Pastor's scavenger hunt

Are you new in your call? Have you been sitting at your desk for so long that your Fitbit is angry at you? Do you need a challenge that is unrelated to figuring out how to be prophetic yet still heard from the pulpit? Are you emotionally done for the day, but for whatever reason you can’t yet head home?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, I have an activity for you. Below is a scavenger hunt for items around your church. (Feel free to adapt the dates and items for newer or non-traditional churches.) You can use it simply for a change of pace, or you can treat it as an anthropological exercise, asking yourself what you learn about your congregation as you cross off each find.

• Pre-2000 photo directory

• Past VBS group art project (e.g., banner, mosaic)

• Spot where there needs to be signage but there is none

• New-to-you fact about the church’s history

• Unlikely memorial gift

• Picture of a current lay leader as a child or teen

• Vantage point in the sanctuary that helps you understand the worship experience in a new way

• Book in your office or the church library written before 1955

• Space that is underutilized or can be reimagined

• Camp or mission trip t-shirt that is at least 5 years old

• Symbol that encapsulates the spirit of the congregation

• Book or curriculum piece you haven’t looked at for at least 6 months that inspires a new idea

• Physical change you have made at the church

• Reminder of a previous pastor

• Something that can’t be moved or changed without a lot of hand-wringing

• Location that delights your senses

• Retired parament

• Sign of hope or new life

Go forth and scavenge, and I’d love to hear the most unusual – or revelatory – treasure you find.