First the moving about. It’s estimated that one in five Americans moves each year. Most of those moves, especially involving families with children, take place between May and September. Churchgoing families are likely to include finding a new church in their settling-in activities. If they see your congregation at low ebb — no classes for children, minimal choir, a general air of vacation — they will keep looking. Brand loyalty isn’t strong.
Second, need. Summer is a strange time for many people. Life does slow down, but that gives worries room to mount. Job dissatisfaction, for example, can surface during summer. So can frustration with public education and family issues. With wages softening and gasoline prices rising, the summer of 2008 could leave many people feeling stymied, perhaps poor.
For both reasons, summer is a time to put your best foot forward.
If your regular crews of lay ministers need time off, you can recruit special summer teams that agree to a three-month commitment and receive training in how to respond to visitors and people in need. Summer is a good time for special events such as guest soloists to enhance worship and special ensembles of summer singers. Greeting ministries need to be especially active.
Vacationing clergy should arrange for the best possible substitutes. This isn’t a time for “warm bodies.”
Congregations expecting vacationers to visit — in tourist areas, large cities — should be prepared to greet them and capture information such as e-mail addresses. If they have a positive experience, they might enjoy being put on your mailing list as a “Friend of St. Swithin’s.”
One caution: many congregations move their coffee hours outdoors for the summer. That is fine for existing members. But remember that first-time visitors rarely go to coffee hour. The sight of regulars having a grand time isn’t necessarily a positive experience for a visitor who may feel ignored. Greeters should be sensitive to visitors’ circumstances.
Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant, and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of Just Wondering, Jesus, and the founder of the Church Wellness Project.
