Jesus calls fellowship to be one of the main purposes of the church, and most congregations agree that Christians do that well, until new faces appear. Breaking out of your comfort zone and making new people feel welcome is not something everyone finds easy. When ministering to the young, youth pastors are quick to use games to break the ice and build relationships. Adults can use games for the same reasons to bolster relationships and turn any church fellowship function into a way for everyone to mingle and have a good time.

Any time there are tables set up, this game can be played. All this game needs is a bowl of small candies like M&Ms for each table, a spoon for serving them and plates or napkins. This game is an excellent get-to-know-you for new groups such as Bible studies, and works well with a brunch or any meal. Instruct members to help themselves to some candy and not eat it yet. Encourage everyone to at least take a couple. Let them wait for a little bit (this is the perfect time to do announcements or pray). Instruct the group that you’re going to go around the room, and, for each piece of candy, each individual is to tell one thing about himself. Give prompts if needed—favorite book, how many kids in their family, anything. If your group is too large for everyone to share, divide into tables to do the activity.

This is another get-to-know-you type game. Form a circle so everyone can see everyone else. This game requires no special setup or props, so it’s perfect for on the fly. Start the game by stating your name and making a comment about yourself—“I’m Barb and I love to read.” The next person then needs to repeat what you said and add his own, “She’s Barb and she loves to read and I’m John and I had pizza for breakfast.” With each person, speaking the line keeps getting added to until you get all the way around the circle.

Prepare note cards or sticky notes beforehand with the names of animals, book characters, famous people, biblical people or anything else you can think of. Instruct everyone to take one without looking at what’s written on it and place or hold the card to their forehead. Everyone is to walk around and ask each other one question, trying to figure out who they are—“Am I an animal?” or “Do I wear red regularly?” for example. The person answering is only allowed to answer “yes” or “no” and then move on to someone else. Continue until everyone has figured out his own identity.