Event Kit. Download it now to access...
- Permission slip
- Event planning checklist
- Church event letter templates
