When Your Fall Kick-off Falls Flat

Len DenBraber | Assistant District Superintendent for Multiplication

I love the “lazy, hazy days of summer” which provide the opportunity for unstructured time with family and friends. But as September gets closer, the itch to return to comfortable rhythms of going back to school and getting back to weekly ministries gets more insistent.

One of the things I loved most about the fall season was the return to church of all the people who had been away over the summer. Not only did Sunday morning attendance swell, but it was good to reconnect relationally. Every year, my anticipation grew for the Sunday after the Labour Day long weekend when the church would be abuzz with renewed energy and the arrival of some new families.

Being conscientious leaders, our team would plan for “Comeback Sunday” or “Kickoff” by doing our best to get volunteers in place, ministry calendars set and promotion prepared. We would also set out extra chairs, make sure our worship team was well rehearsed and the message was engaging.

We often rented inflatable games and planned for a barbeque following the service, all in an attempt to welcome everyone back.

So, I remember the feeling when we prepared for the predicted return on the second Sunday of September… and they didn’t come back (at least, not in force). After we stored the extra uncooked hamburgers and hotdogs in the freezer and watched the truck with the deflated inflatables drive away, I wondered what happened. I felt like Charlie Brown after Lucy pulls the football away at the last minute: we gave it our best try only to fall flat on our backs.

Most people eventually did return, but not with the explosive “We’re back!” experience of previous years. In fact, it wasn’t until Thanksgiving weekend that we really saw a surge of people return. The next autumn, a similar thing happened, and the following year was no different.

I don’t claim to be particularly intelligent, but it dawned on me after the third year that this was a trend. Something had changed in people’s attendance patterns we had failed to understand:

1. People stretch summer out as long as possible.

Not too long ago, the start of the school year was the signal summer was over – despite the weather. Now people of all ages and stages are looking for every opportunity to take advantage of good weather for as long as the weather holds up. Families still go camping on September weekends, and savvy empty-nesters capitalize on the good weather and smaller crowds in the early fall to take holidays.

2. Families take longer to “get organized.”

The pursuit of recreation into September and beyond also means that parents often put off the usual back-to-school preparations and avoid obligating their children to extracurricular activities in the early fall. This means they are just not ready to return to regular routines in September, including attending church and sending their students to youth group.

So, what do we do? Do we plan a fall kickoff for those who do return in September; or forget about it altogether? Is it worth the effort to host a comeback Sunday for a relatively small return?

Here are some ideas:1. Adjust your expectations

Mid-September is still a great time to capitalize on the momentum a new school year provides. While you might not have the swell of people that used to be typical, it’s a natural time to start new ministries and to welcome new people to the church.

Make a big deal of the start of a new ministry season, host the barbeque and rent the inflatables – just recognize you might not have the same level of participation you did in years past.

2. Soft-launch

Before a new church plant starts, they often soft-launch before opening the doors to the public. They hold full-blown services that are designed to help the team work out the kinks before welcoming the community.

Think of September as your soft-launch. Don’t compromise the quality of your services and ministries but recognize that the weeks before Thanksgiving are your opportunity to evaluate and adjust before everyone finally returns.

3. Restart

Part of the trend we noticed was Thanksgiving weekend often had the excitement we hoped for in September. But by then we were in full swing and anyone plugging in had to play catch-up with us. We effectively penalized them for showing up late.

Instead, intentionally plan to “restart” some ministries on Thanksgiving weekend: start a new preaching series, start a new small group or Bible study the following week, start your 4-week connection process the following Sunday, make sure your youth ministry is doing something especially guest-friendly that week, etc.

The idea is to offer easy ways for people returning later than you expected to connect into the life of the church – without making them feel like they showed up late to the party.

Frankly, it’s inconvenient (and maybe even annoying) that we have to shift our ministry strategies to accommodate the changing priorities of others. But trying to force people into a schedule that works for us but not for them is a losing battle. Instead, look for ways to capitalize on new trends – you may find that in doing so you reach more people more effectively!