Based off of the TV show, but with a Service-centered twist.
I try to emphasize to my youth group how important service and volunteerism is, so when I saw their passion for scavenger hunts, I decided to combine the two.
You’ll need adult drivers for each team and lots of colored index cards.
Begin at the church. Divide youth into teams and tell them which color cards they will be looking for. They can only touch cards that correspond to their colors. Any tampering with other teams’ cards is off-limits.
Hand each team a card with a Bible verse on it, e.g. Matthew 3:16, which leads them to the baptismal font. Teams race to locate the verse and reach their destination where they find the card that tells them their next destination. You can tell them outright that they are going to a certain destination, or make it a clue.
The teams drive to their next destination where they either get another clue or have to do a challenge (I do a challenge at every other site). This is where the mission comes in.
For challenges, pick homes of church members who need help around the house, like raking leaves or walking dogs. Our church is in a rural area, so we milk cows or pick cotton. Drive to church members houses and pick up donations for Goodwill, then drop them off. Pick up grocery lists for shut-ins and deliver them. So long as it’s service, it’s a good challenge.
Since the teams may arrive at close to the same time, make sure the challenges are things that they will be able to complete simultaneously. For example, if they’re raking a yard, have the yard evenly divided before they arrive. However, you don’t necessarily have to have even amounts of rakes and bags – that’s part of the bonus of arriving first.
After teams complete challenges, they receive new clues for their next destination and the race continues. The last clue brings them back to the church for a celebration dinner and reward for the team that won.
A nice addition is to give each team a video camera (which they can give to the adults to use when they’re doing their challenges) and you can watch each team’s video during dinner.