Church Youth Group Scavenger Hunt Ideas

How it works

The core of these church youth group scavenger hunt ideas is the verse find: the sheet gives a reference, the team looks it up and brings or photographs what the verse names. The other sets fill out a youth night.

Read the full guide

Start with the verse finds

The page opens on Verse finds: a reference, a hint and points. Each team needs a Bible. The note holds the answer and the verse's words in the World English Bible, so press Hide all notes before you Print, and the answers print on a sheet of their own for the leader.

Fill the evening

The menu under the button holds Around the building, Team photos, Make it and Serve as you go. Nothing happens in the worship space while a service or a rehearsal is on, and nothing leaves the grounds. The rules print on every sheet: stay together, keep outsiders out of photos, be back on time.

Tips

As christian scavenger hunt ideas for youth of mixed ages, pair an older teenager with a younger one for the look-ups.
Church youth scavenger hunt ideas suit any denomination: accept any object that fits the verse in the team's own Bible.

Questions and answers

How does a verse scavenger hunt work?

Each line gives a Bible reference and a hint, such as the seasoning or the footwear. The team looks the verse up, works out the object it names and brings or photographs one. The note gives the answer.

Which Bible translation do the answers use?

The World English Bible, a public domain translation. Other translations name the same things, sometimes in other words: its tunic of many colors is a robe or a coat elsewhere.

Will it work in any church building?

It should. The building finds name things most churches have, such as a hall, a kitchen, a coat rack and a notice board. Deal again until the list fits your building.

Is it safe for teenagers in teams by themselves?

Every task stays on the church grounds with leaders nearby. None sends a team to a stranger or a door, nothing is bought, and cards go out through the leader. Your church's own safeguarding policy still applies.

All 100 tasks

Verse finds 30

Look up 1 Corinthians 13:12: find what the verse says we see in 1 point. Answer: a mirror. The verse says: "For now we see in a mirror, dimly". Team photo in one, with the camera out of sight for a bonus point.
Look up 1 Samuel 17:40: find what David chose from the brook 2 points. Answer: five smooth stones. The verse says: "chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook". Five, and smooth. Put them back afterward.
Look up Ecclesiastes 4:12: find the rope it names 2 points. Answer: a cord of three strands. The verse says: "a threefold cord is not quickly broken". Braid three strings, or find a rope and count its strands.
Look up Ephesians 2:20: find the building stone it names 2 points. Answer: a cornerstone. The verse says: "Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone". Find the stone at a corner of the building. A year cut into it earns a bonus point.
Look up Exodus 2:3: find what the baby was laid in 1 point. Answer: a basket. The verse says: "she took a papyrus basket for him". Any basket in the building. Leave what is in it alone.
Look up Genesis 37:3: find what Joseph was given 2 points. Answer: a coat of many colors. The verse says: "he made him a tunic of many colors". The brightest jacket on the coat rack, with its owner's yes, or one the team draws.
Look up Genesis 8:11: find what the dove carried 1 point. Answer: an olive leaf. The verse says: "in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf". Any fallen leaf counts. A real olive leaf scores 3.
Look up Genesis 9:13: find the sign in the sky 2 points. Answer: a rainbow. The verse says: "I set my rainbow in the cloud". A picture, a sticker or one the team draws in six colors or more.
Look up Hebrews 6:19: find the part of a ship it names 3 points. Answer: an anchor. The verse says: "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul". On a banner, a window, a book cover or a badge. A drawing scores 1.
Look up John 13:5: find the cloth it names 1 point. Answer: a towel. The verse says: "to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him". A clean one from the kitchen. A basin beside it earns a bonus point.
Look up John 15:5: find the plant it names 2 points. Answer: a vine and its branches. The verse says: "I am the vine. You are the branches." Photograph any climbing plant, or a branch on a tree.
Look up John 6:35: find the food it names 1 point. Answer: bread. The verse says: "I am the bread of life." A slice, a roll or a cracker from the kitchen, with the leader's yes.
Look up Luke 15:4: find the animal it names 2 points. Answer: a sheep. The verse says: "if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them". A toy, a picture or a figure from the nursery shelf.
Look up Luke 15:8: find what the woman lost 1 point. Answer: a coin. The verse says: "if she lost one drachma coin". One coin, from a teammate, handed straight back.
Look up Mark 1:7: find the footwear it names 2 points. Answer: a sandal. The verse says: "the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen". Any shoe with a strap counts. A teammate's own, still on the foot.
Look up Matthew 10:42: find the drink it names 1 point. Answer: a cup of cold water. The verse says: "a cup of cold water". Pour one, show the leader, then give it to someone who is thirsty.
Look up Matthew 13:31: find the seed it names 3 points. Answer: a mustard seed. The verse says: "a grain of mustard seed". Try the spice shelf. Any other small seed scores 1.
Look up Matthew 13:45-46: find the jewel it names 3 points. Answer: a pearl. The verse says: "one pearl of great price". A bead or a button that looks like one will do. Borrowed jewelry needs its owner's yes.
Look up Matthew 14:17: find the two foods it names 3 points. Answer: five loaves and two fish. The verse says: "We only have here five loaves and two fish." Draw them, cut them from paper or find the story in a picture book.
Look up Matthew 16:19: find the door openers it names 1 point. Answer: keys. The verse says: "I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven". A teammate's own keys. The building keys stay with the leader.
Look up Matthew 4:18: find what the brothers are throwing 2 points. Answer: a net. The verse says: "casting a net into the sea". A sports net, a fruit net or a drawing of one.
Look up Matthew 5:13: find the seasoning it names 1 point. Answer: salt. The verse says: "You are the salt of the earth". Bring a shaker from the kitchen and take it back.
Look up Matthew 6:28: find the flowers it names 2 points. Answer: lilies. The verse says: "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow." Photograph any flower, growing or in a vase. Pick nothing.
Look up Matthew 7:24: find what the wise man built on 1 point. Answer: a rock. The verse says: "a wise man who built his house on the rock". A stone from the grounds, put back where it was.
Look up Proverbs 25:11: find the fruit it names 2 points. Answer: an apple. The verse says: "like apples of gold in settings of silver". From the kitchen with the leader's yes, or a drawing of one.
Look up Proverbs 6:6: find the insect it names 3 points. Answer: an ant. The verse says: "Go to the ant, you sluggard." A photo of a live one outdoors. A drawing scores 1.
Look up Psalm 119:103: find the sweet food it names 2 points. Answer: honey. The verse says: "more than honey to my mouth". A jar from the kitchen. Look, do not taste.
Look up Psalm 119:105: find the light it names 1 point. Answer: a lamp. The verse says: "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path." A flashlight counts. Photograph a lamp that cannot be moved.
Look up Psalm 1:3: find what the psalm compares a person to 1 point. Answer: a tree. The verse says: "like a tree planted by the streams of water". Photograph one on the grounds with the whole team under it.
Look up Revelation 3:20: find where the speaker stands 1 point. Answer: a door. The verse says: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Team photo at a door, with one of you knocking.

