Avoid the Summer Slump

 Momentum makes church exciting; it makes people excited. It's easy to see momentum building as churches approach big days. We saw this just a couple of months ago. Spring was in the air; Easter candy overtook the shelves at Wal-Mart; and people were inviting their friends and family to church in hopes of seeing their lives changed. New faces showed up and there was a buzz in the air! It was as if the church drank a case of Red Bull!  Nearly every church experiences this energy rush during big days like Easter, Christmas, Mother’s Day and the first Sunday after New Year’s Day. Pastors live for these days...and then summer shows up. 

   Unfortunately the weeks after Easter usually don’t carry the same excitement. Most of the people who showed up for Easter don’t come back. Church people aren’t inviting people anymore because, well, Easter is over and the eggs have all been found. Hot sunny days, vacations and the lake becomes our new competition.  It’s here that most pastors call a timeout and simply wait for Christmas. They spend the next several months surviving the summer and they really don’t get too excited again until Rudolf the Red-nosed reindeer starts playing on the television. As Christmas approaches, it’s a replay of the weeks before Easter. 

    While we want to make sure our teams have times of ample rest and restoration, we don't want to push the pause button on church either. In addition to leveraging natural growth platforms (Easter, Christmas, etc), we should consider building other platforms during the in-betweens to help keep some energy flowing. 

Here's three things to think about as we move into the summer:

• Serve the Community: Big crowds aren't the only thing that creates momentum; and Sundays aren't the only days to experience it. What can your church do in the community over the summer that will create synergy within the church and the people in your city?

• Create a Big Day: What can your church do in the summer that would be beneficial or attractive to the community? Baby Dedication Sundays, Sunday After-Church Barbecues or huge outdoor baptisms will create a lot of energy as well as give your members something to invite their friends to. 

• Celebrate Volunteers: The summer time is a great time to celebrate your volunteers. Schedule a cookout, have a party or some other activity to both appreciate the people who make Sunday happen as well as cast vision for the fall. If you keep your volunteers excited, it'll spread among the church.