The Summer Slump is one of the most difficult times for churches nationwide.
With lower attendance and giving numbers, it can be challenging to make ends meet while providing meaningful connections and discipleship opportunities.
Re-engaging your congregation after the summer busyness can be just as complicated. You don’t want to spend months trying to catch up with your budget or hoping that your members start coming regularly again.
You need a single, well-planned event to launch the fall season and get your congregants reconnected with your ministry so they can grow as disciples and you can accomplish all that God has called you to do.
Step #1: Pick a date.
You don’t want to plan a fall kick-off event too early or too late.
Many people will still be travelling and squeezing in one last trip before the semester begins, so choosing a date before school starts will likely not have the results you want regarding re-engagement. But if you wait until October or later, you’ve lost precious time that you could’ve had with a fully engaged congregation.
Aim for 2 to 3 weeks after students go back to school in your area. That will give families time to adjust to their routines after summer break, and the chaos of the first few weeks of school will have worn off.
The goal with your fall kick-off event should be full participation so you can encourage and equip your congregants to be fully invested in your ministry. Make sure you choose a date that will give you the best turnout so you can see the best response to your call to reconnect with the church after the summer.
Step #2: Plan a meal.
One of the best ways to guarantee attendance at an event is to provide a meal.
The phrase, “If you feed them, they will come,” is rooted in Scripture. From Ezekiel in the Old Testament to Mark and Luke in the New Testament, the Bible is full of examples of how using food and meeting physical needs is a way to draw people in.
If you want to re-engage your congregation after the summer season has drawn to a close, inviting them for a meal and asking them to break bread together in fellowship is an absolute must.
You’ll meet a physical need and relieve your congregants of the burden of planning and preparing a meal, if only for a short time, so they can focus fully on your message of engagement.
Step #3: Highlight your serving opportunities.
The fall is a prime opportunity to get your congregants involved in every aspect of your ministry.
Getting everyone in the same place for a special fall kick-off event is the perfect time to re-engage your members with ways to connect and serve in your church. It’s also a great way to introduce new ministry opportunities.
Highlight the ways to volunteer and participate in community outreach as part of your event. Recruit representatives from your ministry areas and missions opportunities to share more about how your congregation can get involved in serving within your church.
And then ask people to sign up while they’re there! With only a third of congregants actively serving in their church, you can’t miss the chance to get more of your members engaged in living as servants of the Kingdom.
While recruiting enough hands to accomplish the work of your ministry is a huge benefit, the biggest goal with engaging volunteers is discipleship.
Believers are called to serve and to be active participants in the work of the Church, so use a dedicated kick-off event to motivate your congregants to obey and engage with the Body of Christ.
Step #4: Make it a big deal.
The acronym “FOMO” (“fear of missing out”) is often used to describe feeling left out of something exciting. Whether it’s a special occasion or a trip, no one wants to feel like they’re on the outside.
So, you need to make being an engaged and active member of your congregation feel like something people don’t want to miss.
Your congregants should be so excited to be part of your ministry that they don’t want to miss a second of connecting with their Savior. Even something seemingly simple, like a fall kick-off event, should elicit excitement and enthusiasm because people know that they’re part of God’s story when they engage with your congregation.
As you promote your fall kick-off event and invite your members to join you for this special time of fellowship, breaking bread together, and learning how they can serve, remind them of the specialness that comes when two or more believers are gathered together (Matthew 18:20).
Being a disciple means actively participating in the church’s work, so use this event to remind your congregants of the joy and excitement that comes from following Christ.
Engagement is the key to discipleship.
You want every person who walks through the doors of your church to experience a personal relationship with Jesus. While you invest in small groups and Bible studies as a major part of the discipleship process, don’t forget that being involved with the church’s work is just as important.
James tells believers that “faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26). Accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord is only the first step toward becoming a disciple.
So use this time as the summer draws closer to re-engage your congregants with your ministry. Kick off this new season by celebrating God’s faithfulness to your church and invite your members to participate in what He’ll do next.
Engagement is key to seeing your congregation become true disciples. Now is the time to call them into that engagement and see the blessings unfold!
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