Around the building 18

A box, a jar or a basket for donations: read its label 1 point. Write what it collects for. Touch nothing in it.
A child's drawing pinned to a wall 1 point. Write what it shows.
A clock that shows the wrong time 2 points. Write how far out it is. Leave it for the leader to fix.
A cross that is not in the worship space 2 points. A hall, a corridor, a classroom. Nobody goes into the worship space while a service or a rehearsal is on.
A light switch that works a light in another room 3 points. Show the leader. Switch it back off.
A map, a globe or a flag in a meeting room 2 points. Write which, and which room.
A notice on the board for a date that has passed 2 points. Leave it up and tell the leader which one.
A photo on a wall of people from long ago 2 points. Write the year if it shows one.
A piano, a keyboard or a guitar: count its keys or strings 2 points. Count without playing if a meeting is on nearby.
A tea towel with a picture or words on it 1 point. In the kitchen. Write what it shows.
A thermostat or a heater dial: read what it is set to 2 points. Read it. Do not change it.
The coat rack: count the empty hangers or hooks 1 point. Two teammates count and must agree.
Every exit sign on this floor: count them 2 points. Walk the whole floor together.
The first-aid kit and the exit nearest to it 1 point. Point to both. The kit stays shut.
The lost-property box: a glove without its pair 2 points. Look, and leave it in the box.
The oldest poster still up in the youth room 2 points. Write the event or the year on it.
The room with the most chairs: count them 2 points. Stacked chairs count. Write the room and the number.
Something left over from the last big event 2 points. A banner, a prop, a box of decorations. Write the event.

Team photos 17

All of you framed in one doorway 1 point. Own team only. Nobody is lifted.
Each teammate pointing at their favorite place in the building 1 point. Own team only. One photo, from the middle of the hall.
Every teammate holding a book open at the same page number 2 points. Own team only. Songbooks or Bibles from the shelf, put back afterward.
Every teammate's hands in one stack, taken from underneath 1 point. Hands only. No faces needed.
Your team as a choir caught on the highest note 1 point. Own team only.
Your team as a flock with one shepherd 1 point. Own team only. One sheep is wandering off.
Your team as a lamp on its stand, with one of you as the flame 2 points. Own team only. Everyone stays on the floor.
Your team as a table set for a feast, with one empty chair 3 points. Own team only. The leader has to say who the chair is for.
Your team as the animals going in two by two 2 points. Own team only. The leader must be able to name each pair.
Your team dragging a great catch of fish up the beach 2 points. Own team only. A sheet or a coat makes the net.
Your team frozen mid-shout as the walls of Jericho fall 2 points. Own team only. Silent shouting if a meeting is on nearby.
Your team holding still as a stained-glass window 2 points. Own team only. Flat poses, arms out, no smiling.
Your team lined up in birthday order on the front steps 2 points. Own team only. January at one end, December at the other.
Your team lying in the outline of a fish 2 points. Own team only. Taken by a teammate who stays on the floor.
Your team rowing through a storm with one of you asleep in the back 3 points. Own team only. Chairs make the boat. It is in Mark 4.
Your team walking in step down the longest corridor 1 point. Own team only. Every left foot forward.
Your whole team acting one parable in a single frame 3 points. Own team only. The leader has to guess which parable.

