Design a course that seeks to offer participants a chance to do some virtual traveling while studying the Scriptures. Choose a theme that reflects the interests of church members; break it into sub-themes of particular interest. For example, you may choose the theme Letters of the Apostle Paul. You could have a series of six lessons focusing on Paul's most intriguing letters to important churches in the cities of the Roman Empire, including the letter to the church at Rome (known as the book of Romans), Thessalonica or to Corinth (1 and 2 Corinthians). Participants could be invited to learn about the modern-day life in these cities, in keeping with the summer-travel theme.
Christian education departments and ministerial staffs can take advantage of the quiet summer months to develop a certain group of church members in their respective congregations. There may be a group of new converts who have little knowledge of the fundamentals of Christian faith that include baptism, communion and prayer. The summer months may provide an opportunity to offer a new-member focus group. These groups could be designed around questions and inquiries of the members themselves, to answer questions about the faith or about Godly living alternatives. The small focus groups can also serve as a way for ministerial staff to better serve and know their church members.
With the proliferation of faith-based books and media, there is no dearth of materials to use for a short-course Bible study. Many of the renown evangelists -- Billy Graham, Max Lucado and T.D. Jakes, for instance -- offer books or video Bible study series. Choose an appropriate book and ask members to read these books chapter by chapter and be prepared to join a discussion about the themes of the books. Important Christian topics such as forgiveness, repentance and salvation can be introduced in the DVDs or books.
Most churches are now so media savvy that webcasts and online social networking are an integral part of their evangelizing. Therefore, developing an online course can be another way to keep in contact with those members who have traveled to other regions during the summer months. Courses can include an inspirational message from one of the pastors or teachers at the church, which would be available as a webcast or podcast. In addition, participants could be asked to read a passage of Scripture and respond to a set of questions available online. The answers could be transmitted via e-mail or on the site for comment or correction. Other possibilities include permitting participants to upload their own comments about a passage by video or written comments.