Is Summer A Sprint?

Is Summer A Sprint?

Summer Youth Ministry has changed. 

In most places. 

There was a time when the role of the Student Minister was to keep students busy during the summer. Along the way, students found ways to stay busy without our help thanks to a compressed summer schedule, sports and music camps for future stars, better entertainment in their own homes, and the list goes on.

I suppose the question is, have you adjusted your approach to summer? 

Your students have.

In the scope of a Youth Ministry calendar year, we tend to sprint during the summer when the stakes are the lowest. It is hardest to reach students when they are scattered. If you can’t adjust your expectations, then you may run out of energy and resources during the summer and miss the best opportunity you have to reach students—the Fall.

The Fall is the best time to focus your energy on a sprint that matters. Focusing on the Fall semester fits into a natural student rhythm where they are regathering and looking forward to something new. A new grade, new opportunities, new friends, you get the picture. 

Pace yourself this summer. Sure, it’s busy. But it doesn’t have to be a sprint. Save your best energy on developing a strategy that will allow you to start strong when everything else is starting. Follow the natural rhythm of your students and reach more students than ever.