The Lazy Days of Summer

Does your ministry slow down in the summer? Depending on where you live it may. If you're like one youth pastor who lives in farming country, his students stay fairly busy through the summer until after harvest. In metropolitan areas or suburbia students are much easier to engage during this time. Where ever you're on point (yes I believe you are; large, in charge and on the front lines of students lives!), I will bet your Students have "down" time they don't typically have during the school year. Are you capitalizing on it?

One of the frustrations that comes with this season; administratively it becomes more difficult and time consuming. Scheduled ministry; times like Sunday services or youth group are simple to oversee and justify. Plan, schedule and office prep; they being trained show up and it happens; simple! I see many YP's who aside from a major missions push do little else. What an opportunity to dig into your students life with some "incarnational discipleship." A day long bike ride, a weekly lunch at a park and some frisbee golf, scheduled hang time, there are so many chances to impact a life now that school doesn't command their schedule! A job you say? Great! Now they have more discretionary income. They can pay for the time with you at the local ice cream shop! It's hard you say; you have no curriculum for such meetings.

Suddenly I find myself in farm country; I smell a lot of cow pies! Good grief you're a Shepard! Your call, not your job, unless your a hireling is to spend time with your sheep, know them and have something of value to impart.

As a Shepard you need to be so adept at your knowledge, skill; so much so you don't need a curriculum. You need to become the manual, a master at real life application of absolute unchanging truth and the life of the "Son". Even if you've accepted this responsibility as a stepping stone to a "real ministry"; tending the lambs until you can move on to the adults (God Forbid: in fact please quit now!)you need this same ability in a pulpit ministry. Your call isn't about maintaining a shop where people show up to be wowed by your goods and services! Your call is to lead daily with the whole truth of God as the parameter in the life of your people. Summer is a time to ramp up the heart of ministry. Don't treat it like a teachers schedule and figure it as "summer vacation" use it! If you need some ideas contact me I'd love to help!