Youth Ministry Event Ideas - The Ultimate Movie Night!

***For a FREE copy of the RECOMMENDED MOVIE LIST, email us at MinistryCoachPodcast@gmail.com and put "MOVIE NIGHT" in the subject line and we will get that sent over to you asap!*** Roll out the red carpet and get those cameras flashing, because this episode is all about turning your youth ministry's movie night from average to amazing!  This is the ultimate guide to creating a fun youth ministry event that's sure to leave your students starstruck. We're not just talking about popping a DVD into a player with some folding chairs; we're talking about a cinematic extravaganza that rivals Hollywood premieres (or at least the youth group budget friendly version of it).

In this episode, we will be discussing all the elements you'll need for this fun youth ministry event idea. The Ultimate Movie Night Experience for your youth group will be an absolutely memorable one!  Some of the topics we will be covering include: Decor, Food, Roles for Volunteers/Leaders, a creative way to get your students involved in the cinematic process, an awards ceremony, how to get compliance for a public showing of the movie and more!

Shopping List (*These are all just ideas, pick & choose which can fit your budget):
RENT, BUY or MAKE

Elements:
Red Carpet: Nice Versions - https://amzn.to/3vBW5So / https://amzn.to/48rvCFD or use the DIY Version mentioned
Velvet Ropes: https://amzn.to/48P7tIS
Step & Repeat Wall: Frame - https://amzn.to/429stIB / White Backdrop Paper - https://amzn.to/3TUE8sk

Food:
Nacho Bar (nacho cheese, chips, slow cooker)
Nacho Cheese Bowls: https://amzn.to/3SdbFgg
Potato Bar (Potatoes, toppings)
Snack Bar (Candy Bars, Small Bags of Chips, etc)
Ice Cream Bar (Ice cream flavors, toppings)
Ice Cream Bowls: https://amzn.to/3NZubX3
Silver Platters: Dollar Tree
Snack Appetizers: CupCake Liners Gold or Silver - https://amzn.to/48FksgA
Popcorn
Machine: https://amzn.to/47v5dpd (*you can also just buy a cheap one of these type of machines to keep the popcorn warm and buy pre-popped popcorn from Costco since these don't always pop enough popcorn fast enough)
Bags: https://amzn.to/3SajSlg
Plastic Containers: Dollar Tree
Soda Bar: Syrup Pumps or just regular soda

Instagrammies/TikToscars:
Oscar Awards: 9" https://amzn.to/48IEarq / 6" https://amzn.to/3NWt629

Voting Poll App:
DYM's Sidekick
Direct Poll

CVLI License: https://us.cvli.com/

Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry?
GrowYourYouthMinistry.com

If you have it on your heart to support this ministry, please consider going to our Patreon page at: www.patreon.com/ministrycoach


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*This episode is not sponsored. Some of the links are affiliate links which simply means, if you buy something, we will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you)

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Today we are talking all about ideas to give you the ultimate movie night for your youth group, music Plays. Today we are talking all about ideas to give you the ultimate movie night for your youth group, music Plays.

Speaker 2: 0:16

Music Plays. Welcome to the Ministry Coach podcast where we bring you weekly tips and tactics to help you fast-track the growth and health of your youth ministry. My name is Jeff Lascola and this is.

Speaker 1: 0:27

Kristin Lascola.

Speaker 2: 0:29

This is a super exciting episode. This is one I feel like we are long overdue in making, but here it is. Enjoy. But this is the ultimate movie night experience for youth ministry episode. Yes, specifically for indoor.

Speaker 1: 0:44

Yeah, indoor movie like a theater, like a red carpet event and I think youth pastors are always looking for events to do with all the bells and whistles kind of like a step-by-step guide, and that's what we're going to give you today, Just like here's an event that you can probably pull off by next month, Like you could probably start prepping for it and have a really cool event that you might add into your permanent repertoire.

Speaker 2: 1:11

Yeah, absolutely, and I'll just go quickly here. We're going to be going over some decor items, some things that you're going to need, maybe people that are involved that you're going to need. What else are we going to cover? Food items, just a whole bunch of stuff like that. But also I know a lot of you have the question of what am I going to show, like what movie should we show? Well, you're hitting luck?

