The organ pipes, the piano or the drum kit1 point. Look, do not play, unless the leader says otherwise.
The hearing loop sign3 points. A loop of cable around the room sends sound straight to hearing aids switched to the T setting. Places of worship are a typical place to find one.
The letters INRI5 points. Latin initials for Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews, the sign on the cross in John 19.
The offering plate, basket or box1 point. Find it and leave it.
An Alpha and an Omega3 points. The Greek alphabet's first and last letters. Try candles, banners and carved wood.
The spot where the choir or the band stands1 point. Stand there and look out. It is a different room from up front.
The oldest date you can find in the building5 points. Cornerstones, plaques, hymnal title pages and memorial windows all carry dates. The earliest year among all the teams takes the 5.
A banner made by members of the church2 points. Ask the leader afterward who made it.
A microphone, and the sound desk it leads to2 points. Hands off the sliders.
A Bible open on a stand, and the book it is open to3 points. Read the page heading. Do not turn the page.
A banner made by members of the church2 points. Ask the leader afterward who made it.
A Bible open on a stand, and the book it is open to3 points. Read the page heading. Do not turn the page.
A candle that is lit only on special days3 points. The leader confirms which one and when.
A clock the preacher can see and the congregation cannot3 points. Stand where the preacher stands and look.
A cross with something unusual about it2 points. A ring around the center, a cloth draped over it, made of nails, made by children.
A cushion or kneeler that someone stitched by hand3 points. Look for a date or initials worked into the design.
A dove, a lamb, a fish and a lion: any two3 points. In glass, wood, stone, cloth or print.
A hymn number on the board1 point. Today's numbers, or whatever was left up from Sunday. A song list on a screen counts.
A large-print hymnal or Bible2 points. Note where it is kept. It comes up again on the service list.
A memorial plaque with a name nobody on the team knows2 points. Read it aloud. That person sat in this room too.
A microphone, and the sound desk it leads to2 points. Hands off the sliders.
A place set aside for small children1 point. A play corner, a cry room or a bag of quiet toys.
A stained-glass window, and the color it uses least2 points. The team agrees on one color. No stained glass? Any colored glass or banner counts.
An Alpha and an Omega3 points. The Greek alphabet's first and last letters. Try candles, banners and carved wood.
The color of today's cloths, banners or stole3 points. Many churches change color with the season: green in Ordinary Time, purple in Advent and Lent, white at Christmas and Easter, red at Pentecost. Customs vary, and some churches use none.
The font or the baptistery2 points. Fonts often stand near the entrance, and many have eight sides. Churches that baptize by immersion have a pool instead.
The hearing loop sign3 points. A loop of cable around the room sends sound straight to hearing aids switched to the T setting. Places of worship are a typical place to find one.
The letters IHS, or a Chi-Rho5 points. IHS is the first three letters of Jesus in Greek. A Chi-Rho, which looks like a P over an X, is the first two letters of Christ.
The letters INRI5 points. Latin initials for Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews, the sign on the cross in John 19.
The number of pews or rows of chairs2 points. Count, then the leader checks one side.
The offering plate, basket or box1 point. Find it and leave it.
The oldest date you can find in the building5 points. Cornerstones, plaques, hymnal title pages and memorial windows all carry dates. The earliest year among all the teams takes the 5.
The organ pipes, the piano or the drum kit1 point. Look, do not play, unless the leader says otherwise.
The pulpit and the lectern, told apart3 points. The pulpit is the raised stand for preaching. The lectern is the smaller reading stand. Many Baptist and Presbyterian churches put one pulpit in the center.
The seat with the best view of the whole room1 point. The team sits in it and says why.
Something in the room that came from another country5 points. A cross, a cloth, a carving, a gift from a partner church. Ask the leader for the story.
The spot where the choir or the band stands1 point. Stand there and look out. It is a different room from up front.
Entrance and outside 18
A bell, a bell tower or a bell rope3 points. Look, do not ring, unless the leader has cleared it.
A bench, a garden or a tree planted in someone's memory3 points. Read the plaque.
A collection of umbrellas nobody has claimed2 points. Count them.
A door that is always locked2 points. Guess what is behind it, then ask the leader.
A fire exit, and the assembly point outside1 point. The whole team walks the route once.
A ramp, a lift or a step-free door2 points. Walk the route a wheelchair would take from the parking lot to a seat.
A sign-up sheet with empty lines on it2 points. Better still, put a name on one.
An event on the bulletin board in the next seven days1 point. Read the day and time to the leader.
The church sign with the service times1 point. From the church side of the street.
The cornerstone or foundation stone3 points. A cornerstone is usually cut with the construction date, and sometimes with the architect or builder named.
The direction the main door faces5 points. Use a phone compass at the door. Traditionally the entrance was at the west end, opposite the altar.
The first aid kit or the defibrillator sign2 points. Worth knowing. Look, do not open.
