How to Prepare Your Church for Summer

By Raul Rivera

For many, summertime is a favorite time of the year.

The kids are out of school, family vacations are underway, and BBQs are happening almost every weekend. Work may continue to be the same, but there is usually some time off to anticipate with excitement.

As a pastor, however, the summer season can be a trying time for a number of reasons. In this post, I am going to address some of the difficulties churches typically face during the summer months.

In addition, I will examine some solutions to help keep your church moving in the right direction during the summer season.

What churches typically experience during the summer

It is not uncommon for churches to experience a lower attendance rate during the summer months. With kids being out of school, the family calendar slowly fills until it seems like every week is full.

Although attending church is a part of most families’ routines during the school year, when the summer hits, their weekly routines and schedules tend to get shuffled, resulting in typical activities getting left out.

This is not to say that church attendance is no longer a priority for these families, but in many instances, it is not as feasible to make it every week like they were doing during the school year.

As pastors, it is important to extend grace to your members and to even take a vacation with your own family in order to relax and unwind for a week or so. However, what may be a little difficult to accept is that lower weekly attendance often results in a decrease in tithes and offerings.

This is where the summertime blues can hit hard.

You’ve invested time and energy into growing and developing your church. Perhaps your church has experienced some substantial growth over the past several months.

Now as you ease into summer, you start to see your momentum from the last few months diminish, and it instantly becomes a battle to overcome the feeling of disappointment and failure.

Can this reality for many pastors be countered? Are there any remedies to fight the summertime blues?

Well, let us take a look.

4 ideas for churches to overcome the summertime blues

Before offering a few solutions, I want to encourage each of you that what you are feeling is completely normal.

You would be hard-pressed to find a pastor who has not felt this way at some point during his/her ministry. Therefore, take heart, and do not be discouraged!

Below are 4 simple solutions that can remedy your church’s summertime blues.

1. Take it to the streets

Outreach can be a great way to draw in new visitors. There may be many families who have been considering attending your church but have not yet taken that first step.

For some people, it is very daunting to attend a service if they do not already know someone who also attends.

Conducting community outreach is not only a great way to serve your community, but it is also a good way to connect with people in your community on a personal level and invite them to your church.

2. Create opportunities to “do life” together

Many families have a running list of fun activities they want to do this summer. However, there are just as many who are searching for fun activities to do with their kids and loved ones.

You may want to start with something simple like a movie night on the church lawn with popcorn, or go all out with a weekend family festival including bounce houses, slip and slides, games, and raffles. 

Anything you can do to promote family togetherness is a sure way to keep you feeling connected with your members, and most importantly, to keep your members feeling connected to their church and pastors.

(Recommended reading: "An Easy Way to Attract Visitors to Your Church")

3. Implement kid-centric Sundays in the summer

For many families, getting everyone ready on time for church can be exhausting. By the time they are ready to leave they house, mom and dad could use a nap.

At times, it may be easier or more tempting to just stay home on a Sunday morning during the summer. Thus, you may want to consider implementing a more “kid-centric” type of service every so often during the summer.

If your church has a children’s ministry, then this is the perfect opportunity to implement different activities that are not normally conducted during other times of the year.

If your church does not have a children’s ministry, having a monthly “family-friendly” worship service may be a good start. 

In no way am I suggesting that you compromise the gospel, but simply put a different spin on the service that would have just as much impact on the entire family. It can make a big difference.

(Recommended reading: "How to Start a Children's Ministry")

4. Work “ON” your ministry, not just “IN” your ministry

Since the summer months typically tend to be the “slow” months for your ministry, now is the perfect time to continue working “ON” your ministry and not just “IN” the ministry. What do I mean by this? Well, I am glad you asked.

Most likely there are some ministerial responsibilities that have been sitting on the proverbial “back burner” for some time, and I get it. Ministry gets busy and life outside of ministry also gets busy. Before you know it, there are some tasks that are not given as much attention.

In the world of ministry, this “lack of attention” typically affects the administrative and legal compliance sides of your ministry.

Perhaps you have done the following:

• neglected holding board meetings for a while, 
• delayed implementing policies and procedures, or
• ignored updating your bylaws. 

Summertime is the perfect opportunity for you, your staff, and board members to catch up on such responsibilities.

One way for you to work “ON” your ministry is by planning to attend one of our church and ministry compliance conferences.

Building today for a better tomorrow

Although the 4 solutions mentioned above may help you and your church, none of them provide a surefire way to prevent a dip in your church’s tithes and offerings.

As much as you try to prepare, it is almost inevitable that your church’s attendance rate will drop a bit during the summer months. But, as I said before, take heart, and do not get discouraged!

There is one other solution that I would like for you to consider. It may not have immediate “payoffs,” but it is sure to benefit your church in the years ahead.

This solution I am talking about is known as a for-profit arm.

A for-profit arm is a ministry-owned business that is explicitly established to do business and to benefit the church through tax-free money paid in the form of donations and dividends.

At StartCHURCH, we want to empower you to think outside the box and be creative when it comes to “doing ministry.”

If you have questions about starting a for-profit arm, click on the link provided below or give us a call at 877-494-4655.

Recommended blogs for you:

• "Help! My Church is a Mess"
• "Can Our Church Own a Business?"
• "Why Bylaws Are Important, And How to Make Yours Better"

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