Summer can be a challenging time for Life Groups.
Vacations, and family activities can make it hard to stay consistent. Plus, sometimes people (including leaders) just need a break!
Well here are a few ideas to consider if you’re planning on leading a Life Group this summer.
1. Meet Monthly for a Fun Activity
You could have a potluck, meet for ice cream, or even set up a game night that includes the kids. Ditch your study and focus on investing in one another relationally. Get to know one another on a deeper level as you simply spend time together.
2. Meet Monthly with a Missional or Outreach Focus
The summer is a great time to invest in your community and neighborhood.
Plan one missional activity each month (June, July, and August) that your entire group can participate in. You could visit a nursing home to hang out and build relationships with residents, serve a meal at a homeless shelter, or plan a day of landscaping/cleanup at the church or a local non-profit.
Check out the list of local ministries Cy-Fair Christian Church partners with.
3. Try a New Study
Summer is a great time to mix up your routine. Try a study on a topic you’ve been interested in, check out a video study on Right Now Media, or focus your time on spiritual disciplines like prayer. If you need help narrowing down the choices, check out my 5 questions you should ask yourself before choosing.
You could also ditch the study altogether and use your meetings to share your personal testimonies. As you share your stories with one another, you’ll deepen your relationships in amazing ways, and your discussions will have new meaning and depth. Groups don’t often have time for this during the year, but the summer can be the perfect time.
Alternatively, have each group member sign up to lead a week and share one of their favorite verses or passages. Then discuss the importance of the passage.
4. Involve the Kids
Often in small groups with children, the adults talk in one room while the children play together in another. While there can be great benefits to this (It’s great to have adult conversations without toddlers pulling on your pant leg!), it can also be great to involve the kids sometimes.
You could designate one night a month to involving the kids, or you could involve them every week if you’re brave. Plan a lesson or topic they can easily participate in. You might even put together a quick activity they can do. A really simple way to involve them is by having dinner together to start the meeting.
However you involve them, the kids will benefit from seeing healthy adult interactions and from being loved on my so many adults other than their parents.
The key: don’t plan anything that takes too long. If you think the adults in your group have short attention spans, you can’t imagine how short the kids’ attention spans are.
5. Take a Break
It’s not always a bad idea to take a break for the summer. Sometimes scheduling simply won’t work, or taking a break will free up group members to participate in other church activities over the summer.
Another great reason: you need a break. That’s why I encourage our Life Groups to at least take a month off in January, May, and September.
If you do take a break just for the summer, remember to communicate clearly by the end of May what you plan to do and remind everyone that you’ll start back up when the Fall Session begins on October 3rd.
Do this before you break for the summer. That way everyone is prepared and informed. Then touch base with group members as often as makes sense. Even a text message can go a long way in staying connected through the summer months.
Whatever you decide to do this summer, make sure you communicate clearly both what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Taking a break from your usual routine can actually invigorate your group, so be sure to communicate that fact. Then ensure that everyone’s on the same page.