Every summer in our student and children’s ministry we CHANGE THE PACE of what we do with kids and students. Changing the pace helps us…
- give small group leaders a change of pace / break (small group leader still do ministry but they are just as busy as everyone else in the summer!)
- keep teens and kids engaged (doing the same thing over and over gets BORING)
- give our student band and creative teams time to prepare for fall
- help kids and teens experience a “new thing” every summer
- focus our efforts on our camps and mission trip experiences (we do 4 separate camps in the summer for kids and teens so we engage all the right age groups)
- meet with more teens one on one and in small groups with the goal of connecting and investing
- build momentum for the fall (how do you ever build momentum if you never pause?)
Changing the pace doesn’t mean we stop doing ministry because our school year environment stops…we just mix it up and try stuff. Summer is a great chance to slow down and try some new things in a season when attendance fluctuates greatly. Changing up the pace keeps everyone fresh as the fall ministry season approaches. You can change the pace and maintain excellence but you have to have the courage to try something new to make that happen.