Mobilizing a Generation That's Not in School

As youth pastors, summers may be the busiest time of the year. We have camps, connection events, weekly ministry, and mission trips. Oh, and not to mention, our own family vacations…hopefully. If we aren’t careful, we can be so busy in the summer months that we forget why we exist – to help students know Jesus, and make Him known. Our job isn’t to be event planners but to equip students for the work of ministry.

While that is true of us, it is also true of every single family in our church. They are also really busy, and the normal rhythms of life are changing. Students aren’t in school and have tons of free time. So what do we do? How do we keep students missional when their normal mission field isn’t meeting? What I want to do in this blog is to encourage you to repurpose your summer ministry as a training ground so that when school returns in the fall, you see a generation mobilizing around the mission of God to reach their school for Christ.

THE BIGGEST HURDLE

Family rhythms are a huge deal. Most families operate off of the school calendar, meaning when school is out, so are they. Church attendance may decline. People are on vacation. Your usual attenders may only be around every other week. But here is the problem – disciple-making doesn’t stop. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is an everyday rhythm. It’s who we are, and that affects how we live.

One of the hurdles we face is helping students avoid shutting off their faith for two months in the summer just because school is out. We need to help them understand that following Jesus is a part of our everyday lives – we are called to make disciples where we live, work, and play.

A Training Ground

I had a coach in high school who used to say, “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” He was right. If you prepare well, then you will perform well. Training grounds are important for student disciple-making. Sometimes we send students out to make disciples without the training they need to succeed. Now, let me be clear – if they have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, then they have all they need. Though I do think it is wise for us to equip students with good tools and experience before sending them out. Even Jesus modeled this with His disciples. He modeled, assisted, watched, and eventually launched them to go and make disciples.

What would your summer look like if you repurposed ministry to be a training ground for the fall when school starts back? Here are a few ways to build a training ground this summer.

Teach the Skills

Students need the key elements of disciple-making. Instead of starting a new weekly gathering to teach these skills. What if you repurposed your current weekly gathering to look different in the summer? You may be wondering… what are the key elements? Where do I even begin with teaching them how to be a disciple-maker? Here is a sample 6-week curriculum that you could use.

Week 1 - Understanding identity in Christ
Week 2 - Sharing your Testimony and Praying with People
Week 3 - Sharing the Gospel
Week 4 - Leading a Bible Study
Week 5 - Apologetics (Answering Tough Questions)
Week 6 - Living with Boldness and Courage

The main ingredient for the training ground is not you preaching the entire time. You need to shift your focus from preaching to equipping. Change the layout of the room. Have tables, pens, and paper ready, and get students moving.

Provide the Opportunities

Students learn not only through teaching but through experience. Before we launch them to make disciples in the fall, they need some opportunities in the summer to practice what they are learning. Here are some great ideas of events you could offer to instill those elements of disciple-making.

1. Host a Sharing Jesus Day. Load the church van and take students to the mall. Have them pray for people, share their story, and even the gospel. Then host a debrief at the church for students to share their stories. This will challenge them in a good way and help them build the confidence to do this in their schools.
   
   
2. Host a Bible Study Day. Invite students to come to the church for a few hours to learn how to lead a Bible study. Walk them through a simple, reproducible Bible study method, such as HEAR (Highlight, Explain, Apply, Respond). Model what it looks like to understand a passage, identify what it says about God, and apply it. Then give them time in small groups to practice studying and leading with their friends. End the day by helping them think through who they could invite to study the Bible with during the school year.

Summer ministry has always been my favorite. Students are hungry, and they have so much time. Don’t waste the opportunity God has given you to use this as a training ground for the school year. Maybe you will see lost students come to Christ in the fall because of the impact of your summer ministry plan. The investment you make in equipping students now can turn into gospel conversations in hallways, at lunch tables, and on sports teams later. What happens in the summer can shape what God does through your students all year long.

Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

1. What has been your strategy for summer in your student ministry?
2. What is something that I need to repurpose this summer to encourage and equip students for disciple-making in the fall?