If you’ve been leading worship for long, you’ve undoubtedly been through a summer lull. I’m definitely there right now. People go on vacation with no consideration, it seems, for your needs as a worship leader. It’s almost as if they have their own lives apart from your worship ministry and that they’d rather be on the beach than playing or singing in your team. The nerve!

Well, as I’ve been thinking about our discussion in our most recent episode of the WMC podcast, it seems that part of the issue may be our perception of what summer is. Of course, summer is a time for vacationing. Of course, summer is a time when people get out of town, restore their souls and get some much needed time with family and some even more needed perspective on life.

And as I thought about that, I thought, shouldn’t we be doing the same thing in our worship ministries? Shouldn’t there be a season in our ministry where we give people a break, where we build relationships and where we get perspective? And the answer to that is yes.

In summer, we have the unique opportunity to build momentum in a way that doesn’t happen during other times of the year. Normally we think of building momentum in terms of recruiting & equipping. We think of teaching our congregations new songs and new ways to worship. But, what if momentum during the summer was different?

What if we decided that summer wasn’t going to be about those things, but that it was going to be about what summer seems to be about? What if we decided that instead of beating down doors to have a team on the weekend, we would replace the time we’d spend on that with time spent building relationships with the people who are around? What if we intentionally gave people the weekend off, so they’d be more ready to serve the next time their name is on the list? What if instead of waiting for them to accept or decline their availability, we declined it for them? What if, instead of trying to plow our way through the summer, we took time to reflect on the last year, gain some perspective for the year to come and allow God to speak into our lives for the year to come?

So, my suggestions are simple. 1.) Give people time off during the summer without making them feel guilty for doing so; 2.)Take the time you’d be spending, preparing for the big team & spend it building relationships with people who are around; 3.)Relax, Rest, and gain some perspective. Allow the weekly grind to pass you by, and let God speak into your life for how He wants worship to look at your church this coming fall.

That’s it. It’s that simple. Re-think summer and I think you’ll be able to enjoy it much more. And in doing so, you’ll start off this fall with momentum. You’ll be ready to go. Your Team will be ready to go.

Oh yeah, and take a vacation!