Youth Day in the Christian churches invites youth and young adults to take an active part in the service, such as delivering the message, reading the Bible passages for the day or providing the music for the service. Some churches allow members of the youth group to plan and conduct the entire service. Youth sponsors and group members begin to plan early for the event and may seek ideas for service segments.

The pastor could focus his sermon around young people by encouraging them to become involved in various church ministries such as the music program, helping out in Sunday school or assisting with church maintenance and yard care. Young people may find this informative if they want to be more involved but don’t know how. Alternatively, a member of the youth ministry team could deliver the message and explain what young people have to give the church. An alternate sermon topic explains the importance of developing faith practices during childhood to provide a stable spiritual foundation as an adult.

The Bible contains many stories of how young people stood for God. Possible options include the story of young Samuel responding to God’s call (1 Samuel 3:4-21), David fighting Goliath (1 Samuel 17:1-58), Joseph sold into slavery (Genesis 37:12-36) or Daniel in Babylon (Daniel 1:1-21). The stories inspire young people to see they can make a difference if they stand strong in the Lord. Alternatively, the scripture reading could come from 1 Timothy 4:12 where Paul tells Timothy not to let the church elders count him as unimportant because of his youth.

The Youth Day service can take a different format if the young people work with the service. Have the young people present a dramatized sermon or begin the service with a special reading or entry as a group. The pastor could introduce the youth sponsors and youth leaders to the church and present a slide show demonstrating how the young people make a difference in the church or various activities they participate in.

Many youth groups prefer modern praise and worship music to old and familiar hymns. A youth praise band and praise and worship team leading the music can introduce the congregation to some new songs and incorporate praise dancing into the worship service. Another idea includes having the young people perform a song in American sign language with vocal music or use other forms of hand motions.