One opening game for an adult church group, with steps, a group size, minutes and props.
Church Icebreakers for Adults
Find It in the Bulletin1. Pair each newcomer with a regular and give each pair this week's printed bulletin. 2. The leader calls five things to find: the first hymn, the readings, the name of the preacher, where coffee is served, the next event. 3. The newcomer does the finding, and the regular only answers questions. 4. Pairs raise the bulletin when they have all five. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 6 min. Props: a printed bulletin for each pair. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
These church icebreakers for adults are games with steps for a small group, a fellowship hall at tables or a newcomers' lunch. Each press deals one of the church icebreaker games for adults; some print a Bible reference.
Read the full guide
Bible study icebreakers for a living room
After the first press an Any group size box appears under the button. Choose 6 to 12 people for a small group or Bible study: Micah 6:8 in Plain Words, Who Invited Whom and Five Pieces Each are written for one room and one circle of chairs.
Bible icebreakers, with the reference printed
The group size box ends with More filters. There, Uses the Bible deals only games built on a verse, a name or the order of the books, and each prints where to find it. Staying seated deals games played from a chair, and Nobody on the spot games in which no single voice addresses the room.
Tips
For an adult Sunday school class in rows, the small-group games with cards work pair by pair.
Questions and answers
What is a good icebreaker for a church fellowship hall?
One that every table plays at once. In Ten Books in Order each table lays out the first ten books of the Bible from shuffled cards, and in Guess the Team That Does It tables name the volunteers behind a job.
What works at a newcomers' lunch?
Games that hand a newcomer one name and one fact about Sunday. Every Other Chair seats each newcomer between two regulars, and A Sunday Morning in Order lets a table lay out the morning as cards. Nobody is asked about their beliefs.
Do these games put anyone on the spot?
Most do not. Choose Nobody on the spot under More filters for the games in which no single voice addresses the room. No game asks about faith history, marriage, children, age or money, nobody is touched, and anyone may pass.
A Card Signed by Everyone1. The leader brings a card for someone who cannot be there: a member who is traveling, a student away at college, a volunteer who has moved. 2. The card goes around, and each person writes one line and signs a first name. 3. While it travels, the group talks about who that person is. 4. The last signer reads only the names aloud, and each person nods at their own. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: a greeting card and a pen. Noise: quiet. First meeting: yes.
A Link for Each Name1. Give each person a strip of colored paper. 2. Each writes their first name on it and says one thing they enjoy doing. 3. Loop the strip through the last one and tape it, so the chain grows by a link with every name. 4. Hang the chain where the group meets, and add a link whenever someone new comes. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: paper strips, pens and tape. Noise: quiet. First meeting: yes.
Five Pieces Each1. Tip a jigsaw puzzle of about a hundred pieces onto the coffee table before anyone arrives. 2. Each person places five pieces and then hands their spot to the next person. 3. Talk while you wait for your turn; the puzzle gives hands something to do. 4. Leave it out, and finish it over the weeks. Players: 6 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a jigsaw puzzle of about a hundred pieces. Noise: quiet. First meeting: yes.
Show all 34 games (31 more)
A small group or Bible study, continued
Genesis 1:1 Without Vowels1. Write this on a card for each pair: "n th bgnnng, Gd crtd th hvns nd th rth." 2. Pairs work out the verse and where it comes from. 3. The first pair done reads it aloud together: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." 4. Each pair then writes the name of one book of the Bible the same way for the others to solve. Players: 6 to 100. Time: 5 min. Props: cards and pens. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Micah 6:8 in Plain Words1. The leader reads Micah 6:8 aloud twice: "to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God". 2. In pairs, put each of the three phrases into words you would use at a kitchen table. 3. Each pair writes its three lines on a card. 4. Lay the cards out and read them all. Nobody has to say which card is theirs. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 8 min. Props: cards, pens and a Bible. Noise: quiet. First meeting: yes.
