Summer Idea: Partner with Other Ministries or Churches

here to read it).  Partnering with others has benefited our ministry greatly over the years. As summer is fast approaching, it is not too late to be planning activities. In particular, it is not too late to be planning activities with other Churches or ministries.  Here are 3 reasons why you should partner with other ministries over the summer:

• It provides a critical mass. As you know summer is filled with camps, summer school, vacations and other activities that take students away. That means typical “Youth Group” and youth group events are much smaller than usual.  By partnering with other ministries, you are opening up the door for more students to come out to whatever you choose to do.  Having that critical mass definitely provides a more exciting environment for all the students who do come out.
• It promotes the body of Christ. The Body of Christ is not just limited to your Church or ministry.  It includes all believers.  By joining forces with another ministry over the summer for some events (please note, not all events, just a few), it shows your students that God is bigger than just your group.  It can open up opportunities for them to meet new friends and even see people from their school that they didn’t know were believers or not. By combining groups occasionally during the summer, this promotes fellowship, unity and accountability in the body of Christ.
• It gives you a break. By partnering with others, it provides an opportunity for you to not have full ownership of an event or program.  You can actually have a break from programming and planning!  For example, you can rotate your meeting around to different Churches or sites where that particular Youth Leadership Team provides all the programming and resources for the night.  If that happens, all you have to do is to show up and bring students.  If you can do this, you get a break and can focus on some other things that need to be addressed that week.

I believe partnering with other ministries and Churches over the summer is a huge win-win for everyone involved.  Who knows, if it turns out to be a success, this might pave the way for future partnerships over the course of the year. So right now, TAKE A MINUTE and think about this idea of partnering with other Churches this summer.  Are there any opportunities for you to do that?  If so, target a few Churches and give them a call to try to organize.  At the very least, you might be able to develop relationships with some new youth pastors because of it. Also, if you have a thought or idea that you have seen work in regards to this topic, post a comment so we can all benefit!]]>