Speaker 1: 1:31

The eternal question Everyone wants to know.

Speaker 2: 1:33

We have an exhaustive list of movies for you guys.

Speaker 1: 1:37

Oh, what's exhausting.

Speaker 2: 1:39

For you guys to check out. If you email us at ministrycoachpodcastcom, at gmailcom, and just put movie night, we will give you a list of all the recommended movies that we have that you can show your youth ministry and you can peruse that. So all right. First, what do we have for the ultimate movie night experience?

Speaker 1: 1:56

So after you have picked out your movie, maybe you want to pick it out or maybe you want to have students vote on it. So maybe the week before you do a little questionnaire or an online poll like the phone polls I forget the server for that, but that's kind of fun where you can vote in real time and watch it go up and down and pick your five favorite or three favorite and let them pick from that.

Speaker 2: 2:20

Yeah, that's a key right there, because you know, if you just open it up, what movie would you guys want to see? You will take the number of students you have in your ministry, multiply it by six, and that's how many different ideas you'll have. So narrow it down for them, say like we're going to do one of these three or five or whatever, and then let them choose.

Speaker 1: 2:39

Yeah, exactly, and then kind of a fun way to spice it up is to do some kind of red carpet entry. So this is kind of like you're doing a mock movie premiere. I guess you could say, instead of just being like we're showing a movie at the youth room at six o'clock PM, hope you to see there, you're just let's take a simple idea and turn it into an event, and so that would be sort of the red carpet premiere. So you could do. You had a great idea for a very cheap and easy red carpet, correct.

Speaker 2: 3:12

Yeah, so realistically you can rent red carpet. Maybe some of you have access to red carpet, but the easiest way to do it is to go to just any fabric store and go maybe in their clearance section or just in their cheaper fabric and just buy red fabric and it's about the width you would want it to be for a red carpet and just buy enough yardage that's going to fit the area that you want that red carpet to be. And because carpet obviously will stay flat but fabric will kind of move around If you can just duct tape it to the ground and use either black or red duct tape and just whatever amount of distance you have and it should stay put. I've done it before. We did it a long time ago and it worked. So there you go.

Speaker 1: 3:53

Yeah, and if you have access to like a velvet rope, you know, or something that could really enhance that, movie theaters obviously have them, hotels have them. It would be a stretch, but you could ask if you could rent it and see what they would say. Maybe you could find one on Facebook Marketplace and just invest in it. If you plan to do this event every year, it's not like going to make or break your event. So if you don't have it, it's okay, just one of those little extras and then the step and repeat like paparazzi wall, and that is so easy to do. So all you have to do is get like butcher paper, or you could even do cheap fabric, like you were talking about, and hang it up behind the red carpet.

Speaker 1: 4:35

And I think if you use butcher paper, you can use like. I have a ton of my ministry logo stickers and they're so cheap and you could just put a bunch of stickers on it and kind of make your own instead of like having to send it to a print shop or something like that. So just put your ministry logo on there If you have an artistic student.

Speaker 2: 4:55

Like a bunch of the little ones.

Speaker 1: 4:56

Yeah, just like they do, yeah, but I was going to say, if you had a really artistic student, maybe they could draw one big one, oh yeah. I don't know, just have some kind of step and repeat.

Speaker 2: 5:05

Or if you don't have stickers of them, you can just print it out, just small pieces of paper, and then stick it on there and photographs. You won't be able to tell that it's just stuck from the back. No, not at all.

Speaker 1: 5:15

And one fun element we've done before for something like this is we've had leaders or parents come and be the mock paparazzi and so, as students are arriving, they're getting their picture taken in front of the wall and they're just saying silly things like who are you wearing Over here, over here?

Speaker 2: 5:36

And it's just sort of a fun way to enter the night you can even have like a mock interview person with a microphone there. Yeah, like on.

Speaker 1: 5:46

E. Yeah, that would be really fun. And I actually interview students every Tuesday as we're getting started. I bring them into the auditorium Like what's your New Year's resolution or what's your favorite Christmas gift you got, or you know whatever, and it's just like when you put people on the spot, they just sort of freeze and don't know what to say, or some people like, just say something funny, it's a lot of fun. So yeah, that's a great idea.