The Number Under Your Cushion1. Put a numbered slip under each seat cushion before the group sits down. 2. The host draws a number from a bowl. 3. Whoever sits on that number picks a question from a deck of cards and asks it of the whole room, and anyone may answer. 4. Draw five numbers, and move the slips before next week. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: numbered slips, a bowl and a deck of question cards. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Open the Hymnal Anywhere1. Pass one hymnal around the room. 2. Each person opens it anywhere and reads out the title on the page. 3. Everyone who knows that hymn raises a hand. 4. When every hand goes up, the group sings one verse and passes the book on. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: a hymnal. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Skills in the Basket1. Each person writes on a slip one thing they could do for someone in the group: give a ride, bake bread, fix a bike, read small print. 2. Slips go in a basket with first names on them. 3. The leader reads each one aloud. 4. The basket stays in the room, and anyone may take a slip when they need that help. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: slips, pens and a basket. Noise: quiet. First meeting: yes.
Ten Words, First Thoughts1. The host reads ten plain words slowly: kitchen, Saturday, rain, neighbor, bread, road, song, garden, table, morning. 2. After each one, everyone writes the first word that comes to mind. 3. Compare lists with the person beside you and count the matches. 4. The pair with the most matches reads them out together. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: paper and pens. Noise: quiet. First meeting: yes.
What Color Is the Lamp?1. After ten minutes in the room, everyone closes their eyes. 2. The host asks five questions about the room they are sitting in: what color is the lamp, how many chairs are there, what is on the mantel? 3. Neighbors whisper and agree on each answer. 4. Eyes open: pairs check their own answers and learn the name of the person they whispered with. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: none. Noise: quiet. First meeting: yes.
Who Invited Whom1. Put a large sheet of paper on the table and write the group's name in the middle. 2. Each person writes their first name on the sheet and draws a line to whoever first told them about the group. 3. A person told by nobody in the room draws a line to the middle. 4. Look at the web together, and thank the names with the most lines. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: a large sheet of paper and pens. Noise: quiet. First meeting: yes.
A fellowship hall at tables 13
A Bible Name for Every Letter1. Each table has three minutes to write one name from the Bible for as many letters of the alphabet as it can. 2. D for Deborah, E for Esther and L for Lydia are free. 3. Tables swap sheets and check each other, with a Bible open for any name in doubt. 4. The leader asks which letters stumped everyone. Players: 6 to 100. Time: 6 min. Props: paper, a pen and a Bible for each table. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
A Puzzle Piece Picks Your Table1. Cut one large picture for each table into as many pieces as it has seats, and put the matching frame on the table. 2. Each person takes a piece from a basket at the door. 3. Sit at the table where your piece fits. 4. When a picture is whole, the table turns the frame over and finds its first question on the back. Players: 12 to 100. Time: 8 min. Props: a cut-up picture and a frame for each table. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Bible Numbers on Your Fingers1. The leader asks a question with a number for an answer, and each table agrees in a whisper. 2. On "three", the whole table holds up that many fingers between them. 3. Ask four: the loaves a boy had (five, John 6:9), his fish (two), the baskets left over (twelve, John 6:13), the coins a woman had (ten, Luke 15:8). 4. The leader reads each verse after the fingers go up. Players: 6 to 100. Time: 5 min. Props: a Bible for the leader. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Find a Hymn With the Word1. Put a hymnal on each table. 2. The leader calls a word: light. 3. Tables have two minutes to find as many hymns as they can with that word in the title, using the index. 4. Each table reads out one title that nobody has said yet. Call two more words: bread, morning. Players: 12 to 100. Time: 8 min. Props: a hymnal for each table. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Find the Other Half of Your Proverb1. Write each of these on two cards, half a proverb on each: "A gentle answer turns away wrath, / but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1); "A friend loves at all times; / and a brother is born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17); "Iron sharpens iron; / so a man sharpens his friend's countenance" (Proverbs 27:17). 2. Make enough sets for the room and hand out one card each. 3. Find the person with your other half and swap first names. 4. Read the whole proverb aloud together. Players: 12 to 60. Time: 8 min. Props: proverb cards in halves. Noise: loud. First meeting: yes.
