And just like everyone else , you ’ d like to slow your pace , go on a vacation , and have a Sunday or two away . Not to mention that your kids are out of school , and your spouse is probably wishing you could be home more .
Oh , and two more things :
1 . The fall ministry kick-off is only thirteen weeks away and you need to be ready for that .
2 . Christmas planning will ramp up shortly after that .
You want to be able to go into the autumn months strong , right ? So how do you get there …
• without burning out , and …
• with all the challenges of summer worship ministry stacked against you ?
That ’ s what this 3-part article series is here for . You ’ re going to get thirty-one summer worship ideas to help you …
• Embrace and overcome the limitations of summer ministry …
• AND continue to build your worship ministry …
• AND give you and your team the rest you all need .
Now , you won ’ t ( and probably shouldn ’ t ) do all thirty-one of these ideas . But pick a combination of at least six or seven to implement or try .
Also , with each idea , I ’ m going to designate them with one or more of these four topic tags :
• Rest & Restoration
• Ministry Growth
• Future Prep
• Embracing Summer Limitations Here ’ s the first 10 :
1 . NO NEW SONGS . [ Embracing Summer Limitations ]
Implementing new songs is an investment for you , your team , and even your congregation .
Spend this summer rotating your church ’ s favorites , as well as all the new songs you introduced this winter and spring .
By fall , your church will be ready for a new song ( and they ’ ll be singing out your current songs even more ).
You may need to remind your musicians of this truth : When the worship team starts getting sick of a song , the congregation is just now catching on .
Besides serving the congregation , this new song moratorium has a side benefit : your band won ’ t need to invest as much time into practicing this summer . Win-win .
2 . BUILD YOUR NEW SONG LIST FOR THE FALL . [ Future Prep ]
If you ’ re doing number one , definitely do this one , too . Spend some time exploring new songs you ’ d like to introduce between September and January .
Let me give you some tips for this :
• Find emerging songs . A great place to find new and emerging songs is in Planning Center ’ s Top Songs Box . Since PCO likes to change things often , this article will show you where to find the Top Songs Chart .
When you click into that box , you see the
Charts :
• When you click “ Next ” at the bottom , you can continue to go through the rankings .
• To find new and emerging songs , look for the “ New ” or for big jump up in the charts .
Remember , this is a tool to find new songs , not a mandate to keep up with all the hip , new songs . So make sure you heed the next two bullet points …
• Take time to vet new songs . Share potential songs with your team members and others who have a finger on the pulse of your church ’ s musical culture . You have a much better chance of picking a song that sticks if others weigh in .
• Don ’ t overdo it . It ’ s too easy to throw in too many new songs , especially if you haven ’ t introduced any for a while . And remember , your congregation doesn ’ t learn songs as fast as you and your team .
3 . SCHEDULE AND PLAN YOUR FALL TRAINING EVENT ( S ). [ Future Prep ; Ministry Growth ]
Planning your events now gives you a headstart for two things :
• It gives your team plenty of time to block those dates on their calendars .
• It also gives you time to plan the event , book the trainer , or develop the content yourself .
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