Speaker 2: 6:13

And then film it, if at all possible, actually film it, so you can play back those hands.

Speaker 1: 6:18

Oh, that's a great idea. That could be the part of the recap video for the following week.

Speaker 1: 6:23

So then you want to think maybe about food. So you could think along the lines of movie theater type food which is super cheap. So why are they charging so much? And very, very easy. So nacho bar you get those big cans of nacho cheese, throw them in a crock pot and it's the cheapest thing ever. I do that for special events and I charge like a dollar. It's like whatever, I don't care if I break even. That's. That's just the point. If you want to be a little more fancy, maybe you have a smaller youth group I can't imagine doing this for my youth group but like a baked potato bar, so you could pre-make or have parents pre-make a ton of potatoes.

Speaker 2: 7:04

Yeah, do all the top things. Same with nachos too. You can have a bunch of toppings for that as well.

Speaker 1: 7:08

I usually go simple because I'm like third junior hires.

Speaker 2: 7:10

They're a bunch of animals.

Speaker 1: 7:11

They want cheese and chips, they don't care. But high schoolers might appreciate some more toppings. I think so. Of course, the candy bar like for sure have lots of options for candy. And again like if you're starting to freak out like this sounds expensive, you are charging for all the food. You tell people ahead of time there's going to be food for sale. Everything's a dollar. Bring five bucks and you can get all kinds of stuff.

Speaker 2: 7:34

And specifically, you cannot. We'll get into this later about the legality of showing a movie at your church but you cannot charge for admission, but you can charge for food.

Speaker 1: 7:46

Ah, thank you, Lawyer, I'm not a lawyer.

Speaker 2: 7:48

So double check. That's not legal advice, but I'm pretty sure that's accurate.

Speaker 1: 7:52

I think you're right, that sounds right. You could do an ice cream bar. That's a lot of fun with all the different toppings you could do. Oh, this one's fun. We did this for our Christmas party. I got these big platters at Dollar Tree and they're just those flimsy.

Speaker 2: 8:09

Yeah, but they're like.

Speaker 1: 8:10

They're like chrome or yeah, they're like silver and I got like small cups or cupcake liners and I put little appetizers in there and I had people walking around offering people or derbs. Yeah, depending on your crowd, you could choose what to put in there. I think I put like two Oreos in a sleeve, you know. So you got one like little sampler of Oreos. It's not like you're trying to give them a full size thing, it's just a little taste, or like.

Speaker 2: 8:38

And those are free, just a waiter walking around with them, kind of thing.

Speaker 1: 8:41

Or I got like the Costco box of Rice Krispie treats and just piled them up and they're like blue foil wrapper and just handed those out. I think we did a couple other things, but yeah, those are just sort of a fun atmospheric kind of thing. And then, of course, popcorn, because it's the movies. So if you can get your hands on a popcorn machine, one hack is just go buy a bunch of pre-made popcorn from Smart Final, costco, sam's Club, whatever you have around you, and then just dump the pre-made popcorn into the machines. You don't actually have to pop it because it sort of takes forever and never quite goes as planned, I've noticed. So you could do that and sell popcorn and yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:26

So then you get all those, get those sodas, the popcorn, I think, at Dollar Tree or whatever the 99 cent store in your area is. They sell those like plastic popcorn container things, those classic movie looking ones, or you can order them and we'll put in the description. We'll put links to anything that you potentially could rent or buy. Just we'll put some resources in there. So check those out.

Speaker 1: 9:51

Well, it's so. I bet you they have the paper popcorn bags and bulk on Amazon.

Speaker 2: 9:56

Yeah, we'll link those below.

Speaker 1: 9:58

Okay, so you have your food, you have the paparazzi going, you can encourage people to dress up a little bit if you want. And then here's a really fun idea of how to incorporate the rest of the students. So it's like we're here watching a movie Bum, bum, bum, bum bum. But you know how in the old like I just remember seeing this in movies. I've never actually been to a drive-in movie, but they would do these little bumpers or commercials where it was like let's all go to the lobby.

