Written by Our normal rhythm for programming around Christmas and New Year is to take two weeks off as the majority of our students and families are either celebrating, traveling, or both. Combine that with Thanksgiving and the traditional rhythm will be askew for a couple of months.
So when we come back in January, we kickoff the spring semester with a celebration and unique flair. The purpose is to welcome students back, get them excited for the new semester, have a lot of fun, and to provide an easy opportunity for them to invite their friends too.
In order to accomplish this and to do it well, it is highly important to begin planning this well in advance. If your ministry functions in the same manner, I want to share with you ways you can begin preparing for that event now.
Figure out the main draw.
You need to think through each element of your event, but knowing what the main draw is allows you to clearly shape the event and communicate effectively. Simply telling your students to come to a spring kickoff without any details or reason leaves them wondering if they should and if they should invite their friends.
Students don’t want their friends to be bored, disappointed, or apprehensive about coming to church, so giving them information about the event is key. This also allows you to utilize your vision and purpose for your ministry in how you shape the event.
When you allow the identity of your ministry to inform what the main draw is, it further reinforces your vision and helps your students, families, and leaders have more buy-in.
Build out the schedule.
Having a schedule and flow for your event is key. Not only does this help you figure out the timing of everything, it gives structure and guidance to your team.
It’s important to know where things will take place and for how long, to know what is happening and when. Doing this allows the event to flow smoothly and effectively as you have planned and prepared well ahead of time.
Prepare your leaders.
When you’re thinking through your spring kickoff, make sure to bring your leaders into the planning process. If there’s aspects they can contribute to, ask them to help.
If there’s a specific action leaders need to take prior to the kickoff (i.e., downloading a specific app, bringing a dessert, arriving a little early, managing a game or activity, etc.), make sure to prepare them well in advance and be willing to help them if needed.
Recruit when needed.
If your event requires additional hands or more leaders, recruiting earlier is always better and it alleviates last-minute panicking. It’s always better to be prepared ahead of time instead of trying to find someone the day or week before an event. This could include recruiting people to serve food, welcome students, manage stations, or pitch in wherever you need to additional support.
Utilize students.
We have a student band that has just recently been formed and it has been received with a lot of excitement. In order to help them succeed and for the event to go well, we want to bring them into the planning process and ask them to lead worship. But with students being as busy as they are, it is highly important to bring them into the process and planning as early as possible.
