There is a reason those in church ministry have coined the phrase “the summer slump.” Summer has a lot going on for your congregation. Most schools are out or have extended breaks, and families are taking much-needed vacation time. An easy way to encourage engagement is to do a creative, engaging summer sermon series.
A popular series that most churches do is the “At the Movies” sermon series. This is a sermon series where pastors use popular movies to accentuate their main point. They then correlate Scripture to help people see God in everyday life. There are many positive outcomes to this series, but it will not work for every church. With that in mind, here are five summer sermon series alternatives for churches that blend Biblical truths with modern life.
1. Discovering Revelation: Diving Into the Bible’s Most Misunderstood Book
One of the most intriguing books of the Bible is the book of Revelation. This book is hard to understand. Most people don’t have a good working knowledge of this book. This series should focus on the seven letters to the seven churches, plus have explanations for the different end-time scenarios.
The seven letters to the seven churches present an expositional opportunity to help people apply these teachings directly to their lives. The rest of the book of Revelation is shrouded with a lot of apocalyptic symbolism. You can preach an extended teaching series on Revelation that lasts the whole summer. This also is a great book of the Bible to help with discipleship formation from the seven letters to hope in the return of Christ, living in holiness, and living on mission sharing their faith.
2. Jesus Said What?! Frequently Asked Questions You Want Answered
This type of series can be one where the congregation can participate by submitting questions in advance for the pastor to answer. During a multi-week series like this, the pastor can also find some of the biggest questions that people wrestle with in their faith.
Creative elements with this series can also include having congregants ask the questions via video. Or the series can be done interview-style on stage to create more of a dialogue rather than a monologue. Series content can also be broken down week to week for major topics like questions about church practices, obscure Bible verses, heaven and hell, and more.
[H3] Suggested Questions
- Why would a good and loving God allow bad things to happen to good people?
- Why does God allow suffering if he is all-powerful?
- Why were people killed during the Crusades in the name of Christ?
3. Road Trip: Paul’s Journeys in the Book of Acts
A series on Paul’s missionary journeys as – detailed in Acts and his epistles – is a great, fun way of helping your congregation understand how the Gospel spread to a pre-Christian Roman Empire. It is very informative and also there are practical next steps in each message. The creative elements of this type of series can vary and be fun for the team to work together to innovate.
4. Stranger Things: Heaven, Hell, and Other Interesting Topics
This series is similar to a questioned-based series but it is topically driven. Covering one topic each week, this series allows the pastor to dive deep into things that people find interesting but may not understand. Heaven and hell are two topics that would fall into this category. You could also include sermons on topics like
- Jonah and the whale
- The Valley of the Dry Bones?
- Jesus cursing the fig tree
5. It’s Complicated: Relationships, Marriage, and Healing from Trauma
Relationships are hard even if you are a Christian. Dating, divorce, singleness, marriage, and healing from trauma affect or have affected everyone. This series can be a deep dive into how to approach the good, the bad, and the ugly in relationships with a Christlike attitude.
Focus Your Summer Sermon Series on Authentic Connections
The important thing is for pastors to not force a home run. Trying to make your church’s summer “big” so people will come could actually cause a church to lose momentum. Instead, focus on a sermon series that will reach your congregation where they are.
