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Sometimes one night isn’t enough.
We want youth to internalize gospel principles, develop habits of service, and strengthen their testimonies—but it’s hard to do that in a 45-minute Mutual night. That’s where multi-night challenge projects shine.
Instead of a one-off lesson or activity, these short-term, multi-week efforts build purpose, accountability, and momentum. And they work—especially for today’s teens, who are hungry for real meaning but tired of shallow entertainment.
Let’s explore how to design challenge-based LDS youth activities that keep the Spirit strong and your youth showing up.
Why Challenge Projects Work
Multi-night challenges align beautifully with the four purposes of the youth program: spiritual, social, physical, and intellectual development. They create gospel-centered youth activities that:
- Give youth a goal to work toward
- Encourage teamwork and ownership
- Provide spiritual and real-world skills
- Allow reflection and testimony at the end
And bonus: they’re perfect for youth leadership in church, since you can assign roles across the weeks.
How to Design a Great Challenge Project
- Start With a Gospel Principle
Pick a core spiritual idea: service, obedience, agency, testimony, prayer, etc. Let the youth council brainstorm how to live it out over a few weeks. - Build a Simple Framework
Choose a timeline: 2–4 weeks is ideal. Each week should:
- Include a spiritual kickoff or mini lesson
- Feature a practical action to complete
- End with a short check-in or share-out
- Assign Roles for Ownership
Who tracks progress? Who leads the discussion each week? Who prepares the wrap-up celebration or testimony meeting?
This is a perfect place to embed lds youth leadership ideas and grow capacity.
Example Challenge Project: “Live the Sermon”
Duration: 3 weeks
Theme: Being a disciple in everyday life
Week 1:
Kickoff lesson: “What does it mean to live what we believe?”
Challenge: Choose one Christlike trait to develop (patience, honesty, kindness, etc.) and track your effort daily.
Week 2:
Midpoint group discussion. Share a win or a struggle.
New challenge: Interview an adult about how they live their faith at work or school.
Week 3:
Final check-in and testimony share.
Optional: Write a short journal entry for your future self or for your mission prep folder.
Keywords: youth spiritual growth activities, mutual activity ideas, planning youth activities
Leadership Tip: Let Teens Present the Final Night
Have the youth lead the wrap-up night. Let them present their insights, run the group discussion, and close with their own testimonies. It’s a chance to reinforce youth leadership training church principles in a real, empowering way.
You’re Not Just Planning Nights—You’re Shaping Disciples
When you move from “What should we do this week?” to “What are we becoming this month?” everything shifts. LDS youth activities don’t have to be flashy to be life-changing. They just need a little planning—and a lot of purpose.
👉 Want help launching your first challenge project?
Our Forged in Faith Planning Packs include ready-to-go multi-week series based on gospel principles, complete with activity ideas, scripture tie-ins, and youth leadership prompts.
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