By Jonathan Howe
Summer often means vacation time and travel for many church members. It also means lower attendance and participation numbers in many churches.
While you’ll likely experience some summer lull, you can help minimize this by utilizing one or more of these tips for engaging your church members this summer.
- Create a weekly prayer emphasis. Summer is a busy time for most student ministries and children’s ministries. You likely have camps, mission trips, and Vacation Bible School going throughout the summer. Highlight these events with a weekly prayer emphasis spotlight in the service and in your church newsletter.
- Report on the results of your summer activities. After your church has prayed for an event, be sure to celebrate how God answered those prayers. These reports can help carry ministry momentum through the summer into the fall when you kick things off again.
- Consider hosting special events each month and emphasize inviting others. Maybe you have a potluck at church or an ice cream social at a local park. Outside, summer-themed events can easily be used to invite friends and neighbors to church-related events.
- Participate in summer community events. Nearly every town in America does something for July 4 (or July 1 for our Canadian readers). It’s great that some churches have the resources to host a community celebration, but 99% can’t. If you’re in the 99%, make an attempt to be involved in the local community gathering this summer.
- Try something new. Use the summer as a test kitchen for something you’d like to implement on an ongoing basis. Maybe it’s a a more casual dress code or style change. Maybe it’s some new songs or stage setup. By telling your congregation that it’s only for the summer, you’ll have more acceptance of something new. I wouldn’t necessarily use the summer to change something core to the identity of the church. Start with fringe ideas and work toward bigger change down the road.
- Focus on social media. Because the summer is typically busier, use social media to keep the congregation updated. Next week, I’ll focus more on this item, but brainstorm a few creative uses for Instagram, Facebook Live, Twitter, and blogs for your church to try out.
Summer doesn’t have to be a dry spell in a church. In many instances, it’s the busiest part of the year. Use that to your advantage and keep the momentum going.
What else would you add to this list?
Jonathan Howe serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at LifeWay Christian Resources as well as the host and producer of Rainer on Leadership and SBC This Week. Jonathan writes weekly at ThomRainer.com on topics ranging from social media to websites and church communications. Connect with Jonathan on Twitter at @Jonathan_Howe.
I would suggest having some informal events where the young professionals (if you have any) can interact with the clergy and/or the leadership.
Great idea, Mark.
Great ideas! I would add this: Prepare the church for the upcoming school year. Have an emphasis in late July/August that gets parents and teachers thinking about how they can impact their schools with prayer, servant evangelism, etc.
A brainstorming session. I like it. Just be sure to carry out the suggestions. Nothing frustrates people more than being asked for input then seeing no results from it.
Great ideas. Many churches experience a lull during the summer. This has almost become an expectation. Often pastors and leaders are not willing to do anything new. I like the idea of looking at doing things that you can tell the congregation “It is only for the Summer.” A few years ago we used this approach to change our start times for our Sunday Service. it worked so well that we decided to keep it.
Great example, Dale.
The suggestion to “slip something in during the summer” (my quote, not yours) so you can people “used to it”, such as a more casual dress or style change, seems deceptive. This is often how churches eventually change something significant – tell people it’s only temporary when, all along, you hope to make it permanent. Sounds unethical.
Wally
If they did it with that motivation (a bait and switch) then it would be. But if they are truly trying it to see how it plays out, that’s called a test case.
With so many church activities put on hold over the summer, it seems only fitting to put weekend services on hold too. The people on vacation during the week will likely be gone over the weekends too. Perhaps during the spring months churches can train up evangelism teams, then in the summer send them out on the weekends to evangelize in the neigborhoods, the lakes and pools, at sporting events…
My wife and I visited a church in Ennis, Texas last weekend during the National Polka Festival. It was announced that the evangelism teams witnessed at the festival and 85 people accepted Christ the previous day.
BTW I practice internet banking, a tithe is automatically sent directly from my bank to my local church weekly whether I’m there or not.
I’m not at all suggesting services be put on hold. And I wouldn’t advocate for that either. I see your point in using it to send people out. But we shouldn’t neglect the gathering of the saints just because of vacation.
Agreed, Jonathan. I need my weekly service, even during the summer!
I also question when churches cancel Sunday services for a holiday. A large mega-church in my area didn’t hold any services this past weekend due to Memorial Day. Huh?! My church had usual classes & crowded services with a very nice Memorial Day tribute.
I understand possible staffing and attendance issues but perhaps minimizing to 1 service vs 2 or 3 or more is a better idea if applicable OR scaling back on classes temporarily and offering short-term Bible Studies, etc.
Agreed, Jonathan. I need my weekly service, even during the summer!
I also question when churches cancel Sunday services for a holiday. A large mega-church in my area didn’t hold any services this past weekend due to Memorial Day. Huh?! My church had usual classes & crowded services with a very nice Memorial Day tribute.
I understand possible staffing and attendance issues but perhaps minimizing to 1 service vs 2 or 3 or more is a better idea if applicable OR scaling back on classes temporarily and offering short-term Bible Studies, etc.
While traveling (2 seoerate times) we experienced 2 very different and unique summer services. One was a Dixieland Jazz Gospel service, the other a Country Gospel service. Nith congregations joined in the lively singing and praise. The community was invited to participate in each. The church was packed! Very memorable!
Nice article but in Africa many churches tend to criticize technology so i don’t think the social media bit will really help here.
Some great ideas 🙂 and some good ideas in the comments as well
JOSH – Divergent Church Canberra
We call a regular program “-Lite”; downsize, and give people permission not to come. We do a full, blown Wednesday night serving with dinner; prayer & worship; and break into age-appropriate small groups all over the campus. We call it “CTF” (celebrate the family). Some folks wanted to keep going so instead of 6-8 we do 7-8. The adults have Bible Study in the church hall and kids meet for devotions and games in the youth room/outside. People are digging it because it’s relaxed and fun. For kids snack, we just bring a big watermelon and cut it up (it’s only an hour), or roast marshmallows on a grill.
Onother thing we do is “meetups” on Facebook. Put the word our where meeting up for ice cream, movie, free concert — people show up and we just chill together. My favorite was a Chinese buffet. It’s a good way for the church to see a different side of me as pastor and get to know guests too.
“CTF” became “CTF-Lite” as a Summer Program.