Find the Verse First1. Put one closed Bible on each table: here whole tables race, not single readers. 2. The leader calls a reference: Ruth 1:16. 3. Each table finds it, and everyone at the table raises a hand when a finger is on the verse. 4. The first table with its hands up reads the verse aloud together. Call four more: Psalm 136:1, Esther 4:14, Matthew 5:15, Philippians 4:13. Players: 6 to 100. Time: 8 min. Props: a Bible for each table. Noise: loud. First meeting: yes.
Five Objects, Five Stories1. Put a bag on each table holding a coin, a packet of seeds, a toy sheep, a small flashlight and a bread roll. 2. Each object points to something Jesus said or did. 3. Tables match each object to its story and write down where to find it. 4. The leader gives the answers: Luke 15:8, Matthew 13:3, Luke 15:4, Matthew 5:15 and John 6:9. Players: 6 to 100. Time: 8 min. Props: a bag of five objects, paper and a pen for each table. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Guess the Team That Does It1. The leader reads a short job description with no name: "They unlock the doors at seven and fill three coffee urns." 2. Each table agrees which volunteer team it is. 3. The team's members raise a hand where they sit, and the hall thanks them. 4. Read six descriptions, so newcomers hear what the teams are. Players: 12 to 100. Time: 8 min. Props: none. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
How Many Windows in the Sanctuary1. The leader asks five counting questions about the church building that most people have never checked: windows in the sanctuary, steps to the front door, hooks in the coat room. 2. Each table agrees on a guess and writes it down. 3. The leader gives the counts, taken that morning. 4. The closest table on each question gets a round of applause from its neighbors. Players: 12 to 100. Time: 8 min. Props: paper and a pen for each table. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
The Lost Coin Under a Chair1. Before the meal, tape one coin under a chair. 2. The leader reads Luke 15:8-9, where a woman loses one of ten coins, finds it and calls her neighbors to rejoice. 3. Everyone feels under their own chair. 4. The finder calls the hall to rejoice, and the finder's table goes first for dessert. Players: 13 to 100. Time: 4 min. Props: a coin and tape. Noise: loud. First meeting: yes.
Peace to You, by Name1. At each table, everyone asks the first name of the person on their left. 2. Starting with the table host, each person turns to that neighbor and says "Peace to you" and the name. 3. The greeting goes around the table once. 4. Send it back the other way, to the neighbor on the right. Players: 6 to 100. Time: 3 min. Props: none. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Send a Delegate1. Each table chooses one delegate who is glad to walk. 2. The delegate has four minutes to visit the other tables and learn one first name at each. 3. Meanwhile, the table writes down every name it gives to visiting delegates. 4. Delegates return and report the names, and the table checks them against what the room now knows. Players: 18 to 100. Time: 8 min. Props: paper and a pen for each table. Noise: loud. First meeting: yes.
