Depending on your plans this summer, you can have two effective ministries, both in your local church and in other churches.
First, if you’re not traveling this summer, you can focus on staying faithful to your local church. Keep showing up. Make Sunday a priority. Come expecting God to speak through his word. Encourage people. Volunteer and serve while others might be away. Be a faithful church member. This is important all year round, but it’s even more crucial in the summer when attendance is lower in many churches due to vacations, and churches may need more people to step up and serve.
One of the most underestimated ministries is that of the faithful, ordinary church member. Determine to be that this summer, and I guarantee you’ll be a blessing to your local church.
But there’s another way you can be a blessing this summer. If you’re on vacation, find a good local church where you’re going and show up there with the intention of being a blessing to that church. Learn what you can from that ministry and bring your learnings home with you.
When I pastored a small church plant in downtown Toronto, I found it so encouraging when people on vacation would show up ready to worship and encourage us. Sometimes they only came for one Sunday, but I always appreciated that they came to join us for that one Sunday as if they were one of ours.
When we travel, we have the privilege of visiting churches that aren’t our own and seeing what God is doing there. Encourage the pastor and members by showing them they’re part of a larger family. Worship with them, pray for their church, and do everything you can to encourage them while you’re visiting. It may be a greater encouragement than you realize.
Some churches are located in vacation spots. They face the pressure of doubling in size during the summer months to serve people they only see for three months of the year. Recognize that your attendance at their church for a brief time each summer is both a blessing and a demand on them. Look for ways to maximize the blessing and minimize the cost to the church. Ask what you can do to help, commit to serving as much as possible, support them with your prayer and money, and look for ways to be a blessing.
Don’t miss out on the benefits of seeing what God is doing in the wider church community. Commit to your home church as much as possible, but when you’re out of town, look for ways to learn from and bless the churches you visit. I usually leave other churches feeling more encouraged. I realize God is at work everywhere, and sometimes I come home with fresh vision and new ideas about how to serve him better.
Bless your church this summer by attending as much as possible and being a faithful member. And if you travel, look for ways to bless the churches you visit too.