Countdown Videos

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 | Youth Ministry, Youth Pastor Toolbox

Youth Pastor Toolbox Most youth ministries are using countdown videos nowadays (heck, many churches are using them as well!). Not only do they look cool and flaunt the media capabilities of your ministry, these countdown videos serve 3 practical purposes:

Time for socializing. Students want to talk to their friends. When I was in youth group, this always took place during the lesson. By providing a countdown, it gives your students a set amount of time to talk before the worship/lesson.
Prompt start time. When I speak to students, I like to chat and joke with them beforehand. This draws the students attention to myself, and relaxes me before I speak. By using the countdown timer, I am able to limit the amount of banter.
Creates Anticipation. I don’t know what it is about countdowns, but whenever I hear a countdown, I have to join it. Whether it is New Year’s Eve, a basketball game, or even a standardized test (SATs anyone?), there is a sense of anticipation with a countdown. It draws the participant to focus on what happens when the clock strikes zero.

There are some great resources out there for countdowns. My favorite is the T-Minus series by Simply Youth Ministry. They are creative, visually interesting, and easy to use (each video comes in Quicktime format).

Dennis over at YMIMexico.org created an online Egg Timer, which is a FREE way to have a simple countdown. You can also purchase the Countdown Creator, which makes fully customizable countdowns (both in

Editor’s Note: This is the first post in a running series entitled “Youth Pastor Toolbox,” which will discuss different “tools of the trade” for youth ministry. A new “Youth Pastor Toolbox” will be posted every Tuesday.