Summer is almost here with schools starting to let out and families making vacation plans. Most of us look forward to the summer months, but this is can be a challenging time for church leaders. While your volunteers head out on vacation, you're still trying to make sure each area is well-staffed to pull off weekly services.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid the summer volunteer slump:

1. Talk with your current volunteers

Find out whether your regular volunteers plan on going out of town this summer and if so, when. This information will give you an idea of which weekends you might be shorthanded.

2. Ask for recommendations

As you talk with a volunteer who will be out for a weekend or two, ask if he/she has any recommendations for someone who could fill-in. This could lead to not only keeping fully staffed those weekends, but you could also end up adding a new volunteer to the regular team.

3. Consider high school students

Many high schools are requiring students complete a certain number of volunteer hours in order to graduate. If the schools in your area do this, see if serving in various capacities at the church would help them meet that requirement. Then, talk with high school students about how they could help out over the summer and earn the volunteer hours they need.

4. Talk with people who have served periodically

Some individuals may not be ready to make a consistent commitment to serving on a team. However, they might be willing to serve a few weekends over the summer to fill in.

Start with people who've volunteered at special events or who've mentioned they'd like to help but weren't willing to commit to anything long-term. They might end up loving the experience and decide to sign up to serve on a team afterward.

Summer doesn't have to be a stressful time for church staff. By planning ahead and getting creative with how you look for volunteers to fill in any gaps, you can keep each ministry area fully staffed with volunteers throughout the summer.