> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://thepulse.org/en/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Event Checklist: How to Find Out If an Event Is Worth It - URL: https://thepulse.org/en/is-your-event-worth-it-8-question-checklist/ - Published: 2012-06-15T09:00:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-22T09:18:07.000Z - Description: If you want to find out whether an event really makes sense, you’ll love this eight-question checklist for youth ministry. - Author: Andy Fronius - Tags: Articles, #target-leaders, #topic-planning Is this event necessary? What is worth investing volunteers and resources in? Whether it’s group meetings, workshops, weekend retreats, trips, youth forums or seminars, panel discussions, special activities, band performances or sports competitions; whether you’re planning or helping with devotionals, church services and youth services; whether in drama groups, role plays or photo workshops with exhibitions; whether you’re running parent meetings or helping out at church festivals: you always need to answer these eight questions first. The team starts with the three basic questions: What is being planned, why, and for whom? Then the other questions follow. Because only clear structures prevent frustration. ## What is it about? What exactly is being planned, in the short or long term? What kind of activity is it? Depending on the type of event, what do we want to achieve or get across? Do the topic and the activity fit the specific profile of this youth ministry? ## Why do we want to do it? What goal do we have in mind? Why, and to whom or for whom, is this particular topic, content or event so important? ## Who exactly is it for? Which target group do we have in mind, what age? What do we know about the target group, its structures and how it works? Can we reach out specifically to others who might be interested, because of the topic or a current occasion? Or are we inviting and advertising in general, and the potential participants are still unknown? Could they be “new” people? ## Who takes responsibility? Who is suited for this particular activity or event, first in terms of content and second in terms of organization? Who can actually run it? Who is responsible for promotion? Who on this team carries overall responsibility? Even if individuals on the team take on their own areas, there should be one person in charge of the whole project. Every team needs a leader, and that can change from one event to the next. Carrying overall responsibility has to be learned too. ## Who can we do it with? Which people from outside can we bring in, perhaps as experts or to connect us with suitable speakers? Who could be a good supervisor to spare the young volunteers or emerging leaders frustration? ## How: which format and method fit best? How can this topic be addressed, this task be done? How do I get topics across well? How should or could the activity best be designed and organized? How do I find good speakers and conversation partners for teenagers on certain topics? How can we shape the setting so participants feel comfortable? How do good communication and promotion work? How can the activity be funded? (This is where there are especially many opportunities for adults: church members, parents, for example educators, managers, sponsors.) ## Where can it take place? Questions about rooms have to be settled in advance, and it’s better for a room to be too small than too big. Rooms have to feel inviting. A group can feel lost in a room that’s too big. For outdoor activities, the leadership team should get to know the area beforehand if at all possible! ## When should it happen? Right away, or can it wait? What’s the best date? Think about timeliness as well as clashes with other events, such as big sports events. Do school breaks get in the way? *Source: Christoph Hilsberg, Jugend in der Kirche: Konzepte für Gemeinden, Teamer, Mitarbeiter in der Jugendarbeit (a German handbook for youth ministry), p. 47 ff.* *English version: October 2026* ![](https://thepulse.org/en/content/images/2026/09/Signup-1.jpg) ## Stay on the pulse. Pulse in English has just begun: ready-made material for youth leaders, parents and educators, free. We let you know when something new is out. Count me in Almost done: check your inbox and confirm the link. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.