Promotion Sunday: Student Ministry Edition

Promotion Sunday is always bittersweet. Whether you’ve seen kids grow physically over the years or spiritually over the past few weeks, it is always both sad and exciting to send them off into the world. Promotion Sunday seems to always land in a tricky season and often times get’s set on the back burner. It may not seem like a big deal to you as the ministry leader, but I assure you, it is a big deal to those kids and parents.

If you haven’t read our blog, 3 P’s to Promotion Sunday, I encouraged you to stop and read that first! It is full of helpful tips and tricks to make this transition smooth for parents, kids, and volunteers. Another great resource is our podcast episode called The Do’s & Don’ts of Promotion Sunday. Definitely worth a listen as you are planning and preparing.

Another piece of Promotion Sunday is celebrating! When someone says celebration, we say gift, right? But what do you get a middle school or high school student?

We are SO excited to bring you the…Promotion Sunday Gift Guide for 2024! We’ve come up with a few intentional & meaningful gifts to give your middle school & high school students.

Your incoming 6th graders may be heading into adult worship services for the first time. How can we equip them to begin understanding the Bible on their own? These are a few of my favorite resources.

1. ESV Large Print Bible

2. 10 Questions Book

   This book would make a great gift for both parents & students!

3. Sermon Notes Journal
   *This is one of our favorite to gift, but if you have the ability to create your own and brand them—even better!

4. Youth Ministry Swag
   Swag is always a great way to welcome kids and help them belong to the Student Ministry.

It is always such a gift to celebrate graduating seniors and send them on their next big adventure.

1. Common Rule by Jason Whitmel Early
   *Both of these books are to help your new college students navigate adulthood while working to keep steady discipleship rhythms. Maybe think about reading one of these together over the summer months before they had off to college.

2. Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

3. Framed Picture of your city and handwritten notes from staff and leaders.

   *You can find framed pictures like this all over amazon or Etsy. It is a really sweet and sentimental way to remind these students that they will forever have a home church and a church family in this city.