Create a group page or a fan page for your youth group. This will allow you to send out group messages, post group photos, and create group events all in one place. Create a group today, invite your teens and their parents to join, and then begin building your group by adding some photos and creating an event for your Sunday morning class.

Send birthday messages to your teens and their parents. Facebook reminds you which friends have a birthday coming up. Post a quick birthday message on your teens wall and let them know that you are thinking about them on this special day.

Use your status to brag on your teens. In the status bar Facebook asks, “What are you thinking?” Let everyone know that you are thinking about your teens by posting a quick message about how well the retreat went or how proud you are of what they accomplished at the service project.

Encourage your teens with messages on their wall. Maybe one of your teens received an award or maybe they passed their driving test or maybe they are feeling hurt or frustrated. Posting a message that says “Way to go!” or “I’m proud of you!” on their wall let’s your teens know that they aren’t just someone in the youth group- they really matter to you.

Post photos from events and trips. Upload photos of your students on your wall or organize your photos into folders.

Tag your teens in photos. Facebook lets you tag the individuals in pictures. When you tag a person they receive a message that they have been identified in a picture. Tagging your teens in photos helps drive them to the photo and often they will comment about the event with memories from the trip.

Create an event to remind students and parents of things coming up on the calendar. Invite students and their parents to a devotional or a lock-in or your Sunday night worship event. Facebook lets you create an event page and send our invitations. The students can then RSVP giving you an idea of how many to expect.

Comment on the status updates from your teens. Reading your teen’s status updates gives you insight into what’s going on in their lives, what they are thinking, or what they are feeling at any given time. Comment on their status to engage them in conversation.

Use your profile pic to rotate in pictures of you and your teens.

Create an event page for a particular class or study and use that page to continue the conversation, thoughts, and lessons beyond the meeting time. Link to articles, post questions, or upload a summary of that day’s class notes to your Facebook event to help students process your Bible study throughout the week. You could also post thoughts or questions beforehand to stir up dialogue or prepare your teens for what you’ll be covering.