Make it 17

A bookmark with a verse from tonight's list on it 1 point. Copy the words from your own Bible, with the reference.
A card for somebody who is unwell or away 1 point. Every teammate signs it. It goes out through the leader.
A four-line thank-you to a volunteer 2 points. Name what they do. Hand it to the leader to pass on.
A list of ten kind things your team could do this week 1 point. Circle the one you will really do.
A map of the building for a first-time visitor 2 points. Mark the door, the hall, the kitchen and the bathrooms.
A new verse for a song the whole group knows 3 points. Four lines. Sing it to the leader.
A one-sentence blessing for the group, written by the whole team 2 points. Read it aloud at the end of the night.
A paper boat that floats for a count of twenty 2 points. In the kitchen sink. Dry the sink afterward.
A paper chain of ten links with a thank-you on each 2 points. Ten different things to be thankful for.
A paper coat of many colors for one teammate 2 points. Scrap paper and tape, worn over their own clothes.
A paper crown 1 point. It must fit the head of the teammate with the next birthday.
A parable retold in six stick-figure pictures 3 points. No words. Another team has to name it.
A poster for next week's youth night 2 points. Day, time and one reason to come.
A quiz question about one of tonight's verses 2 points. Another team has to answer it. Write the reference on the back.
A team banner with a name and a symbol 1 point. One sheet of paper. Every teammate adds something.
A welcome sign for somebody new 1 point. Give it to the leader for the door.
The tallest tower of paper cups that stands for a count of ten 2 points. Clean cups, stacked back in the kitchen afterward.

Serve as you go 18

Bring in the outdoor signs, cones or chairs the leader names 1 point. Two people to anything heavy.
Carry every stray cup back to the kitchen 1 point. Check the windowsills and the piano.
Carry the recycling out to its bin 1 point. Flatten the boxes first.
Check the soap, the paper towels and the tissues 2 points. Tell the leader what is running low. Refill only what you are shown.
Empty every small trash can into the big one 1 point. New liners in, if there are any.
Leave a thank-you note where the caretaker will find it 2 points. Signed by the team, not by name.
Put every game back in its box and every box on the shelf 1 point. Count the pieces of one game as you go.
Set out the chairs for the next meeting 2 points. In the rows the leader asks for.
Sort the craft pens: the ones that work and the ones that do not 2 points. Test each on scrap paper. Dry pens go to the leader.
Sort the food-pantry shelf so every label faces out 2 points. Anything past its date goes to the leader, not the bin.
Stack the chairs the way the leader shows you 2 points. Two people to a stack.
Straighten everything pinned to the notice board 2 points. Take nothing down. Give the leader a list of what is out of date.
Sweep one room from the far wall to the door 2 points. Brush and pan back where they live.
Tidy the coat rack and pair up the lost gloves 1 point. Lost things go in the box, not home with you.
Wash, dry and put away ten mugs 2 points. Or load the dishwasher, if the kitchen has one. The leader starts it.
Water the plants the leader points to 1 point. A little each. Wipe up any spills.
Wipe every table in the hall 1 point. Cloths from the kitchen, rinsed and hung up afterward.
Wipe the light switches and door handles on one floor 2 points. A damp cloth, not a wet one.

How this list was compiled

Written for this site by its editors on 2026-09-30: original scored tasks for teams of teenagers at a church youth night. Nothing was copied from another list. The 30 verse finds give a reference and a hint; the answer and the words in the note are quoted from the World English Bible, a public domain translation, and each was read on 2026-09-30 on its chapter page at https://ebible.org/engwebp/ (27 chapter pages, for example https://ebible.org/engwebp/MAT05.htm for the salt and https://ebible.org/engwebp/LUK15.htm for the lost coin and the lost sheep). Each verse find keeps a record of the page it was read on. A verse whose object was unclear was left out. The wording is meant to work in any Christian denomination. Every task involves only the team and people the leader has lined up, buys nothing, takes nothing, sends nobody to a stranger or a door, and stays on the church grounds; nothing happens in the worship space while a service or a rehearsal is on. Points are the editors' judgment. Licence: own work