Thursday's Catch: The Summer Slump and More

Just How Bad Is the Summer Slump? Six Discoveries

Thom Rainer shares insights on the summer slump from a number of pastors. Read More

The summer slump is avoidable. Too often families absent themselves from church during the summer because the kids are off from school, not because they are out of town on vacation. They figure since the kids have a summer break from school, they can take a break from church. In the days before air-conditioned church buildings a drop in attendance was understandable. It simply was too hot. The summer was also the time of year when outbreaks of communicable diseases with a high mortality rate were common.

At the Episcopal church where I was senior lay reader for 15 years we kept our regular Sunday morning schedule during the summer and had a "summer choir" at the main service. A "summer choir" is a choir made up of members of the regular choir not on vacation and people interested in singing in the choir. We did not give the choir the whole summer off like some churches did. Choir rehearsals were less frequent and special music with which the choir was already familiar was used. We also offered a nursery for infants and toddlers and a summer program for pre-k, kindergarten, and elementary school age children as well as Vacation Bible School. We discovered that churchgoing families often relocated over the summer since it was less disruptive to the children and went church shopping as soon as they moved to a new community. Our Sunday attendance actually picked up rather than dropped. As well as acquiring new church members, we also acquired new choir members.

The Indescribable Joy Of Loving The Church God Called You To Serve

Sometimes, being able to say “I love this church and I want to stay here” is enough to keep you going. Read More

Can Protestants Be Edified by the Apocrypha?

What would it look like for Protestants to rediscover a proper use of the Apocrypha? Read More