We’ve all been in church settings and the speaker asks you to turn to your neighbor and say something unique about yourself. Suddenly, you blank and nothing is unique about yourself! Or what about joining a small group and you all go around the room and say your name, age, and job or grade? All of a sudden your mind is full of so much information you can’t possibly remember. This is where fun and creative church icebreaker questions can help!
Icebreaker questions are an effective tool that can help ease tension, get people talking with each other, and create a fun and relaxing environment. Furthermore, ask these great questions to never have another awkward silence again!
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
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Have Fun, Be Creative!
Make the questions specific to the group members! Whether you’re hosting a small group, women’s event, or youth group, there are a lot of great ways to break the ice. It’s all about setting the tone for the event. Although questions about where you’re from or what your career is are perfectly acceptable, but they can get boring.
Certainly a group of people large or small can be an intimidating environment, especially for new members. Recently at an event, someone asked the group “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” If you didn’t know, this is a question being asked on social media, and therefore it was topical and relevant and made everyone laugh. Icebreaker questions don’t have to be serious! Castle Sports has a great list of super fun icebreakers especially for kids!
Large Groups
With larger groups, it’s best to keep icebreaker questions brief. Some questions can take more time to answer and you won’t always have more time in a large group setting. Large group settings can look like a Sunday morning, conference, or youth gathering. Typically, people will be seated in rows next to each other as opposed to a small group setting of 10 or fewer people. These kinds of icebreaker questions are the ones where the preacher says, “Turn to your neighbor and ask them about the best dessert they ever had.”
Icebreaker questions in a large group setting can help everyone feel like a part of the group, included. It’s important to make even large settings comfortable and prepare everyone for the day ahead. And make sure to encourage group members to talk to several people around them other than just their direct neighbor.
Questions:
- What would the title of your autobiography be?
- If you weren’t in your current career, what would you choose?
- What 3 items would you take with you on a deserted island?
- If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do?
- What is your favorite season of the year and why?
- What favorite dessert could you eat every day?
- If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?
- Share your favorite food from your favorite local restaurant.
- What game show would you rather compete on?
- What is something you would change about the world today?
- What part of your daily routine do you enjoy the most?
- What is your favorite tv show?
- When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?
- If you were granted three wishes, what would you wish for?
- If you won a million dollars, what’s the first thing you’d do?
- What are your top 3 favorite movies?
- What is your favorite sound in the world?
- What technology or device could you live without (or not live without)?
- Have you ever been to the beach?
- What’s one of your pet peeves?
- If you could host a talk show, who would be your first guest?
- What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
- What food could you eat every day?
- What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics?
- What day in your life would you like to relive?
- If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- What’s your favorite time of day: morning, afternoon, evening or late night?
- If you could go back in time, what time period would you visit?
- How would you spend one million dollars?
- What movie can you watch over and over again?
- What’s the best birthday or Christmas present you remember getting when you were a kid?
Youth Group
You can get away with asking some pretty funny questions at a youth group gathering. Generally, this is a time when you can bring up current events and trending topics. Students are usually very interactive and funny questions are a great way to get them laughing with each other.
Pair icebreaker questions with a game and watch the group of kids have so much fun! Being silly is okay, and it lets us connect to a side of ourselves we don’t often get to use.
Questions:
- What would you choose if you could have any animal as a pet?
- What’s one word you would use to describe yourself?
- If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
- Where and when would you travel if you had a time machine?
- What is the most fun thing you’ve experienced recently?
- What song is currently stuck in your head?
- What is your least and favorite class in school?
- Which family member would you want to switch with for a day?
- What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
- What is the most fun thing you’ve experienced recently?
- If you had to delete all but 3 apps from your smartphone, which ones would you keep?
- What is your most used emoji?
- Who is your favorite superhero?
- What would you do if you were President for a day?
- What is your favorite music to listen to while studying or doing homework?
- Are you the same person in real life as you are on social media? Why or why not?
- If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
- If you could live in the world of any book, movie, TV show, or video game, what would it be and why?
- What’s your first memory?
- Name one cool feature you would add to your dream house.
- If you were a kitchen appliance, which one would you be and why?
- What are your three favorite smells?
- If you joined the circus, what act would you most want to perform?
