Youth ministry leaders all over the country see the summer as a time when students are nowhere to be found, but having a clear plan and communicating ahead can make the summer months the most effective time of year for your ministry if we let it.
Summer means less people. That’s just the bottom line for most ministries (youth ministries especially). The students that come are usually not consistent. One week there’s a sports camp, the next it’s a family vacation, then a summer job... the list goes on.
But what if you could make the summer months an incredibly effective time for your ministry? Here are some tips to make that happen.
Note: this post is part of Graduation Theme Week on wol.org (details at the end of the post). While we’re not talking about graduates directly, the summer before college can be a huge opportunity in a student’s life. These tips will help you take advantage of that opportunity and also make summer an effective time for everyone in your ministry (non-graduation students and leaders alike).
Set a specific compelling goal
“Our attendance will be low in the summer... we might as well take a few months off.” The first part of the statement might be true, but the second part is a cop-out. Just because there will be fewer people attending doesn’t mean that nothing valuable can happen.
Start by answering the question, “If we knew we couldn’t fail, what would our team want to accomplish in the lives of our students in the summer?” Your answers might include:
- Commitments
- Experiences
- Specific teaching goals
- Specific relationship-building goals
Then ask, “What steps can we take to achieve those goals?”
If your group still wants to take a break for summer months (more on this below), ask, “In what ways does our team want to grow this summer?” Do you want to take a trip together? Read a book together? As soon as we stop believing the fallacy that summer = useless, we can start making important things happen. You might not be able to accomplish certain things (because much of your normal group might be missing), but having a smaller group might free you up to accomplish things that would’ve been impossible normally.
Communicate, communicate, communicate
Develop your goal, then build a plan for the summer including events, schedules, and other key details. Then communicate that to the students ahead of time. This is huge. Be clear about what your group wants to accomplish this summer.
“We want to take every one of you out to a sporting event of your choice this summer.”
“This summer we’re going to connect with you guys on the phone every week to see how you’re doing.”
“Summer time for us is all about taking the next step. We’ll challenge you to stretch and grow in some painful but powerful ways.”
This kind of communication is important if you want to set yourself up for success. It’s also worth noting that you can’t communicate the goal if you haven’t set a goal that is clear and compelling. Once you have your goal, talk about it in the months before summer; text your students about it and mention in on Facebook during the summer; talk about the amazing things that happened during the summer once school starts again in the fall.
Don’t be afraid to shift your focus
I mentioned further up that you might take the summer as a time of growth for your team. Don’t see this as a defeat (“We don’t have enough students for our normal meeting so I guess we’ll just do some team-building stuff.”), see it as an opportunity from God to do something that you normally wouldn’t have time for. Be intentional about challenging your group grow closer to God and to each other, then watch the impact it will have when it’s time to start your ministry again.
Change your thinking, then be creative
The most successful people see problems as opportunities. Determine right now to shed the false belief that the summer is useless for ministry and then put your creativity to work on how to make summer work for you.
The key is the order. You’ll never come up with good, creative ideas until you can change your negative thinking about the summer. Our minds are either limited or enhanced by our beliefs. This is true in every area of life but especially true in the area of creativity. My friend and creative mentor RayDeck3 has written a great little article about this idea. Check it out.
The bottom line is: God will provide you with exactly what you need to accomplish His will in your ministry this summer. But I guarantee His will is NOT that you and your team sit around and feel bad that no one is showing up. Drop the negativity, get creative, and make something happen for God's glory.
You can look for more posts in Graduation Theme Week at any of the following links:
