Planning Your Fall Series: Why Early Preparation Matters
It can be tempting to push off your fall sermon series planning until the end of summer, but waiting could be a missed opportunity. Sure, there’s a lot going on during the summer months, but that doesn’t mean you should delay your vision for the fall. Planning ahead gives you the time to secure guest speakers, integrate fall events into your sermon series, build anticipation, coordinate with ministries, and prepare your church for a strong re-engagement after the summer lull. The truth is, the earlier you start planning, the more effective your ministry will be, not just for the fall, but for the summer as well. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Let’s look at why it’s so important to begin now and how you can set your church up for a successful and impactful fall. Secure Guest Speakers and Plan Events Ahead of Time One of the major benefits of planning your fall sermon series early is that it gives you ample time to bring guest speakers into the mix. Many well-known speakers or experts are booked months in advance, so if you want to incorporate special guests into your series, the time to reach out is now. Plan your topics and schedule your speakers to ensure you’re giving them plenty of notice. Planning early also gives you time to think strategically about your fall events. Rushing to book events at the last minute won’t allow for adequate promotion or preparation. By laying the groundwork early, you’ll be able to craft events that align seamlessly with your sermon series, creating a more cohesive experience for your congregation. For help planning sermon series and events, Ministry Pass is your go to resource. We have a team of Pastors that creates resources like sermon series planning guides, sermon calendars to cover key topics and scripture, and event materials that are easy to integrate into your church’s calendar. Build Anticipation Early to Maintain Momentum The summer months can sometimes cause ministry momentum to dip. People are on vacation, travel plans take priority, and the energy of your church can feel like it’s waning. But if you start planning your fall series now, you’ll have the chance to use the summer to build anticipation and excitement. Start talking about your fall sermon series in your summer messages—drop hints, mention upcoming themes, or even talk about how your fall ministry will build on the things you’re teaching over the summer. Share your vision through social media, email newsletters, and team meetings. By getting your congregation excited about what’s coming next, you’ll keep momentum going through the quieter summer months and hit the ground running in the fall. Coordinate Ministries for a Unified Approach When you plan your sermon series months in advance, you give your ministry leaders (from kids’ ministry to youth groups to small groups) enough time to prepare and align their content. Imagine the impact of having your kids’ ministry, youth ministry, and small groups all focus on the same theme that’s being preached from the pulpit. This unity amplifies the message and makes it easier for your church members to internalize what they’re learning. By coordinating with your ministries, you can ensure that your resources are aligned, and leaders are on the same page. You’ll also have enough time to develop group study questions, small group materials, and even volunteer training sessions—all aligned with your sermon series. This coordination will amplify the impact of your fall series. For easy-to-use sermon planning tools and small group resources, Ministry Pass offers a library of sermon series and accompanying small group content to make coordination seamless. Resist the “Summer Slump” and Use It to Your Advantage It’s easy to give in to the “Summer Slump” when church attendance dips and people take vacations. But instead of surrendering to this seasonal slowdown, take action now to keep your congregation engaged. If you start planning your fall series early, you can create activities and initiatives that bridge the gap between summer and fall. For example, you could launch a summer challenge that aligns with the upcoming sermon series. If your fall theme is about serving others, you could encourage your congregation to complete an “acts of kindness” challenge over the summer. Not only does this build excitement for the fall, but it also keeps your community active and connected, even when attendance might be lower. Prepare to Re-Engage Your Congregation in the Fall Finally, early planning allows you to strategically re-engage your congregation in the fall. Waiting until the last minute to think about your fall series means you’re rushing through preparations, missing out on valuable opportunities to personally reconnect with your church. By starting now, you’ll be able to have meaningful conversations, meet with key volunteers, and reconnect with leaders over the summer months, laying the foundation for a stronger re-engagement in the fall. Planning early also gives you time to look beyond the sermon series itself and focus on the broader church experience—how to welcome back families, how to offer new opportunities for involvement, and how to cultivate an environment of spiritual growth and excitement. Take Action Now for Maximum Impact This Fall While it might feel easier to put off planning until August, waiting could result in missed opportunities. When you start planning your fall sermon series now, you give yourself the time to secure guest speakers, align your ministries, build anticipation, and re-engage your congregation with purpose and energy. Don’t wait for September to roll around before you start thinking about fall ministry—take action now, and set your church up for a successful and impactful season. Prioritize your planning today, and you’ll be amazed at how much more focused and effective your ministry will be come fall.
