Summer vacation used to be a well-defined period of time. Depending on where you live in the country, school would get out at the end of May or beginning of June and start back in late August or early September. Now with balanced school calendars and year-round education “summer vacation” isn’t quite so clear. What is clear is that summer is not a time to step away from God or ministry opportunities.
Summer is a great time to make some ministry hay. While it is good to rest and take a vacation (even God took a day off when creating the universe) the entire summer is not one big vacation from church and ministry. Many times the summer season affords us new ministry opportunities for which we have to not be on vacation to take advantage. Ministries like Bible clubs, Vacation Bible School, summer childcare, camps, family activities, missions trips, and more are all available because of the change in schedule (and weather) during June, July, and August.
Although church attendance typically dips during the summer months, who knows what this post-Covid summer will bring? Unfortunately, many folks take the summer off from God and church completely. Staffing core church operations, like Sunday morning, becomes a challenge as volunteers disappear for weeks at a time. Again, rest is good, but not rest to the exclusion of loving Him who died for you.
Technology and Summer Ministry Opportunities
As our culture becomes less and less about church and the gathering of the saints it is imperative, we ask if we are doing all we can to encourage engagement and help summer not to be the low point of the ministry calendar. Technology is one of the tools we can use to build relationships, foster community, and ensure Christianity isn’t only a commitment only nine months a year.
Creative videos are a great way to encourage summer involvement while also highlighting summer ministry opportunities. Special videos and creative technology in worship can help communicate a summer emphasis on ministry. Many churches have themes over summer vacation, but fail to use all the technology at their disposal to connect the theme with the ministry opportunities around them.
These videos can also be shared on social media. Short, well-produced videos can communicate a lot and help draw folks into ministry and living for Jesus all year long. These videos can also help encourage social media sharing. Do you use the content created by your church to share the good news on social media or is that just for pictures of your cat?
I hope you enjoy summer and all it offers. I also hope summer isn’t a vacation from ministry opportunities and serving the King.
Jonathan Smith is the Director of Technology at Faith Ministries in Lafayette, IN, an author and frequent conference speaker. You can reach Jonathan at jsmith@faithlafayette.org and follow him on Twitter @JonathanESmith.
