GUEST WRITER: DEBORAH JODREY
In August 2015, I was so excited to start my first paid position in a church. I was about to begin my senior year of college as a Religion and Philosophy major. I couldn’t believe I was finally going to be able to put into practice what I had been learning. I was going to be the Director of Children and Family Ministries at a local Baptist church in rural North Carolina.
Now, ten and a half years into ministry, I’m still honored to be doing this work of ministering to children, youth, and their families. But in all the different contexts and congregations I’ve served, one thing has remained the same: balancing current programming with future planning.
Why Youth Ministry Summer Planning Matters
Summer programming has looked different throughout my ministry.
Sometimes, increased flexibility and longer days have meant opportunities to do more than we can during the school year. Retreats and mission trips, in addition to regular programming. In other contexts, especially post-COVID, summer is a time to take our foot off the pedal, with sparser programming, only a handful of gatherings, and limited connection.
Often, these attitudes and expectations toward summer are embedded in church culture, with little wiggle room for adjustment. How many times have we heard, “But this is what we have always done!”
6 Questions to Guide Your Youth Ministry Summer Planning
Before opening your calendar and filling in dates, or hitting control + copy + paste on last year’s calendar, I invite you to pause and thoughtfully and intentionally ask yourself and your team the following questions:
1. Where Are You on the Summer Planning Spectrum?
Feeling overwhelmed and hoping to cut back? Worried about losing touch and wanting to add more? Feeling good about your rhythm but ready to try something new?
Naming where you are is the first step toward planning with intention instead of obligation.
2. How Involved Are Your Youth in Planning?
Do you already have a youth leadership team involved in planning and leading throughout the year? Perfect! Bring them into this conversation alongside your volunteers.
If a more formal youth leadership team wouldn’t work for your context right now, no worries! Plan a fun gathering with food and games, and set aside 30-60 minutes to gather feedback from those in attendance.
Don’t have time for in-person feedback? Again, no sweat! Use Google Forms (or similar) to create a brief survey!
The point is that the ideas and perspectives of your youth are vital to a meaningful program.
I often use the “Love, Like, Loathe, Long for” feedback format. Shout out to the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary for this idea and other great youth ministry resources!
- What was one thing you loved about summer last year?
- What was one thing you liked about summer last year (good but could have been better)?
- What was one thing you loathed about summer last year?
- What is one thing you long for this summer?
Keep the questions general or break them down to specific events. Allow open-ended responses or provide multiple-choice. Make it your own! You know your youth best!
Regardless of how it looks, I strongly encourage this type of evaluation from youth (and parents!) regularly.
3. What Is Your Budget for Summer Programming?
Ugh, money! But an important question!
- If you want to add to your summer schedule, do you realistically have the funds to support that without creating stress for families or leaders?
- Are there hidden costs (transportation, food, supplies, etc) that might make an event more expensive than it first appears?
- What about adding a fundraising event to your summer program to open up either additional events or additional financial assistance?
- Or could doing less or subbing in some free events open up more opportunities to provide more financial assistance to your youth?
- Who might be quietly excluded if costs rise?
Budgeting isn’t about doing the most. It is about making sure it serves connection, accessibility, and care for your youth!
4. What Is Your Capacity (and Your Volunteers’ Capacity)?
Plan your summer with human capacity in mind. Prioritizing rest and vacation for yourself and your volunteers is a must!
Do you have fewer volunteers over the summer because of travel or burnout? That’s okay! Consider partnering with neighboring churches to help support your volunteers’ need for rest over the summer!
Be sure to talk openly with your volunteers about availability and expectations. There might be ways to work around their schedules!
And don’t forget to prioritize your need for rest and vacation over the summer.
5. Can You Incorporate Intergenerational Gatherings?
Consider expanding beyond youth-only events! Summer can be a great time to do this because everyone has a little more flexibility.
Potluck picnic dinners, service projects, scavenger hunts, movie nights, and game nights are a few ideas to engage all ages this summer!
6. What Types of Events Are You Prioritizing?
In addition to including some awesome intergenerational gatherings, I encourage a mixture of ways for young people to connect and get involved: faith formation, service, social/fellowship, education, leadership development, etc. I have worked in many youth programs where a variety of gatherings have helped youth with different interests and energies find ways to get involved and feel included!
Faith Formation:
For faith formation offerings, check out Illustrated Ministry’s Youth Curriculum!
Another idea for a simple summer Bible study with your youth is to discuss values and their connection to Bible stories and to our real lives. Here’s a simple structure you can follow; depending on how many values you want to cover, it can take as many weeks as you need!
- Start with an introductory session where, as a group, you discuss your values, both individual and communal.
- Match those values to different stories in the Bible.
- Turn it into a game where your youth try to match the values to the stories you find ahead of time, or a game where they work together to find stories themselves that highlight these values.
- In addition to the stories in the Bible, take time to talk with your youth about where they are seeing these values show up, both in their personal lives and in your congregation and community. Also important to discuss where living out these values seems absent.
- Please share any other DIY Bible studies or discussions you have done with your youth in the comments! How great to have a plan for regular educational gatherings checked off your list already.
Service:
While mission trips are a common practice for youth groups over the summer, I also encourage you to reach out to your local nonprofits and other religious communities. No need to reinvent the wheel if there are already organizations or congregations holding these service opportunities that you can sign up for!
You could even create your own local “mission trip” by scheduling local volunteer opportunities, sleeping at the church, eating at local spots, and incorporating educational opportunities about the community you live in.
Social/Fellowship:
These kinds of gatherings can be so important for establishing traditions and building relationships within your youth community. Be sure to download the freebie for more ideas!
Youth Ministry Summer Planning is a Pastoral Practice
Planning summer in youth ministry is not about filling every week or about totally checking out. It is about creating space for connection, growth, joy, and belonging. It’s about balancing tradition with trying new things and exploring ideas that might not be possible during the school year! Planning a thoughtful, flexible summer schedule isn’t just a logistical and administrative task. It is a pastoral response to the realities our youth and leaders face amid new challenges and exciting opportunities.
When we listen carefully, honor limits, and lead with intention, our summers can become expressions of our love and care for our youth and our community rather than a source of stress, chaos, or disconnection.
Ideas for Summer Events & Activities
Enter your name and email below to download a freebie with additional creative ideas for ways to gather, learn, and serve this summer!
As always, drop your ideas in the comments about anything we’ve discussed! We can’t do this work alone!
Deborah Jodrey
Guest Contributor
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