3 Summer Priorities for Pastors

Source: David Reneau

It was my first summer as a full-time kids’ pastor. I was so excited to have time and the budget to do all the things I’d been dreaming about but couldn’t do. I took my Junior Bible Quiz team to Nationals in Orlando (with a stop at Disney), then took my kids to camp for a week. Then, I spent a week getting ready for VBS, followed by a week of VBS. Oh, and a Father’s Day Car Show in between.

By the time June was over, I was exhausted.  I looked at my calendar and realized I’d only taken two days off the entire month.  I’ve written about burnout before, and thankfully, I didn’t burn out that summer.  But I knew that pace was unsustainable.  So, when I planned next year’s calendar, I made sure I made space to breathe.

Over the years, I have developed three major summer priorities. I can’t say I’m always the best, and every summer looks different. However, keeping these priorities as guideposts has kept me sane, my family together, and my ministry healthy.

Priority 1: Yourself

I was tempted to put these priorities differently from what is listed here.  But if you don’t set yourself as a top priority, the rest won’t happen. 

When I talk about caring for yourself, I’m including your relationship with God.  In ministry, especially kidmin, it’s so easy to get wrapped up in all the summer ministry that you forget everything else.  You may not be able to take as much as for yourself as you can in a quieter time. But you still need to make some.

The truth is ministry will take all the time you give it and then some.  So, when you’re planning your summer, make sure to build in time to replenish yourself.  I’ve talked about this before here.  But to summarize, you have certain things you do every day and every week to keep your cup full.  For me, it’s exercise, worship and prayer, video games, and time with family.  I may not be able to get all that done every week, but I make sure to create time when I can.

So, when you’re planning your summer, mark off some days for yourself.  You need to rest and replenish as much as anyone else.  Don’t push yourself until you break.  If you do, you’ll be no good for anyone.

Priority 2: Your Family

Thankfully, that super-busy summer, I didn’t have kids yet, and my wife could spend some of that time with me. However, once we had our son, our priorities had to shift. Now, summers can’t be all about ministry. We also need to spend time and make memories with our family. 

If you have already planned a family vacation for the summer, good for you! But if you haven’t, stop reading this post, pull out your calendar, and pick a date. You don’t have to go anywhere special. A staycation can be great, too.

I’ve talked to many pastors’ kids who still love Jesus into adulthood.  They all say the same thing.  Their parents made time for them even in the busy seasons.  They get special privileges because you work at the church, which they love.  But they also want time with just you.  If you always put church first, they may grow to resent it. 

In Frank Bealer’s book, The Myth of Balance, I read to set a special family day at the end of the busy season.  This special day will be a beacon, a light at the end of the tunnel.  He said when his kids would complain during a busy season, he’d apologize. Then he'd remind them about what’s coming up at the end of the season. 

Having a special family day gives you and your kids something to look forward to, especially when you’re exhausted.  One of my favorite memories is after an especially hard summer, we went to Tampa Bay Rays game.  It was my son’s first professional baseball game.  Those three hours were precious with just the three of us, together.

Set some time for family before the summer is out.  It’ll make the summer break that much sweeter.

Priority 3: Ministry

As I said at the beginning of the list, I almost put this first.  Truthfully, many of my summers, ministry has become a higher priority than it should.  One summer, my senior pastor made me take a week off for a family vacation.  I didn’t think I could do it. It would mean I would be out of the office for three weeks, missing two back-to-back Sundays. 

However, when your boss tells you to do something, you better do it.  And I’m thankful we did.  It took a lot of work to get ready, but it was worth it.

As you work on your ministry, don’t jump from event to event.  Take some time to celebrate with your family, your volunteer team, and your church. It’s too easy to just move on without showing appreciation. That’s a good way to lose some great volunteers.

For each summer, I try to space out my events.  In day-to-day kidmin, I always had two big events, VBS and Camp.  They took a lot of time, energy and focus.  So, I’d try to space these out as much as possible.  If camp were in July, I’d have VBS in June and vice versa.  There were a couple of years I put these events back-to-back.  But I’m not 20 anymore.

In addition to VBS and Camp, I’d have other events. Such as graduations, Father’s Day, the July 4th Celebration, the Back to School, and family fun events.  Find out what works best for you, your family, and your family at church.  Don’t be afraid to experiment.  You never know what’s going to work and reach more for Christ.

For ministry, summer isn’t a time to relax.  Many times, it’s the busiest time of the year.  Please don’t make the same mistakes I’ve made and let ministry take over everything.  Rather, keep your priorities in order.  Then you’ll end the season refreshed, your family strengthened, and your ministry healthier.