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What’s Up:
Summer events shouldn’t be a church growth killer.
So What:
Every summer, churches either go silent or stay busy doing things that don’t move the needle. If you’re not gaining new families, you’re just hosting noise and sabotaging your summer.
The Point Is:
Killing Momentum Kills Growth
Stop canceling everything for the summer. Halting choirs, pausing Sunday school, combining services … it may save energy, but it sacrifices mission.
Your VBS Is Not Magic
If no new families joined your church in the past five years because of VBS, then it’s time to rethink the program. Sacred cow or not, results matter.
Leverage Every Event
On the other hand, you’re probabling hosting a summer picnic. A block party. A Fourth of July bash. Something that your neighbors are interested in. Great. But if you’re not capturing contact information from your guests, you’re wasting time.
Get Their Info or Bust
You need a name, physical address, email, and mobile number. Period. No contact info means no meaningful follow-up, and no follow-up means no growth.
And … ?
The truth is, churches aren’t just lazy in summer, they’re short-sighted. Hosting events without a data plan is like casting a net full of holes … you’re not going to catch anything that matters. And don’t get me started on the “We just want to love on people” excuse. Love is action, and action means following up, making calls, sending invites, and moving people from stranger to friend to family.
Let me make it simple: every event is a lead-generating opportunity. And every household that attends is a potential future disciple. You don’t need gimmicks. You need a plan. Use pre-registration. Use on-site and off-site sign-ins. Offer a killer door prize. But for the love of all that is holy, stop doing events and forgetting to follow up. A church that doesn’t connect with its community during the one season people are actually open to community is a church that has forgotten the mission.
Action!
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