A Full Speed Ahead Summer

If you are a pastor, summertimes in the northland can be a downer. Momentum seems to build in the throughout the winter and spring but then summer comes and people disappear. Camping, vacations and baseball tournaments seem to steal people away from church. Most churches experience a drop in activity, attendance and giving during the summer months. Looking out and seeing a half-filled sanctuary week after week causes many pastors to battle depression during the last weeks of July and the first weeks of August.

I have struggled with the summer blues as well. Over the years, though, I've discovered that there can be a healthy rhythm to life of a pastor. There are periods of intense activity followed by periods of relative calm. I've learned that the midsummer blues can be avoided by remembering that it can be a time of rejuvenation in preparation for the hectic days of autumn. This has allowed me to relax a little and recharge my batteries during the time that many pastors become depressed.

Back in May I figured that this summer would have even more time than usual for fishing and working on some projects around the house because the boys decided not to play baseball. I was wrong.

There hasn't really been much of a summertime slump this year. While I still look out on Sundays and notice that some of the regulars are missing, the sanctuary has been full. We've had a lot of newcomers this summer. Not only that, but the Great Northern FallFest is coming and we've had a lot of special meetings to get ready for it. The counseling load hasn't dropped much. The building project has been moving quickly forward. Now we are in the middle of VBS which will be followed by the Trap Shoot and the last minute flurry of preparation for our fall programs.

Then things will get really crazy.

The fact that there wasn't a slowdown this summer is another sign of the growth that is taking place in our church. I'm excited about it because I believe that God is calling us to have an even greater impact on our world. Growth will mean changes in the way we've done things in the past. That can be uncomfortable. For example, I've enjoyed the green pasture of midsummer in the past, but it really hasn't happened this year. That creates a little anxiety in me, but I know that I can trust God to have a different pasture up ahead. He is the good shepherd.

I also have to realize that God may be calling me to do things differently this fall. That there is a limit to the craziness that I can handle effectively. The reality is that as I look around me I see many people who are ready and willing to handle some of the things that I have been involved with in the past. Growing in delegation will be important for me and the growth in the ministries of the people around NAC is going to be awesome to see.

Through all of this, I am excited to be surrounded by friends that encourage me, inspire me, laugh with me and urge me on in the Lord.

I cannot wait for summer to be over. Let the craziness begin!