Subscribe to the NetworkThe 4 Naturally Biggest Youth Ministry Weekends of the Year
Had a question the other day about which weeks of the year are typically the biggest for our youth ministry. There are weekends that perform well because of content (a sex series, a series with high student involvement like You Own the Weekend = we save these for the typically slower times), but here are a few weeks that naturally draw in students:
Fall kickoff weekend
The first weekend back as school in the fall is always our biggest of the year. Summer is over and students are anxious to see each other and get back into the school year routines. We typically put a ton of energy into the fall launch of our youth group and do our best to encourage everyone we can to to attend. As you wrap up next summer, consider putting extra energy, promotion and effort into the Fall kickoff and see what happens. It could be big!Campaign Kickoff
Every fall we also do a church-wide campaign. Typically they lose steam by the end of the series, but the kickoff and first few weeks are usually very strong. Consider working with the leadership of your ministry to pull together a campaign that the whole church gets behind and see what happens in your youth ministry.Post-Thanksgiving heading into Christmas
Typically the week after the Thanksgiving break is good for student attendance – many students were gone over the holidays and in the stretch to Christmas things slow down and they make more time for church. We plan a Christmas series that usually does well heading into the holidays. Make Christmas extra special – people are more likely to head to church that time of the year.The first of the New Year
It is natural for students (and their parents for that matter) to concentrate on turning over a new leaf in the new year. Our New Year kickoff is similar to the fall kickoff – lots of effort and energy as we focus on new beginnings and goals.
Now that I look at the list, its interesting to see how they are all stacked in the first half of the school year. Huh.
JG
