When there is a gathering at church, chances are that many of the people will not know one another, creating certain communication and interpersonal barriers to overcome. Ice-breaker games are one way to break down the awkward walls that can hinder conversation among people. An ice-breaker game is best played at the very beginning of the event to set the tone and atmosphere.
Autograph Sheet
Create an autograph with 15 to 20 different statements that some of the people in the room can do, but not most. For example, write statements like, “recite the books in the Old Testament,” or “sing the third stanza to 'How Great Thou Art'.” Provide each person with an autograph sheet and instruct the group that the objective is to find someone in the room who will perform the task and then sign next to that statement. The first person who fills the entire sheet with valid signatures is the winner.
Table Trivia
Provide each table at the event with Bible trivia. It can be a sheet of paper with 20 or so questions asking easy and difficult Bible questions. Provide each table with one Bible they can use to figure out the more difficult questions. Set a time of 5 minutes to provide each table an equal playing field. At the end of the 5 minutes, go around the room and have each table share the answers they found. The table with the most correct answers wins. Small gifts can be awarded to the table that wins such as candy, a small book or gift card.
Do Tell
This ice-breaker game requires small food items, such as hard candy. Pass a large bag of candy around the room and have people take as many pieces of candy as they would like. Once everyone has the candy in hand, have the first group come up to the front of the room and explain that for each piece of candy an individual has, he has to share a testimony or personal like or dislike. After each person shares about their life, they are free to eat the candy.