Speaker 1: 10:36

Okay, so I think that was probably part of the previews. But take that idea and insert little shorts of your students. So you want to, prior to the event, explain that yes, we're going to be watching an actual movie, but we're also going to be giving awards for your movie. So I think you could use it as an intermission thing. Like halfway in between the movie you show three shorts that the students submitted, or you use it as previews. You do three before, three in the middle, three halfway through, I don't know like interspersed them throughout the night. So it's like a little bit of us, a little bit of movie, a little bit of us, a little bit of movie, and then the fun part becomes giving awards based on those Movies that the students made so these are like short 60 seconds or less quick videos quick videos like preview status, although the previews are really long.

Speaker 1: 11:36

So, and then you can give a prize, like an Oscar, I guess.

Speaker 2: 11:42

Yeah, you can get those and we'll link that below too. But you can get those little fake cheap ones that are fun to hand out.

Speaker 1: 11:47

Yes, so you could tell them the categories ahead of time so they know like what target they're aiming at. So you could say hey, we're gonna give out awards for best actor, best actress, best best overall yeah yeah, best drama, best comedy, but then you can do like more Specific funny ones just for your group and you can make these up for whatever you want. So this you could either do it prior or after seeing the videos right?

Speaker 2: 12:15

no, I would highly recommend Watching all of them beforehand Just to make sure there's nothing. Number one, nothing inappropriate in it. But two I think and I'm not like a big like everybody deserves a trophy, kind of thing. But this is youth ministry, like can we just give everybody a trophy for participating, like that's. I think that's fair.

Speaker 1: 12:35

So you can probably say only in this I don't give candy to losers during the game. No, clearly yes.

Speaker 2: 12:41

Okay, well, I just wanted to clarify that, for the listeners. We do sorry for putting in the effort to make a movie, not for the losers forget.

Speaker 1: 12:49

No, so you had a kid Asked me that on Sunday, like we're playing head, shoulders, knees cup. And I'm like, oh, like, oh. When you won you get a piece of candy. And this kid goes can I have one too? I'm like, no, candy is only for winners.

Speaker 2: 13:05

Is the last day, first day last day.

Speaker 1: 13:07

Is that you?

Speaker 2: 13:08

know, so you can kind of look through and maybe just take notes about like okay, this one is probably gonna win this category. Whig but yeah, no, no, no, you can sit there and say this one probably won't win anything, but we can give them an award for best okay, you know, use of a goldfish in a video, or make up some random funny ones based off of what you're seeing. Yeah, that way you know, okay, everybody's gonna get something.

Speaker 1: 13:30

We'll get a chance to come up and yeah, that's a word, and I would say, make sure you're like Finding online some Oscar Grammy music yeah, like that they use when the people go up and accept their award right get Cued, gently shoved off stage, you know, if they're going too long, that kind of thing.

Speaker 2: 13:49

So you can try to make it as Authentic as right as possible and you can have the kids vote on them or something you know, just so that you can't get like this is this is legitimately the one-to-one, and then for some of those participation Oscars, you can hand out some of those other random ones too.

Speaker 1: 14:06

So yeah, and if you're looking for roles for people, you could ask Parents to, like we said before, either be the paparazzi or they can work in it rolls in their movies.

Speaker 2: 14:22

No, we need an old man down by a river. Can anyone do?

Speaker 1: 14:26

that Karen and this one Like they could help with the snack Bar or the food waiter they could yeah, or be the paparazzi and stuff like that, so that could be a mix of leaders and parents. If you're hosting the night, I would highly recommend wearing something like Fancy.

Speaker 2: 14:47

I think you should have everybody say it's a dress up and you know they're gonna be casual, cuz there's like no high school or a junior higher that can like actually wear something nice. It's like here's the tie, but I have a t-shirt on high schoolers can usually pull it off junior high, except I'll still wear sneakers.

Speaker 1: 15:04

That's in right now though.

Speaker 2: 15:07

They were sneakers with everything prom dresses and maybe they're the smart ones because they're comfortable.

Speaker 1: 15:12

So they're more practical, this generation for sure. So yeah, and then a couple fun names for that could be. We've called it Instagrammys and Jeff, correct to me, like Grammy is for music.

Speaker 2: 15:25

That's what I sounded like. I sound like this crotchety old man who's got an accent.

