Digital Discipleship Opportunities Over the Summer

The summer months can be challenging for ministers. There are a lot of staff, volunteers and regular church attenders who are out of town at different times for family vacations or camps. With the inconsistency of people attending church and around throughout the week in-person, it makes doing ministry a little more challenging. Very rarely will churches do big events or initiatives over the summer months. 

While summers may be a little bit more challenging, that does not mean that you have to stop doing ministry. In fact, ministers can leverage digital platforms to minister to people during the summer months in a variety of engaging ways. Here are some of those ways:

Online Bible studies. Host online Bible studies or book clubs focused on summer-themed spiritual topics. Walking through different books of the Bible are always a good starting point.

Video devotional series. Create a summer-long video devotional series that you can share via email, social media, podcasts, or a dedicated app. Encourage people to listen or watch and then, if possible, do a meet-up (in person or digitally) to discuss the devotionals.

Online prayer nights. Organize time online for prayer. These could be once a week or monthly, depending on what you think is best. They can be a time where you walk through guided prayers and meditation or it could be an open time for people to come and be prayed for. 

Social media challenges. Create faith-based challenges on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok to engage people throughout the week. 

Share family faith activities. Provide downloadable resources for families to engage in faith-based activities together throughout the summer. Then, encourage them to share what they did on social media or back with the family ministry team.

Photo contest. Encourage people to do different things throughout the summer. It's similar to the family faith activities above but for anyone and everyone. And, the contest involves more adult things to do. Create a hashtag and encourage people to share what they did on social media with the hashtag. 

Webinars on self-care: Host online workshops on spiritual self-care and refreshment.

Online coffee hours: Schedule casual online meet-ups for fellowship and conversation.

Conclusion

These digital approaches allow ministers to maintain connection, provide spiritual nourishment, and foster community engagement even when people may be traveling or have varied summer schedules.