Don't Let Your Church Become a Statistic This Summer

When families moved in the 1980s, they often moved during the summer so the kids would not have to change schools part way through the school year. Churchgoing families looked for a new church during the summer. They might visit several churches over the summer and settle on the one that they liked best. 

Churches that had a summer program were more likely to attract families new to the community than those which did not have a program. A summer program might consist of a regular schedule of services, a summer choir, and summer activities for grownups and kids. Churches with a summer program did not let a few families going out of town on vacation interfere with the life, ministry, and worship of the church.

Churches that had low attendance during the summer, the so-called “summer slump,” on the other hand, often experienced this dip in their attendance because they mistakenly assumed most families would be going on summer vacation and therefore gave families which were not going anywhere in the summer an excuse to not attend church. The so-called “summer slump” was a phenomenon akin to the self-fulfilling prophesy. The church’s expectation that only a few people would attend church in the summer led to church members and attendees acting in a way that confirmed this expectation.

Three decades later the world has changed in some ways, but it has not in others. Families still move during the summer. Churchgoing families still look for a new church during the summer. Churches with a summer program are more likely to attract families new to a community than those that have no program. The so-called “summer slump” is still a phenomenon like a self-fulfilling prophesy. Churches still give church members and attendees an excuse to skip church during the summer.

What has changed is that church attendance has been increasingly declining. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated that decline. Instead of visiting a church, families will visit a church’s website first. They may view a church’s livestream of its services several times before they decide to visit the church in person. They will want information on the attitude of church leaders to the COVID-pandemic, safety precautions like face masks, social distancing, ventilation, and the like, and vaccination. They will also want information on other key matters such children in the service, communion of children, and so on. If this information is not readily available, they may move on to the next church website on their list.

Some families may go as far as checking local media to see if the church has been at the center of a super spreader event or church leaders have made public statements dismissive of the need for safety measures like face masks and social distancing or the need for vaccination. They may want to know not only how seriously the church takes safeguarding its members and its community but also how well the church represents Christ in the community.  

For churches that do not recognize the importance of summer programming and have not kept pace with the changes which affect the church in the twenty-first century, this year’s summer slump may prove to be one more step toward closing the church’s doors for good.