July is here and you know that what means… you have just over a month left of the summer in youth ministry before your students head back to school. It’s time to think about how you’re going to finish this summer in youth ministry strong.
Often with one month in the summer left, the temptation is to bide your time until the school year comes back around and your students’ schedules are more regular again — but this isn’t the way to finish the summer strong or with momentum going into the school year.
In fact, this is how you lose momentum going into the school year.
Here’s the good news: you CAN finish the summer strong. There are a few things you can do right now to make the most of the rest of your summer and set yourself up for success going into the school year.
Here are three intentional steps to finishing your summer in youth ministry strong👇
1️⃣ Prioritize time for discipleship.
The first step to finishing the summer strong is to prioritize discipleship. So much of our students’ spiritual formation happens through discipleship. We all know it by now — discipleship happens in the context of relationship. Take advantage of the slower pace of the summer and create opportunities for students to get involved with projects you have going on at the church outside of your normal Sunday morning or Wednesday night service. Have a project you’ve been putting off for a while? Now’s the time. Get a small group of students involved and tackle it together. You’ll get some long-awaited projects tackled, your students will get the opportunity to serve, and discipleship will happen in the process.
2️⃣ Reach out to the students you haven’t seen in a while.
The next step to finishing the summer strong is to reach out to the students you haven’t seen in a while. Summer can be a weird time for students. Their schedules aren’t as consistent, some of them have summer activities that take them out of the group for a season. At the end of the day, each of your students wants to feel loved and known. This starts with noticing when they’re not there. Make a list of some of your students you haven’t seen in a few weeks and a reach out. You can even divide some of these students among your leaders and have them reach out. The goal is simple: let your students know they’re not forgotten.
3️⃣ Make sure you have the right curriculum going into the school year.
The final step to finishing the summer strong is making sure you’re using the right curriculum. Getting your tools right for the school year is the surest way to ensure momentum from the very beginning, and curriculum is the most important tool in your bag. That’s why we’re here: to take the heavy lifting of sermon structuring and research, graphic design, bumper videos, small group materials, and social media graphics off your plate so you can do what you’re called to do: reach more students with the gospel.
Discover More About Youth Pastor Co
Our Youth Pastor Co sermon series library has more than 100 sermon series on a comprehensive list of topics. We’re here to make sure you’re equipped to walk your students through the biblical worldview of virtually any topic in culture or in Scripture.
Every new series includes:
✅ Sermon Series Graphics
✅ Sermon Builder Curriculum
✅ Sermon Bumper Video
✅ Small Group Materials
✅ Social Media Graphics
If you’re not yet a subscriber to Youth Pastor Co, why wait? Sign up today to get access to the sermon series library!
And that’s it — now you know how to finish your summer in youth ministry strong! We hope this helps you walk into the school year with more momentum than ever before!
P.S. Each month, Youth Pastor Co brings together the most creative minds in youth ministry to build sermon series packages that are powerful, relevant, and easy to use. Not a member yet? Join us today!
