Summer will be here before you know it, and your Bible study group will do one of two things, I bet. You’ll either keep right on meeting (most church’s on-campus groups will continue meeting weekly) or your group will take the summer off (more true of off-campus home-groups). No matter which group you’re in, here are three ways to take full advantage of summer:

1. Maximize your fellowships. Summer is a great time to get outdoors. With a little bit of effort, you can find outdoor concerts, sporting events, and quick day trips you can take with your group members and potential new group members (you always need to think, “How can I use this event to involve people are are unconnected?”). Barbecues in your members’ backyards, a golf outting for the guys, or shopping at a swap meet – the possibilities are almost endless – they are all good ways to have inexpensive options for connecting people relationally.
2. Maximize your service. Summer time means that your church is in high-gear. As a Bible study group, why not commit to serve together through your church’s VBS ministry? Why not take a week of vacation and go on a mission trip? Or why not contact your church’s student or children’s pastor and volunteer to go to camp as a counselor? With full-time office staff on vacation, consider serving as a volunteer in the church office for a week. Maybe the answer for your group is to find a few people who need help around the house – a senior adult who needs some yard work or home improvement projects performed. You won’t have to look far to find ways to serve.
3. Maximize your discipleship. Summer is a good time to get into smaller groups of 3 to 5 people and spend a few weeks studying and talking about the Bible. A summer study can feel casual, but in smaller groups discipleship often blossoms as people “get real” and find freedom to talk and share in ways they might not do in front of a larger group.

Don’t let summer fun slip away without figuring out how to maximize June, July, and August for your Bible study group. It’s time to start planning right now!