Wow...where did summer go?
I often get tickled when I hear other ministries in the church say that summer is a slow time for their ministry.
That's definitely not the case in children's ministry. You have a crazy busy summer and then you have to be prepared to launch into the fall season of ministry.
Normally, when school starts back, your attendance will pick up since all the vacationing families are back in town with school starting.
Fall can be a great time of growth for your children's ministry. But you have to be prepared and have a strategic plan in place. Here are some keys to being prepared for the fall ministry season.
Get your volunteer team ready. Have your team enlisted and ready to go. Equip them. Provide them with the tools and resources they need to succeed.
I have found that right before fall starts is a great time to do a volunteer rally. Bring all of your volunteers together. Encourage them. Cast vision. Train them. Prepare them. Get them excited about the fall ministry season.
For the volunteer rally, bring in an outside speaker to motivate and invest in your team. This helps reinforce what you have been saying to them. It is great to have that reinforced by someone from the outside.
If you are looking for someone to bring in, I can help you. I speak at volunteer trainings and rallies across the country and overseas. You can contact me at this link. I do not have a set fee for this. I can work within your budget.
Have a back-to-school Sunday at church for the kids. Send out invites. Contact your families and encourage them to bring their children to church this fall season. Families are getting back into a rhythm in the fall. They are much more scheduled during the school year. Let them know that faithful church attendance needs to be part of their schedule.
Have an emphasis on kids bringing their friends to church. This goes along with the previous point. Encourage children to bring a friend with them to the back-to-school bash or other events / programs you are having. Provide kids with invitation cards to pass out.
You can also do an old-fashioned guest contest. See who can bring the most guests. I had one boy that brought 26 friends to church when I did this.
Start off with a bang. Get kids excited about being at church. Have an exciting teaching series ready that will capture kids' attention and engage them. Check out some of these teaching series that will have kids excited about coming to your church. These are series that I used in a local church where I was the children's pastor. We taught these to thousands of kids each weekend.
Contact all of your AWOL families and encourage them to come back to church. With vacations, sports activities and visits to see the grandparents, families often miss church during the summer months. Fall is a great time to encourage them to get back in church on a regular basis. Contact those who have been missing and encourage them to return. Many families just need a gentle reminder that church should be a top priority for families.
Have a fall outreach event. Fall is a great time for outreach. One of the most effective outreaches is to host an event like Trunk or Treat, Fall Festival, Family Experiences, etc. Promote it well and you can see many unchurched families come to your event.
Be prayed up and ready for all God wants to do through you and your ministry this fall. Everything we do must be rooted in prayer. Seek God's face for what He wants you to do. Ask for His blessings upon the endeavors He leads you to have.
Remember - nothing of eternal value happens without prayer.
Are you ready for the fall ministry season?
What special events or programs are you hosting?
What does your teaching series look like?
Are you training and encouraging your volunteers for the fall season?
Share your thoughts, ideas and insights in the comment section below. I'd love to hear what you have planned.