Speaker 1: 15:30

Oh, the Grammys were only for music. The phonograph would go, and they've given them word. I don't think anybody really cares. But you, jeff, had another great name for it, called the win. Say great, let's say okay. I Think it's great Tick tockers.

Speaker 2: 15:56

Tick tockers.

Speaker 1: 15:59

I thought tick tock Oscars, but Tick tockers is probably the best you just got to really think about it when you say you're gonna botch it.

Speaker 2: 16:08

So put in the comment section below if you're watching on YouTube. What is a much better name than the tick tockers or the Instagrammys?

Speaker 1: 16:15

Yes, and this is like. This is like a PSA in general for all your events. If you do not film your events and recap them, why not start with this one? Because it just adds new life to your events. For instance, it should be a real every time you meet and do an event, even if it's just regular old youth group. Make it larger than life by posting a reel on your story to music clips and highlights of the night. If you're doing an event, film it and then the next week at youth group like show a recap video that shows all the best parts and it just takes on a second life and showcases your events really well so that people are like because you know that kid who's like just comes to church never comes to any events.

Speaker 1: 17:08

I think sometimes when they actually can see the events, then they're a little more likely to come or be interested Like.

Speaker 1: 17:18

Here's a little pro tip I can't take credit for this my director Caleb, what he started doing for our pre-show and I used to just say dump all the pictures from our previous event into pro presenter, let's loop it, and as people are coming in, it's just pictures looping. Well, he went one step further and now what's looping is all the recap videos from all of our events. So when a kid comes in on a Sunday or a Saturday night service, there's music going. It doesn't go to the video, but it always kind of looks like it does somehow. So it's just my regular chaos 4.0 or 5.0 playlist on Spotify. You're welcome to join that one if you'd like. I added to it over break and then we have like four or five recap videos just looping on the screens as people are coming in. So it's winter camp, summer camp, our Christmas party, our battle competition, all these things that are just going, going, going and people just sit there and they're like, oh my gosh, there's me oh, that looks so fun, or what game are you guys playing?

Speaker 1: 18:26

And it just creates this like just a super fun atmosphere and gives people a glimpse of this is what our ministry looks like, and it gives them a little behind the scenes. So it's like maybe I do want to start coming to events or get more involved.

Speaker 1: 18:40

So please film this event. If you do it, have somebody edit. If you can't do it yourself, have a student or someone. They all know how to edit videos nowadays. Have them edit a video for you and show it at youth group. At the very least, put a reel on Instagram.

Speaker 2: 18:57

Yeah, I remember I was visiting a youth group one time. It was a long time ago, but they had a recap video from their summer camp. I remember I was mesmerized, I'm like oh, my God it's as an adult. I'm like can I sign up to go to that camp?

Speaker 1: 19:10

Like that looks amazing and I went to the camp and I mesmerized. I just watch our white water rafting trip and I'm like, oh, like Asher does a flip off this like 30, 40 foot cliff, and then we're going down this rapid and then this kid ate a dragonfly and you know, like it's just no matter how many times I watch it.

Speaker 2: 19:31

This kid went to the hospital.

Speaker 1: 19:33

This girl dislocated her knee.

Speaker 2: 19:35

True story. Sorry, sorry.

Speaker 1: 19:37

So like I even get, like it gets you amped and then it gets me excited for it to come again. So I hope that the kids feel the same way, yeah.

Speaker 2: 19:45

And then that's the thing is, when that event rolls around. If this movie night experience has going to become a regular when it comes around the next year, instead of just talking it up, you're showing videos of what happened and people are like, oh my gosh, I can't miss that. You know, they remember it and it's just cool to have that.

Speaker 1: 20:01

And it's like a unity thing too. All the people that went, I think they feel like, hey, there we are, we made it on the video.

Speaker 2: 20:07

So we kind of have to talk here just briefly.

Speaker 1: 20:10

Fine print.

Speaker 2: 20:10

Again, yeah, I'm not a lawyer, so do check with a lawyer. No kidding, double check this. But you're going to need a CVLI license and you can just go to CVLIcom. Your church or denomination may already have a blanket one that covers your youth group anyways, so double check with them. But if not, you to cross all your T's and dot all your I's. You're supposed to get that license to be able to show a video, a movie, in a public setting, or something like that. So, double check Again.

