Servant Event Toolkit

Hi! If you’re looking at this page, you’re probably considering planning a servant event. Maybe you’ve identified a need that could be filled at your church or in your community, and you want to find a way to help. Maybe you attended a servant event at a youth gathering, and you’re considering how you could do one at your church. Maybe you’re planning a servant event for a youth gathering, and you don’t know where to start. Whatever the reason, we’re here to support you! 

Servant events are an excellent way of showing Christ’s love for our community and our congregation. In addition, they’re a great way to strengthen relationships and create opportunities for teamwork. Servant events are also the perfect way to generate and foster mentorship between generations. 

Here are some important things to keep in mind throughout planning your event:  

• Don’t forget about the spiritual component of the event. Pray throughout the entire process—as you make decisions, reach out to people, prepare, carry out the event, share the event, and wind down and debrief. 

• Be flexible. Things never go exactly the way you want or expect; it’s essential to be able to go with the flow. 

• Good planning is everything. Because things will never go one hundred percent as planned, preparing for the things you can control makes it easier to deal with the things that change.  

• You’re not alone as you do this. Never be afraid to ask for help! Also, teamwork and cooperation are incredibly important—discuss and collaborate with others often. 

• Servant events aren’t just about “getting the job done”. They’re an opportunity to encourage, learn, teach, connect, and uplift. And, of course, serve others! 

• Don’t leave things until the last minute. The earlier you plan things, the less stressful the planning process is. 

 Throughout this guide we’ll look at: 

• Planning and hosting a fun activity where people can connect and discuss a future servant event 

• How to find a good servant event for your group 

• How to partner with a local organization to make your servant event a reality 

• How to get the word out about your servant event and get people to sign up 

• The safety and legal considerations that go into planning a servant event 

• How to prepare for a servant event 

• The basics of what to expect at a servant event 

• Debriefing with your group after a servant event 

• How to share your servant event experience with others 

• What’s next after your servant event is over 

We recommend reading (or at least skimming) through the whole toolkit before you begin, so you know what the big picture of planning for a servant event looks like. Some portions of this toolkit may be more relevant to some events than others. We also recognise that no toolkit, template, or set of guidelines can account for the nuances of every single group or situation, so feel free to revise and adapt these resources to work better for your own needs. We hope they’re useful!