- If you had infinite money, what would you do?
- What is your favorite day of the year?
Small Groups
Also, small group is a great time to dive deep and really get to know each other since you have more time. As a small group leader, it’s important to cultivate a welcoming environment. When small group members feel comfortable with each other, they are more likely to open up and share. Icebreaker questions are a great way to loosen up the group and have fun!
- Highs and Lows
This is a great icebreaker and can be something you can start off each week with. Everyone goes around in a circle and shares a high moment from their past week and a low moment. I recommend ending on the high moment! Obviously feel free to go as deep as you’d like with the low moment, but it can also be something as simple as stubbing your toe this morning
Three Objects
- Name Three Objects
What three objects would you try to save if your house burned down?
If you were on a deserted island, what would you take with you? Name three things!
If you could only eat three things for the rest of your life what would it be?
- Two Truths and a Lie
This icebreaker can require a little more thinking on everyone’s part which is why it’s best played in a smaller group so that everyone can have time to answer. Everyone will tell two truths about themselves and one lie. The goal is to guess which fact is not true. This is a great way to get to know more about people and learn interesting things about them.
- Three Question Game
This game is fun and unique! For example, the first question relates to how you see yourself, “My favorite color is light blue because it is calming, relaxing and peaceful.” Another example is “My favorite color is red because is it bright, loud, and wild!” Next, the second question relates to what you seek in a relationship or friendship. “My favorite animal is a dog because they are loyal and are so funny.” The third question relates to how you view God. And lastly, “My favorite part of nature is the ocean because it is so vast and wild. The water is calming and I feel safe.”
What is your favorite color? Be descriptive and explain why.
What is your favorite animal?
What is your favorite part of nature?
- how you see yourself
- what you want in a relationship/friendship
- how you view God
- What’s something you wish people knew about you?
- What piece of advice would you give to your 16-year-old self?
Women’s Ministry
- As a woman, what is one piece of advice you would give to a younger girl?
- What’s the worst haircut you ever day?
- Do you have any crazy roommate stories?
- What was the worst style choice you ever made?
- What did you name your first car?
- What helps you relieve stress?
- Who inspires you to be a better person?
- Who do you depend on the most?
- What’s the great invention of your lifetime?
- What is one life lesson you will never forget?
College/High School
- What’s your major?
- What is your biggest fear?
- In the next five years, what do you see for yourself?
- Where would you live if you could live in any country in the world?
- What is one thing we would never guess about you?
- Name an imaginary college class you wish this school offered.
- How are you similar and different from your siblings?
- How many people are in your family?
- What is your favorite thing to learn?
- If you could instantly learn another language without studying it, which one would you pick?
- What’s your current favorite show to binge watch on Netflix?
Would You Rather
- …have 20 fingers or 20 toes?
- …be the smallest object on Earth or the largest?
- …be 1 foot tall or 10 feet tall?
- …be the smartest person in the world or the most creative?
- …be rich and unpopular or be famous and broke?
- …have invisibility or flight?
- …live in a mansion 1000 miles away from everyone or live with your friends in a cave?
- …watch a horror movie or read a horror novel?
- …go to the moon in a rocket ship or in a submarine to the ocean floor?
- …live on an island by yourself or in a mountain cabin by yourself or in a deserted city by yourself?
- …be in a tub full of spiders or a tub full of snakes?
- …have a time machine or a teleporter?
- …be a fish or a bird?
- …be a dog or a cat?
- …live where it’s hot all the time or cold all the time?
- …be in a room filled with people who don’t know you or be in a room alone?
- …be a rock star or a movie star?
- …make a movie or write a book?
- …invent something new or uncover something ancient?
- …take a picture with an old Polaroid or a digital camera?
- …have to sing along to every song you hear or dance along to every song you hear?
- …give up air conditioning for the rest of your life or the internet for the rest of your life?
Summary
Obviously there is an endless list of icebreaker questions you can ask so keep a list like this in case of emergencies! Always be prepared to initiate conversations in a group setting. Icebreaker questions can be as silly or as deep as you want. As time goes on, you’ll see that people start to become more comfortable with one another, which is the goal. Undoubtedly, these questions are also a great tool to allow people to get to know one another by asking questions they might never normally ask.
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