The Summer of “Non-Ministry”
For most of us working with college students, the summer has long been a time for rest and recuperation from a busy (academic) year of ministry.
Even for those among us who work with students over the summer months — there’s likely a change of pace, and even a substantial change of community members — that simply makes the summer different. Most of the students we spend the academic year investing in end up spending their summer months away — at home, working out-of-town, or simply not coming around campus (or wherever they might normally encounter us) because of the change of routine and travel patterns that naturally happen when classes finish up.
And so as the spring term ends, and so ends our ministry…
We bring our different ministry initiatives to their pre-determined end, celebrate all that God had allowed to happen… and the numerous student and volunteer leaders that made it all possible, and we prepare for the “quiet” season that will allow for rest… and eventually, planning for the upcoming year.
Sure, we stay minimally connected with students over the summer months (especially with those students that reach out to us) via Facebook, texting, the occasional phone call, and even the pop-in visit… that might evolve into an extended lunch or coffee conversation.
But in many ways it feels like finishing one book, before arriving at what feels like its natural conclusion, and starting a new one.
Blogging as a “Bridge”
Have you ever stopped to consider how a blog might help to “bridge the gap” between the spring and fall terms? What if, instead of shutting things down for the summer months, there was an intentional (online) effort made to “keep things going?”
I think a blog has the potential to be a space where we can maintain much of the momentum the year has given way to… as well as build on that momentum as we move towards our fall launch.
In fact, here are 10 ways I think a blog can help to revolutionize your ministry… during the “quiet” summer months ahead.
Continue Conversations — Instead of letting your themes and topics of conversations screech to a halt, why not keep them going. If there were major events or experiences that happened during the year (especially towards the end of the academic year), use your ministry blog as a place to continue those conversations. As students have more time and space to engage, you might be surprised by how things unfold.
Focused Conversations — A blog (coupled with the relative openness that the “summer schedule” typically provides most students) can create the perfect environment to have some extended and focused conversations around… just about anything. Is there a topic that needs to be addressed that would be well-suited for an online dialogue? Is there a theme that could stand to be developed over the course of a few weeks? Blogs can provide the kind of space for conversation (through the intentional use of the comment section) that might be harder to find in large group meetings or during the busyness of the academic year.
Deepen Community — Your ministry blog can be a great place to deepen the collective faith and relationships of your students during their summer away from campus. It can be a place where you post challenging, encouraging and uplifting messages and insights. It can also be a place where you allow your students to post testimonies and spiritual insights from their summer experience(s) — as they happen. Blogs have the potential to serve as incubators for personal and communal spiritual formation.
Get Feedback — Your ministry blog can also be a great place to get important feedback on… well, everything. From the design of your worship service to the make-up of your small groups. From the locations of your local outreach experiences to your global missions host. From your on campus availability to the effectiveness of your student leadership team. (Obviously, it would be good to establish some ground rules for offering more personal feedback in this kind of forum, but a blog could serve as a central location for some significant feedback to happen.)
Highlight Upcoming Changes — Your blog can be a good place to define and describe any upcoming changes your ministry plans to make. Often these kinds of things are simply sprung on students when they arrive back on campus in the fall… this might be a way of preparing them, and even giving them a chance to speak into the change process.
Introduce New Team Members — Summer is often a time of transition… Whether it’s the rise of a new class of student leaders, or the addition of a new staff member or intern, a blog can be a good place to introduce them, as well as create space for students and the new leadership team to engage. This can expedite the process of cohesion before everything comes together for a very quick start in the fall.
Strategize Fundraising Possibilities — Many of our ministries, and ministry efforts, require that our teams rally around fundraising efforts. Your ministry blog can be a great place to make people aware of your needs, as well as brainstorm ideas for how funds can be raised to help meet different financial goals. Efforts can even begin over the summer — back home — and collectively come together on campus in the fall.
Engage in Leadership Development — Your ministry blog can be a great place to shape your leaders — through your own initiatives, as well as those of others — as you share formative content and links and/or embedded content with your students. We typically save all of our leadership development for the few days we get with students just before the start of the new year… and cram as much as we can into a very chaotic time. Why not spread it out over the course of the summer months?
Set the Stage for Future Conversations — As you move towards the end of the summer, you can also use your blog to gain insight from your students about what they would like to talk about throughout the fall. Whether its blog content, or topics and themes for your bible studies and/or worship events, your ministry blog can be a great place to generate ideas and hear from students about what’s most pressing to them. The challenge will always be to hear their needs while also discerning the ways the Spirit is leading you.
Clarify Your Ministry’s Mission & Vision — Finally (although I’m sure you can add to this list), I think your ministry blog can be a great place to talk through your ministry’s mission and vision in some very intentional ways. Again, if we address this at all with our students, it typically comes at the very beginning of our few days of leadership training with them just before the new year begins. Why not take some time to lay out for your students the mission you believe God has called you (and them) to in your specific context. Likewise, spend some time helping them to catch the vision for how you believe you (collectively) can work towards accomplishing that mission in the upcoming year.
I’m sure there are other ways that your ministry can benefit from an intentional blogging effort this summer… so please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Blogging 101: For Busy Ministry Leaders
And if you’re new to blogging, or need a little encouragement getting re-started, you may want to check out my newest eResource: Blogging 101: For Busy Ministry Leaders. Blogging 101 is a short eResource designed to assist new bloggers get started (or re-started) on their blogging adventure by offering some helpful tips, tricks, and tools of the trade.