The food bank donation box2 points. Note one thing it asks for. That feeds the service list.
The guest book or the welcome cards1 point. Count how many are left in the rack.
The highest point of the building, seen from the ground2 points. A cross, a weather vane, a spire or a plain roof ridge.
The lobby, porch or narthex, and what your church calls it2 points. Narthex is the old word for the space between the outer doors and the main room.
The lost and found box1 point. Extra glory if you recognize something of yours.
The name of the person to call about renting the hall3 points. On the bulletin board or the website. Find it, do not write it down.
Hall and kitchen 22
A box of crayons and a finished coloring page1 point. Both, from the children's room.
A children's Bible or picture-story Bible1 point. Find the page with the ark.
A costume from a nativity play or pageant3 points. A shepherd's headdress, angel wings, a crown.
A cupboard labeled for a group that meets here2 points. Scouts, toddlers, choir, quilters. Read the label and leave the door shut.
A hymn book or a Bible in a language other than English5 points. Name the language.
A kitchen label that starts with the word Please2 points. Read it aloud in your politest voice.
A mug that matches no other mug2 points. The judge checks the shelf.
A puppet, a felt board or a prop used for telling stories3 points. Guess the story before you ask.
A second piano2 points. Halls and classrooms often have one. Lid stays down.
A stack of more than 20 matching cups1 point. Count without unstacking.
A stage, a curtain or a platform1 point. Feet on the floor.
A table-tennis table, a pool table or a box of board games1 point. One rally, then move on.
A thank-you letter from a charity3 points. Pinned to a board. Read what the gift paid for.
A trophy, a quilt or a banner from a church event2 points. Read the year.
A world map, a mission board or a letter from a partner church3 points. Find the farthest place on it.
The biggest teapot, urn or coffee maker in the kitchen1 point. Look, do not switch on.
The cart the folding chairs live on1 point. Wheels locked. Nobody rides it.
The hall calendar, and how many groups use the hall this week3 points. Count the different names.
The largest cooking pot2 points. Guess how many it feeds, then ask someone who has cooked in it.
The oldest group photo on the wall3 points. Count the people in it. Is the building behind them the same?
The pass-through window between kitchen and hall1 point. Open or shut, leave it as it was.
The recycling bins, and what goes in each2 points. You will need to know for the service list.
Look it up 16
A hymn in common meter5 points. Look for C.M. or 8.6.8.6 near the tune name. The numbers are the syllables in each line.
A hymn with words and music by the same person5 points. Compare the two credits.
A hymn written before 18003 points. Dates usually sit by the author's name at the head or foot of the page.
A map in the back of a Bible2 points. Find one sea and one river on it.
A psalm that is also a hymn in your hymnal3 points. A scripture index helps, if the book has one.
A verse the whole team can say from memory2 points. Said together, books shut.
A verse with a number higher than 1003 points. Psalm 119 is the place to look. It runs to verse 176.
The books just before and just after Psalms2 points. Contents page allowed. Read both names to the leader.
The first word and the last word of your Bible2 points. Open to the first page and the last. The team reads both aloud.
The highest hymn number in the book1 point. The last hymn, not the last page.
John 11:35, read aloud by the whole team1 point. Two words in most English Bibles, and the King James Version's shortest verse. Job 3:2 is shorter in the NIV.
The longest psalm, with its verse count3 points. Answer: Psalm 119, with 176 verses, in 22 stanzas of eight.
The number of books in your pew Bible2 points. Count the contents page. Protestant Bibles have 66 books and Catholic Bibles have 73.
The reading set for this Sunday or next2 points. From the bulletin, the lectern marker or the church website.
The shortest psalm, with its verse count3 points. Answer: Psalm 117, with two verses. No chapter in the Bible is shorter, either.
Two hymns that could swap tunes5 points. Any two with the same meter numbers. Most hymnals have a metrical index at the back. Sing one line to prove it.
During the service 12
A moment of complete silence2 points. Count the seconds in your head.
A name from the Bible said aloud1 point. The first one you hear.
A number said in the reading or the sermon2 points. Seven, twelve and forty are good bets.
A song you already know by heart1 point. Sing it without the book.
A word you hear at least five times in the sermon2 points. Keep a tally in the margin.
An Amen that is sung, not said3 points. Some services have none. That is why it scores 3.
An instrument other than the organ or the piano2 points. Guitar, flute, drums, handbells, a single trumpet at Easter.
The color the minister, the choir or the table is wearing1 point. One word on your sheet.
The longest word in today's reading2 points. Write it down and count the letters.
The Lord's Prayer: debts, trespasses or sins?3 points. Matthew 6:12 says debts. Presbyterian and Reformed churches tend to pray debts, most others trespasses, and newer shared texts say sins.
Someone reads from the Old Testament1 point. Tick quietly. Name the book afterward.
Something in the sermon you want to ask about later3 points. Write the question down. Asking it afterward earns the points.
