Not five minutes ago I heard from yet another pastor: “It is impossible to get ahold of people or work with them during the summer!” We’ve all been on both sides of the issue: either our summers are filled with activities and we can’t find a spare moment to respond to an email or return a phone call, or we’re sitting patiently behind a screen, hoping that an empty inbox will suddenly fill with responses for which we’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting. Church leaders tend to land in the latter category during the summer months, and it offers a unique opportunity to prepare for the year ahead. Listed below you will find some of the keys to maximize the summer slowdown time and to set your church up for success to blast into autumn full steam ahead.
Plan for the next school year calendar. Sit down with your Education Directors to brainstorm and think through a plan for the Fall. How can you use the back-to-school season to increase numbers—are your youth programs encouraging students to bring new friends and their families? Consider and plan to create some ideal solutions that will help you leverage Christmas and the New Year to accelerate into the spring (Lent and Easter Seasons). Does your attendance tend to wax or wane during those months? How can you plan ahead to keep numbers steadily increasing this season.
Plan for your autumn church-wide study. The fall is an ideal time to do a church-wide program. To implement a program with success, you need to plan now. Begin thinking about strategy and budget, then create a leadership team. Build the overall launch team over the course of the summer and start to build a communication plan toward a fall launch. The Spirit-Filled Life is a perfect fall church-widestudy!
Minister to your key leaders. You’re probably not the only leader in your church experiencing a Summer Slowdown. Now is the perfect time to schedule some one-on-ones with your leadership team. Take stock of what is working, what isn’t, and what you both want to work on for the next year. Set goals, strategize, and give them time to feel valued and refreshed.
Schedule in some fun! Have a social event to strengthen your leadership team. The summer shouldn’t simply be a time for planning and introspection. Be sure that everyone relaxes a bit before you all go back to work in the fall.
How will you use the Summer Slowdown to your advantage?Tell us in the comments!
