Part 2 of 2: Pros and Cons of Summer Groups
By Allen White
Photo by Sergii Kolesnyk
If you missed Part 1, you can find it here.
Summer Service Projects.
If the group plans to change up their meeting pattern over the Summer, a service project might be a great opportunity for the group to serve, learn, and grow together. They could serve in one of the church’s ministries, at a non-profit, or even find a need and fill it in their own neighborhood.
A definite pro in changing the focus from group meetings and Bible studies, a service project can help groups focus on living out their faith in a practical way. Not only will the person served benefit, but the group will benefit in several ways. Often God speaks to us when we are serving others. God can certainly work “in” each group member as He is working “through” them to serve others. The best part of serving others is taking the Gospel from a discussion to a practical expression. By serving as a group, everyone will get involved, and each individual might feel more comfortable by serving with others they know.
The only downsides of serving together would be in organizing the projects. If the groups depend on the church to schedule projects for them, then Summer may be a challenging time to coordinate their efforts. Whether the church recommends a project or the group identifies one on their own, coordinating busy Summer schedules among group members could cause a roadblock to serving.
Small Group Road Trips and Vacations.
Similar to focusing on group life mentioned above, over the years I’ve had groups go camping together, go on vacation together, or just take a day trip together. In fact, one group from the church I served in Greenville, SC went on a cruise together. They met another couple from Greenville on the cruise, who ended up joining their small group when they returned.
The pro of this is that you REALLY get to know someone when you travel together — the good, the bad, and the ugly. But, the time spent on a cruise or a week-long vacation could be equivalent of all of the time the group spends together throughout the year. And, who knows, they could meet potential group members. Their relationships will be deepened for sure.
The downside is that trips like this aren’t easy for the majority of groups. It’s one thing to offer this as one of many Summer recommendations, but it’s a little much to challenge all of your groups with. Oh, and the group that recruiting new members on the cruise, they want to deduct their fare as a ministry expense…
Forming Groups Around Summer Interests.
A number of churches create groups in a Free Market system where often groups are formed around sports, hobbies, or other shared interests. The idea here is that particular Summer sports, outings, and activities could generate interest in forming new groups.
The pro of this is that the more people have in common with each other, the better chance the group will hit it off. By offering a short term commitment around activities people enjoy doing, it could provide a great introduction to group life.
On the con side, most things formed during the Summer don’t really start well or last long term. If the purpose is a short term experience, then it will work. But, if you’re looking for on-going groups, this is not the best season to start groups.
Another downside is that common interest doesn’t guarantee that the group members will gel into a group. Started groups by leveraging existing relationships creates a stronger basis for groups than common interest. These groups will take some effort to start with no guaranteed return on investment.
Take a Break for the Summer.
As the old song goes, “Summertime, and the living is easy…” Many people will discard extra activities and obligations over the Summer in exchange for the freedom to enjoy the lazy days of Summer. Many churches, in turn, will cancel their groups over the Summer. They just don’t meet in June, July, and August.
The pro for this one is that the groups definitely have a break and will look forward to what’s ahead in the Fall. There also is no guilt for not meeting, since that is the expectation.
The cons are many. For those who want a Summer Bible study, they are completely on their own to put one together. Even if the group wasn’t planning a Bible study, the lack of connection over the Summer could potentially doom the group in the Fall. No meetings or interactions could be too much of a not so good thing. Once Fall arrives, the new task may be starting completely over and forming new groups. It would be easier to encourage groups to continue in some way in order to avoid this.
Summer with the right strategy can boost groups. This will vary from church to church and possibly from group to group. Offer several options to your groups, so they can choose what would work best for them over the Summer months to continue the group, but also allowing for a change of pace.
This post first appeared on smallgroups.com.