Acts of service 32
Chalk five welcomes on the church's own path2 points. Chalk from the leader, church property only.
Dust every sill and ledge you can reach from the floor2 points. No chairs, no ladders.
Fold next Sunday's bulletins3 points. Or stuff the envelopes the office has waiting.
Interview a volunteer the leader has lined up5 points. Three questions, starting with how long they have come here. Only the volunteers wearing a sticker tonight are in the game.
Lay out the lost and found neatly on one table2 points. Add a sign with the date it will be given away, if the leader agrees one.
Make a card for someone who cannot get to church3 points. The pastor knows who, and delivers it.
Make a welcome sign for next Sunday's door2 points. Big enough to read from the parking lot.
Match the orphaned lids to the containers in the kitchen cupboard2 points. Stack the matched sets and leave the orphans on the counter.
Pack care bags from the supplies the leader has collected5 points. Everything is supplied. Nobody buys anything tonight.
Pick up every piece of litter on the church grounds3 points. Gloves or tongs and a bag. No reaching into hedges or drains, and leave anything sharp for an adult.
Pray for each person on the list the leader gives you3 points. Quietly, as a team. The names stay in the room.
Put the large-print books where a newcomer would find them2 points. Then tell the welcome team where that is.
Put up the hymn numbers for next Sunday2 points. The leader has the list.
Record a 20-second thank-you video for a volunteer the leader names3 points. Teammates only in the shot. The leader sends it.
Refill the pew pencils, welcome cards and offering envelopes2 points. Supplies from the office.
Set up the tables for the next event in the hall3 points. From the hall team's plan. Lift in pairs.
Sharpen every pencil in the pews and classrooms1 point. Dead pens go to the leader.
Sort the food bank box by type and check the dates3 points. Set aside anything past its date for the leader.
Stack every chair in the hall, or set them out for Sunday2 points. The leader says which. Two people to a stack.
Straighten every hymnal and Bible in the racks, spines out2 points. Collect old bulletins and wrappers as you go.
Take the recycling out to the right outdoor bins2 points. Flatten the boxes first.
Teach the younger children's group a game for five minutes5 points. Only if their leader agreed in advance, and with that leader in the room.
Thank the person who unlocked the building tonight1 point. Out loud, the whole team.
Tidy one bulletin board: take down anything dated last month3 points. Hand the old notices to the leader, not the bin.
Wash, dry and put away every cup on the dish rack2 points. The judge opens the cupboard to check.
Water the plants or fill the bird feeder1 point. Indoor plants included.
Weed one flower bed or sweep the front steps3 points. Tools from the leader. Stay on the church grounds.
Wipe down the toys in the nursery or play corner3 points. With the cloths and cleaner the leader hands you.
Wipe the tables and sweep the hall floor2 points. Corners count.
Write a thank-you card to someone who serves behind the scenes3 points. The sound desk, the cleaner, the treasurer, the flower team. The leader delivers it.
Write an encouraging note to every member of another team2 points. One true sentence each.
Write down one repair the building needs2 points. A dripping faucet, a dead bulb, a wobbly chair. Spot it and report it. Do not fix it.
How it works
Worded for any denomination: 67 finds around the building, 16 look-ups in a Bible or hymnal, 12 quiet lines for a service and 32 acts of service. All 127 of these church scavenger hunt ideas carry points.
Read the full guide
Run the building hunt with a youth group
The page opens on Worship space, 27 finds; the same menu holds Entrance and outside and Hall and kitchen. Press Print and copy the sheet so every team hunts the same list. Proof is a photo of the thing, never of people outside the team. Five points reward reading the walls: INRI, a Chi-Rho, the oldest date in the building.
Service scavenger hunt ideas, two ways
Acts of service, in the same menu, holds 32 jobs for one evening: sharpen the pew pencils, sort the food bank box, fold Sunday's bulletins. Each involves only the team and people the leader lined up beforehand. During the service has 12 quiet lines for a child with a pencil, such as a sung Amen.
For Look it up, Hide all notes sends the answers to a last page for the leader.
Gather supplies before a service hunt. Take away any job the building does not need with ×.
Teams of three or four, one phone each. Agree which doors stay shut before anyone starts.
Questions and answers
Will it work in my church?
It should. Lines name a feature with its alternatives: font or baptistery, pews or chairs, choir or band. Where customs differ the note says so, as with seasonal colors and the wording of the Lord's Prayer. No stained glass, bell or hymnal? Take that line away with × and press again.
What do the letters and symbols mean?
INRI is the Latin initials for Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews. IHS is the first three letters of Jesus in Greek. A Chi-Rho, which looks like a P over an X, is the first two letters of Christ in Greek.
Is the service hunt safe for teenagers?
Every job stays on the church grounds with the leader nearby, and none needs a ladder. Litter picking uses gloves or tongs, and anything sharp is left for an adult. Cards and videos go out through the leader. Your church's own safeguarding policy still applies.