Spring is in full swing, and summer is fast-approaching. Many churches will offer vacation Bible school, student summer camps, and other ministry opportunities this summer, but how might churches use the summer to build momentum for a full slate of fall discipleship opportunities?
Sure, summer is a time when schedules can be wonky, and church members can be out of town for various reasons, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a solid season of discipleship. In fact, summer is one of the best times to pilot Rooted.
Here are three basic reasons why summer is one of the best times to pilot Rooted in your church:
1. Summer is a solid time for strategic planning and leadership development.
Too often, we treat summer like the offseason when we should really think of it as the preseason.
Of course, it’s important to take a break from ministry from time to time, and be sure that our church staff and other leaders don’t push themselves to the point of burnout, but to totally forsake the summer as a “dead zone” of discipleship and ministry would be a missed opportunity.
If you are considering piloting Rooted in your church, especially for the first time, the summer can be a great time to do it because there are so many fewer distractions and other ministry opportunities operating at the same time. A summer pilot of Rooted can allow for strategic focus and effective leadership development so that your team of leaders is ready to facilitate a host of Rooted groups once the fall semester kicks off.
Piloting Rooted in a small, perhaps more laid-back group in the summer can set the stage for a great fall of discipleship.
2. Fall programming can build off of summer momentum.
Most churches, in our experience, think of the fall semester as the kickoff of the church calendar. Families are settling in for the school year, rhythms that may have been abandoned in the fall have been re-engaged, and church attendance is often higher than in the summer months.
Think about it: if your church is considering piloting Rooted, doing so in the summer can kickstart momentum around discipleship in general, and Rooted specifically, such that your fall groups already have a great foundation from which to launch.
Investing in your summer increases the likelihood of a more effective, robust fall discipleship strategy. Sowing seeds of community, leadership development, and growth in the summer can bear real fruit as soon as the fall semester begins and your programming ramps up again.
Just as importantly, piloting Rooted in the summer with church staff and other leaders can provide real learning opportunities for how to best facilitate Rooted for others in your church who may join in the fall.
3. Summer provides time to test, adjust, and learn before the fall.
The reality is that the first time you lead any new kind of group in your church, you’re probably going to stumble and fall a bit the first time you do it. Whether you’re trying out sermon-based life groups for the first time, engaging in an experience like Rooted, or doing something else entirely, we often need to test and adjust and learn a bit before we learn how to best lead the people in our churches.
By piloting Rooted in the summer, especially if you’re doing it for the first time, you give yourself space to make mistakes, adjust your style of leadership, and learn how to best take more groups through the Rooted experience in the fall. If you waited to stumble and learn until the fall, your first, more polished launch of Rooted wouldn’t happen until the winter at the earliest.
Make the Most of Your Summer
Take time to rest this summer. Enjoy the slower pace and the late nights. But don’t totally give up on discipleship in your church this summer. Consider piloting Rooted with a small group of staff and other leaders so that you can launch a solid slate of groups this fall that are poised to reshape the discipleship culture of your church.
