STUDENT MINISTRY: Planning for The New School Year

      I know what you are thinking. Summer has just begun. I’m not thinking about the school year for at least two more months. Let me warn you: if you wait until then to start planning and prepping, you will be too far behind to catch up.

      Teachers, coaches, band directors and others are already preparing for the 2024-2025 school year. As those who work with students, we should also be looking ahead. Does mean that we have to have everything worked out? No. However, it does mean we need to think about the big events and teaching emphasis we are planning for the next school year.

      With youth group activities, trips, camps and conferences, it is hard to find time to plan for things that seem a million miles away, but that one million miles drops away very quickly if we are not careful. As leaders working with students, it is our job to be intentional and thoughtful as we approach the coming school year. We need to make plans, and if that planning means we have to set aside some of our own fun, then so be it.

      Here are a few things to remember as you approach your planning for a new school year:

         • Pray as you begin the process. If we are working through calendars and choices for your students, spend time with the Father to ensure that your choices honor Him and build up the teenagers in your congregation. Pray over the students in your church and those of your target groups such as school, neighborhood, community, etc.

         • Plan with your volunteer team. The same Holy Spirit that works in you is working in their hearts. They may see a need that you are unaware of. Inviting others into the process will help remove some of the stress and help your team take ownership as you move forward.

         • Seek to know where the pastor will be taking the sermon series over the next year. Your lessons don’t have to align perfectly. However, they should be in the same ballpark. It is better that the teaching ministries of the church align and complement one another rather than compete for the attention of congregants.

         • Think through big changes. Is your youth group meeting going to look different this coming year? Are you making changes with small groups? Are your trips and events going to look different than years past? You need to think about the type of energy that may be needed for implementing changes and the push-back you might receive. I am all for positive change that will take your ministry in God-honoring directions. However, you don’t need to make changes just for the sake of change. Spend time evaluating what needs to be accomplished and the path that will best get you there.

         • Create a visual calendar. This will help you as you seek to implement your plans, and it will be something visible that others can see and embrace. The more you can communicate about events and ministry plans, the more engagement you will see. Think of this as a tool for greater engagement.

      Some of us love the planning stage of ministry development. We love to dream, imagine and then implement. However, some of us can’t stand the process. I love the planning stage, but if I am not careful, I can let the immediate needs of the moment distract me from the important work of planning.

      Take some time this summer to look ahead to the fall. Think about how much easier it will be to approach the school year if you have a firm handle on what is supposed to be happening and what you will teach.

      Join us at Facebook.com/groups/StudentMinistryMattersCommunity to share your tips for planning out your new school year.