Speaker 1: 20:42

This is not legal advice, I'm not a lawyer, just double check, because if you don't, the feds are going to come busting through the doors and be like turn off. Yes, dave, right now it's happened.

Speaker 2: 20:53

You're like we've been doing this for 20 years and I've never done that hey.

Speaker 1: 20:56

I'm just saying it's the youth ministry urban legend.

Speaker 2: 20:59

So, all right, let's do a question of the day, and this is something that everybody should answer, because I know everybody does have an answer to this. So this is. I'm going to read it so I don't mess it up here what food do you hate watching people eat?

Speaker 1: 21:15

Well, I just hate in general if anyone licks their fingers while they're eating anything.

Speaker 2: 21:20

So anything where one smack sound that comes with it to where one might lick their fingers.

Speaker 1: 21:26

That is what I would be like. Nope, can't do it.

Speaker 2: 21:29

I think it's even worse when it's like the powder coating or, you know, like a cheetos or something where you don't actually even get all of it off. You know like it's extra extra gross, it's the noises. Yeah, yeah, that definitely makes it noise. That's what I was going to say. Oysters, now I can't say I've actually ever seen anyone eat them in person, but on movies they do it and I'm like gross.

Speaker 1: 21:52

Yeah, the slurp and the slimy look Slurpy, slimy.

Speaker 2: 21:56

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 21:57

Pretty foul.

Speaker 2: 21:58

I had fried oysters. They didn't have to like, eat those. Those are just like. Those are pretty good.

Speaker 1: 22:03

But yeah, I've never had an oyster, neither have I. They don't play around, they ever will because of how it looks. Yeah, no, no.

Speaker 2: 22:10

Well put in the comment section below something that you hate watching people eat what were you going to say?

Speaker 1: 22:13

I was going to say quail eggs too.

Speaker 2: 22:16

Oh, I did see somebody eat that. Yeah, I don't know the how.

Speaker 1: 22:20

It was like on sushi and it was very.

Speaker 2: 22:21

I thought it was a joke. I'm like you're just making stuff up. This isn't on the menu. Oh here's your quail eggs, sir.

Speaker 1: 22:27

I was like, oh my God, if you could eat anything at a sushi restaurant. Why quail eggs? That just seems like you're trying to be.

Speaker 2: 22:34

They're not even of the sea. They're not.

Speaker 1: 22:37

Wait, or are they?

Speaker 2: 22:39

California has the quail is the national bird or the state bird? The national, state bird? It is yeah, state bird is quail.

Speaker 1: 22:48

All right.

Speaker 2: 22:49

This is a community comment of the day. This comes from and I'm going to mess up your name, because I mess up everyone's names but Eric Van Hofwagen, 4034. So hopefully I did a pretty good job pronouncing it. He says great podcast. Never miss an episode. What Monday? I'm going to youth camp for the first time in my life and I'm 55. What should be fun. I feel like you guys prepped me for this.

Speaker 1: 23:11

Yeah, yeah, great stuff coming.

Speaker 2: 23:12

You're welcome, eric. That was actually. That comment was from a while ago, so I think he was talking about summer camp.

Speaker 1: 23:17

No, he's going this Monday. He was waiting for us to read it and now he can go. This is the magic Monday. It's happening Just another magic Monday.

Speaker 2: 23:29

Hey, you guys, make sure you get that download.

Speaker 1: 23:31

We're always ready for anything.

Speaker 2: 23:34

We can send you the all the top movies, recommended movies and all that if you guys want a giant list of things that you can pick and choose from.

Speaker 1: 23:42

You're welcome.

Speaker 2: 23:43

Yeah, you're welcome. Just email us at ministrycoachpodcast at gmailcom and we will send that over to you, and just put movie night or something like that in the subject line and we'll get that sent over to you. Thank you so much for watching and listening, and we'll see you next time.

Speaker 1: 23:58

Today, we're talking all about how to give you the ultimate UV-noo-V-noo-V.

Speaker 2: 24:04

Welcome to the Ministry Coach podcast where every week we bring you no, the four foot, the front foot being sorry. Which foot Leading with the foot?

Speaker 1: 24:14

Best drama, best comedy, best quote, best wig.