Ten Books in Order1. Give each table ten cards with the names of the first ten books of the Bible, shuffled. 2. Tables lay them in order without opening a Bible. 3. The leader reads the order: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel. 4. Tables that had all ten right wave a napkin. Players: 6 to 100. Time: 5 min. Props: ten book cards for each table. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
A newcomers' lunch 10
A Seat Saved for Next Sunday1. Write each regular's first name on a slip. 2. Each newcomer draws a slip and finds that person. 3. The pair talks for three minutes, long enough to know each other again. 4. Next Sunday the regular waits by the door and saves the newcomer a seat. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 6 min. Props: name slips and a bowl. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
A Sunday Morning in Order1. Give each table six cards that name parts of a Sunday morning at this church: doors open, coffee, first hymn, announcements, sermon, lunch. 2. Newcomers put them in the order they guess. 3. Regulars at the table then move any card that is out of place and say why. 4. Each table keeps its cards as a map of the morning. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 6 min. Props: six cards for each table. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
A Trailer for Each Small Group1. Each small-group leader has twenty seconds to say what their group does and when it meets. 2. A helper keeps time with a bell. 3. Newcomers hold up a spoon for any group they would like to visit. 4. Leaders look for the spoons and find those people over coffee. Players: 10 to 40. Time: 6 min. Props: a bell or a timer. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Church Words in Plain English1. Newcomers call out any word or abbreviation they have heard at this church and did not know. 2. The leader writes each one on a large sheet. 3. A regular explains it in one plain sentence. 4. The sheet goes up by the coffee table, and anyone may add to it. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 6 min. Props: a large sheet of paper and a marker. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Every Other Chair1. Before lunch, mark every second chair for a regular. 2. Newcomers take the chairs in between, so each sits between two regulars. 3. Each regular learns the first name of the newcomer on their left. 4. Each regular then introduces that newcomer to the regular on the newcomer's other side. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 5 min. Props: chair markers. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Find It in the Bulletin1. Pair each newcomer with a regular and give each pair this week's printed bulletin. 2. The leader calls five things to find: the first hymn, the readings, the name of the preacher, where coffee is served, the next event. 3. The newcomer does the finding, and the regular only answers questions. 4. Pairs raise the bulletin when they have all five. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 6 min. Props: a printed bulletin for each pair. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Five Stamps on a Card1. Set up five small tables with chairs: music, children and youth, small groups, service, and one for questions. 2. Give each newcomer a card with five boxes. 3. At each table a regular says hello, explains the table in a minute and stamps a box. 4. A full card is traded for a loaf of bread to take home. Players: 10 to 40. Time: 10 min. Props: stamp cards, stamps and five small tables. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
Mark the Calendar1. Give each newcomer a printed calendar of the next two months. 2. One at a time, regulars name one thing that is coming up and say what happens there in a sentence. 3. Newcomers mark anything they would like to try. 4. After lunch, each regular looks for the marks beside the thing they named. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 8 min. Props: a printed calendar for each newcomer. Noise: quiet. First meeting: yes.
Newcomers Ask, Regulars Answer1. Give each newcomer a card and ask for one practical question about the church: which door, what time, where to park. 2. Collect the cards with no names. 3. The leader reads each one, and any regular answers in a sentence or two. 4. Questions that need more than that are kept, and the leader finds the right person after lunch. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 8 min. Props: cards and pens. Noise: quiet. First meeting: yes.
Take the Card, Meet the Cook1. Each cook puts a recipe card beside their dish with their first name on it. 2. Newcomers take the card of one dish they liked. 3. During dessert, each newcomer finds the cook whose card they hold. 4. The cook tells them one thing about the dish, and the newcomer keeps the card. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 8 min. Props: recipe cards. Noise: medium. First meeting: yes.
How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors on 2026-10-03 for adult church groups: a small group or Bible study of 6 to 12 in a living room, a fellowship hall of 30 to 100 at tables, and a newcomers' lunch. The games are our own work. Nine use a verse, a Bible name or the order of the books and print the reference; every one was read on 2026-10-03 in the World English Bible, a public domain translation, at https://ebible.org/eng-web/ (Genesis 1:1, the order of the first ten books from its contents page, Judges 4:4, Ruth 1:16, Esther 4:14, Psalm 136:1, Proverbs 15:1, 17:17 and 27:17, Micah 6:8, Matthew 5:15 and 13:3, Luke 15:4 and 15:8-9, John 6:9 and 6:13, Acts 16:14 and Philippians 4:13), and the words quoted are that translation's. The rest are plain openers. The list was screened for a room aged 20 to 85: there is no contact in any game, and none asks about money, age, marriage, children, or the length or depth of a person's faith; passing is always allowed. "Staying seated" marks the games played from a chair, and "Nobody on the spot" the ones in which no single voice addresses the room. Player ranges and minutes are planning estimates, not measurements. A game carries a group size only when it runs with every head count in that band. This is an unofficial list: it is not connected with any church, denomination or publisher. A women's group has its own page, women's ministry icebreakers, and no game is on both. Licence: own work