The Summer Ministry Slump – Three Ways to Fight It

Three Ways to Fight the Summer Ministry Slump

Wouldn't it be great to beat the Summer Slump?

I have a statement I use once in a while when referring to Church attendance in the Summertime, and it goes like this: “Summer – Summer here and many are not.” Perhaps a bit of sarcasm involved with the statement, yet most of us who are in ministry find it to be a fact of life… attendance in Church during the Summer tends to go down. Perhaps you're in the minority in which attendance goes up, but rest assured, it is a minority. This brief article is for the rest of us. Here are Three Ways to Beat the Summer Slump.

What can we do, especially as leaders to convey the message to those we are entrusted to care for that we aren't giving up? Below are three ideas I wanted to share, and without a doubt, there are many more! I would love to hear your thoughts on how you make things work for your Church during the Summer.

Yes, there are far more than three ways to fight the Summer Slump but these are just a few that will help.

Ministering to the Minister

Some time ago, we came across a graphic that was so powerful we shared it on our Facebook page and in turn, generated a large number of shares. Evidently there something about Ministering to the Minister that struck a nerve.

Without a doubt, this graphic was one that many leaders as well as laity identified with and wanted to get the message out about the need to “minister to the ministers.”

1 Peter 5:2 (NKJV)2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

While we are not the originators of the graphic, we were able to find the source of the picture as far as we know, and it is here.

The story is presented in a way to reflect well on animals, and while there is nothing wrong with that, those in ministry know it speaks of a far deeper meaning.

While the dog being comforted is not the “shepherd” of the flock, in reality, the dog does represent the shepherd who is working hard to protect and minister to the flock. I've even heard that the dogs watching over a flock could also be representative of deacons or elders who are doing their best in partnership with the shepherd to protect the flock.

As we know, illustrations such as this can only go so far. Within this one picture, far more than a thousand words are spoken to those who are in ministry leadership today.

Also, we realize not ALL of those entrusted with the care of the flock is in it for the right reasons and at times can be out of order themselves. For the most part, though, I have found in my experience in ministry that the vast majority of Pastors and Church Leaders have a great desire to help and protect the flock God has placed in their care.

Here are a few thoughts, and please know that I write as a Pastor with over 40 years of ministry experience, serving as a Youth Pastor, Associate Pastor and for many years now, as a Senior Pastor.

So Pastor, You’re Not Billy Graham…

As I watched the Funeral of Billy Graham I was filled with sincere and heartfelt thanksgiving for all God accomplished through the life of this giant of the Faith, but I wanted to take a few moments to provide some “Pastor Encouragement” while you celebrate the life of this Godly man and again enter the pulpit this Sunday.

I heard the many reminders throughout the week as television news commentators reminded us of the facts that he had personally ministered to 12 Presidents in his lifetime, as well as the Queen of England. He is also only one of 4 non-politicians to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C.

He had ministered the Gospel message in 185 countries of the world and an estimated 78 million people heard the Gospel, with many of those millions giving their lives to Christ. Many of those millions who gave their hearts to Christ have also been instrumental in souls coming to Christ through their witness!

Church Board with Relatives Serving… Good Idea?

One of the issues a church will wrestle with (in a Christian kind of way hopefully), is whether it's a good idea or not to allow members to serve on the church board. Regardless of what you may call this group, whether it be elders, deacons, or board members, the challenge is still very real in that the desire is to have the most capable, qualified and spirit-led leaders as possible serving.

Below are a few of the issues to consider as your church possibly decides if this is a practice to be avoided or embraced.

Update Constitution and Bylaws

Of course, as a church, you will want to make sure you have an updated Constitution and Bylaws in place. This goes far beyond the requirements of the State and Federal Government as a 501c3 organization that provides giving reports for your donors. You will find it of great value to take a look at your Constitution and Bylaws on at least an annual basis with a Revisions Committee for any recommended changes. We meet at the end of each year. When you meet on a regular basis, it won't ever be portrayed that “they met just to put in changes to deal with a situation”. The steps we take are:

1. Meet as a Committee to give recommendations to the Board.

2. Meet as a Board to act upon those recommendations to decide if it should proceed to the Congregation.

3. Meet as a Congregation to decide on the recommendations of the Committee and Board. It takes a 2/3 vote to change the C&B.

3 Reasons Why Giving Someone a Ministry Position Because They are Persistent is a Bad Idea

As Pastors, we've all been there at one time or another. There's that one person who has asked over and over again to be part of a ministry that we know would be a bad idea. However, their persistence has turned into insistence and word is starting to filter out into the congregation about the situation. While you know the “back story” of why you would rather they don't serve in that particular ministry, others have not been filled in, and of course, you're not going to do that either.

Let's face it… there are ministry opportunities that exist within the church that you have been attempting to fill for a long time, but it seems that to find a person passionate about a particular ministry, who is also gifted to serve can seem like an impossible task.

So we relent and give them what they've been asking for, or more to the point… demanding.

Here are 3 reasons why that's a bad idea, AND you should leave ministry positions unfilled until you are sure you have the passionate person serving in the proper ministry.

Three Ways to Fight the Summer Ministry Slump

Update Constitution and Bylaws