5 Ways to beat the Springtime Attendance Blues

Have you ever experienced this scenario before in your ministry? You had a great fall and the winter months were fantastic with possibly a winter camp or weekend that built excitement. Things in ministry are going awesome. And then springtime happens. With spring comes a ministry hit where attendance falls and you are left wondering what happened?

If you have ever experienced that before, rest assure that you are not alone. The reality is that when spring comes, attendance wanes in student ministries all around the world. It rarely ever fails. Why is that? It’s simple really. With the spring comes warmer temperatures, lots of spring sports options for students to play, and longer days means that students are out hanging out with friends longer. That all correlates with less people coming to youth group nights or activities.

While springtime always causes a dip in attendance in student ministries, it doesn’t have to be a lost season in your ministry. In fact, there are at least 5 things you can do to beat the springtime blues you will encounter.

1. Expect attendance to be lower. What gets me most years is that I expect springtime to be different for this reason or that reason. The problem is that because I expect it to be different I am always disappointed when attendance dips. So just accept reality and realize that attendance will be lower…maybe not drastically lower, but lower.
2. Keep pursuing students, not program. Throughout the year your whole focus needs to be on students, not program. However, at this time of year when students are all over the place, keeping the focus on students and not programs is even more important. Seek them out, work around their schedule to meet up and connect with them. Life change happens the more we pray for students, seek them out and let God work through us help them discover Christ.
3. Change things up. Instead of focusing on big events or the standard youth group night, maybe focus more on social gatherings and smaller group activities. Do a game night or a girls movie night or something else. Use springtime as an opportunity for you to try and experiment.
4. Go where they are. This is a key Young Life principle but so important in student ministry in general. No matter what time of year it is, contact work is so important. Not only can you use spring to disciple more students, you can also use spring as an opportunity to meet new students. Go to more games or chorus concerts to see students you know but also to meet students you don’t yet know.
5. Do Online Groups. Online Bible Studies and life groups can be great ways to connect students to Christ and each other during busy times of years. Just because students may not be able to make youth group nights or regular small group doesn’t mean they can’t be discipled still. They may not be able to make a physical group but they could do an online one. Create an Online Group using YouVersion, Facebook or even text to engage them on a daily basis so that they are getting encouragement throughout the spring.

While spring is often a tough time in ministry, it doesn’t have to be that way always. These are 5 things you can do to help offset the springtime attendance blues. The more you can expect attendance to be down and then try new ways to connect with students while also meeting new ones will not only help you have a productive spring, but it will also help curb any decline in attendance you experience this spring in your student ministry.

What do you think? How do you cure the springtime attendance blues? Share your experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick when you share.

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