Summer is always a crazy time in student ministry. Between camps, mission trips, and helping with Vacation Bible School, most calendars are packed before you even get into your normal weekly routine.

When you’re thinking about summer, there are really three ways to plan your calendar:

Cancel everything

Some ministries cancel everything. They don’t meet regularly during the summer and don’t have any kind of midweek Bible study. That might sound extreme, but it can actually create space to be more relational.

Instead of worrying about what’s happening on Wednesday night, you can text five students and meet at a fast food place for an hour. It also gives your leaders a real break and lets them handle their own summer schedules without feeling like they’re missing out on youth group.

Plan special things

Other ministries plan special events during the summer. Nothing looks like a typical Bible study or program. Instead, meetings turn into hangouts at a park, movie nights, or dodgeball in the church gym.

This gives you a chance to do the fun, off-script stuff you didn’t get to during the school year. Students can relax, invite friends, and show up to something that feels easy and low-pressure. There’s still a calendar, but it looks more like hanging out than working through a book of the Bible.

Keep going like normal

Or you can just keep going like normal. Youth group still looks the same as it does in the fall. You go through books of the Bible or series, have worship, and meet like you always do.

It can add a little chaos to an already full schedule, but it also gives students something consistent. In a season where everything changes, it can be helpful to know youth group is still there. Even if school is out, they know they’ll still gather each week.

So which way do you like to plan your summer? Let us know!