Every pastor I know wants to see their church grow by having people come to Christ and take their place as maturing members of the family of God.
Yet summer months usually see lower attendance and a slower pace in most churches.
What’s the best way to take advantage of this?
Proverbs 6:6 gives some wisdom here:
“Go to the ant… consider his ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer…”
Four Ways to Store Provisions
1. Pray
I don’t think ants pray, “God, lead me to the food!” but if they could, I’m sure they would!
There is a latent power in prayer that builds up and bursts forth over time.
So my summertime praying involves the long-term fulfillment of God’s vision is my community, and his blessing on the events we have planned for the fall.
2. Plan
Many pastors are so busy working in their churches that they have little time to work on their churches.
What improvements do you want to make to existing ministries? And what new ministries do you want to start?
Summer is a superior time to plan those improvements and additions so they’re ready for the fall.
3. Find a Mentor
During the year we’re too busy to do much about it, but everybody needs a mentor.
There are leaders who have gone farther than we have, and they’re out there and willing to help us.
Yesterday I signed up for a ten-month mentoring program with a pastor I admire and respect. It’ll cost me a little money, but each of the last two years our church has grown by 18%, in part because I got mentored by leaders who are ahead of me.
For weeks, I was too busy to figure out who I wanted to ask to mentor me this fall. Last week I finally had time to think and pray and yesterday I pulled the trigger.
My new mentoring relationship starts in August.
4. Get Refreshed
No one I know can run at the pace of a large-church pastorate year after year, so every summer I take a vacation and I take a writing break.
During those times, I listen to CDs and podcasts, read books, and saturate myself with Scripture reading and memorization, and spend more time in journaling and prayer.
Over the past month I’ve learned more about 1 and 2 Kings than I learned in seminary and I feel like I am closer to God than I’ve been in….well, maybe never.
What’s Next?
How can you get the most out of summer?
Further Reading:
Hal Seed is the founding and Lead Pastor of New Song Community Church in Oceanside, CA. He mentors pastors who want to lead healthy, growing churches with resources at www.pastormentor.com.
Start Here to learn more about the resources available for you at PastorMentor.
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