More Than Socks: Making Father’s Day Count for Discipleship
I still remember the Father’s Day when our church handed out fun dress sock’s for Fathers Day. It was a nice gesture, but as I watched men file out after service, socks in hand, I couldn’t shake the feeling we’d missed something bigger. These weren’t just dads needing recognition—they were men hungry for direction, drowning in the weight of raising kids in a broken world, wondering if they had what it takes to lead their families well. That’s when it hit me: Father’s Day isn’t just about celebrating dads. It’s about calling them up. The Gap Between Recognition and Transformation Most churches treat Father’s Day like Mother’s Day’s awkward cousin—a necessary acknowledgment that feels obligatory rather than transformational. We give the nod, share the stats about fatherlessness, maybe tell a heartwarming story, and move on. But what if we’re sitting on one of the year’s greatest discipleship opportunities? The men in your congregation aren’t just waiting for applause. They’re wrestling with questions that keep them up at 2 AM: Am I screwing up my kids? How do I lead when I feel lost myself? What does biblical fatherhood even look like when my own dad wasn’t around? These aren’t surface-level concerns that a pat on the back can address. They’re soul-deep longings for biblical mentorship, authentic community, and practical wisdom. Father’s Day gives you permission to speak directly into this hunger. Five Ways to Transform Recognition into Discipleship 1. Preach to Their Hearts, Not Just Their Roles Skip the generic “fathers are important” sermon. Instead, look these men in the eye and speak to their fears. Acknowledge that fatherhood often feels like flying blind. Share how the gospel meets them in their failures—not with condemnation, but with the grace that empowers change. Tell the story of the dad who thought he’d ruined everything when his teenage son walked away from faith, only to watch God redeem their relationship five years later. Talk about the single mom in your church who’s also carrying the father role, and how the church family steps in. Make it real, make it hopeful, make it about God’s faithfulness in the mess. End with an invitation, not an illustration. “If you walked in here today feeling like you’re failing as a dad, I want to talk with you after service. Better yet, I want to connect you with other men who’ve been where you are.” 2. Launch Something That Lasts Use Father’s Day as the launching pad for a summer men’s initiative—not another Bible study that fizzles by August, but something designed for busy, skeptical men who are tired of surface-level spiritual conversations. A great resource is from author Pat Morley, whose books have helped Men’s Ministry leaders for over 25 years. His Man in the Mirror bible study speaks to those late night questions dad’s have, and it provides the teaching for you. I personally know many church leaders who have used this resource to launch new Men’s Bible studies in their church. Keep it early morning (6 AM works for many dads), keep it honest, and keep it practical. Men will show up for authenticity faster than they’ll show up for another theological deep-dive. 3. Create a Challenge Worth Accepting Instead of asking dads to add more to their plates, give them a focused 21-day challenge that integrates into life they’re already living: Week 1: Listen FirstBefore offering advice or correction, spend 30 seconds really listening to your kids. Ask one follow-up question that shows you heard them. Week 2: Share Your StoryTell your kids about a time you failed and what you learned. Let them see that growing up never stops. Week 3: Pray Out LoudPray with your kids before meals, bedtime, or car rides. Don’t worry about eloquence—just talk to God like He’s listening. Text daily reminders and weekly encouragement. Create a private Facebook group where dads can share wins and ask for prayer. Make it easy to succeed and normal to struggle. 4. Mobilize Fathers and Children Together Plan a quarterly “Dad & Me” service project that gets fathers and kids working side by side. Not complicated—raking leaves for elderly church members, assembling hygiene kits for the homeless, or helping another family move. Discipleship happens naturally when hands are busy and hearts are engaged. Kids see their dads serving others, dads experience the joy of generosity alongside their children, and the church benefits from engaged families living out their faith. 5. Equip with Tools That Actually Get Used Forget the lengthy reading lists. Curate resources that fit into a dad’s real life: Hand these out on Father’s Day, but also text them throughout the summer. Make spiritual leadership feel accessible, not overwhelming. The Long Game Here’s what I’ve learned after watching this approach work in multiple church contexts: fathers don’t need more shame about not measuring up. They need vision for who they could become and a community to help them get there. The dad who feels like he’s failing needs to hear that God specializes in using imperfect fathers. The man who grew up without a dad needs other men to show him what biblical fatherhood looks like. The father whose kids are grown needs opportunities to mentor younger dads walking the path he’s already traveled. Father’s Day can be the moment you stop talking about dads and start talking to them. Stop celebrating their role and start calling out their potential. Stop giving them gifts and start giving them what they really need: biblical community, practical wisdom, and the encouragement to keep growing. Your Next Step Before this Sunday, choose one thing—just one—that your church will do to help fathers go deeper than they are today. Maybe it’s changing how you pray for fathers during the service. Maybe it’s announcing the summer men’s group you’ve been considering. Maybe it’s simply making time after service to have real conversations with the dads who need encouragement. The men in your church are already fathers. The question is: will you help them become the fathers their
