Collective alumni · Summer strategy

The strategic
summer

A week-by-week runway from today to your big invite Sunday — without wasting the season.

From Friday, June 12  →  Sunday, September 13
Andrus Advisory · Clarity, Structure, and Systems for Growing Churches
The playbook

Three moves, one destination

The goal is not survival, it is positioning. Summer handled well becomes the runway for everything that happens in the fall. Here is how the three moves lay out, week by week, all the way to Sunday, September 13.

01

Build an invite-friendly series

Keep the front door wide open all summer long.

02

Run a systems tune-up

Strengthen the infrastructure before the fall load arrives.

03

Rest well, then ramp up

Recover in June and July. Lock back in for the fall.

The runway

From now to Sunday, September 13

Scroll the line. Each phase carries its own dates and its own work, with a deliberate hold over Labor Day weekend so you save your invites for the day that counts.

1
Now – Jun 27Series + systems

Set the foundation

  • Lock your big invite Sunday (Sept 13, or Sept 20) and name the summer series
  • Run the series through the five filters: accessible, family-friendly, practical, hope-filled, easy to invite
  • Choose the one system you will tune up this summer
  • Map the whole runway backward from your chosen Sunday
2
Jun 28 – Jul 11Systems + series

Build the assets

  • Audit your systems: culture guide, playbooks, SOPs, onboarding, follow-up
  • Design the invite tools: series graphics, invite cards, a simple landing page
  • Finalize the guest follow-up pathway so no one slips through
  • Recruit and brief team leads before anyone leaves for vacation
3
Jul 12 – Aug 1Rhythm

Rest and recover

  • Take the trip, be with family, refill your tank
  • Let pre-scheduled content keep the front door open while you are out
  • Keep decisions to a minimum — this is the real test of your tune-up
  • Protect the rest now so you have margin to ramp for the fall
4
Aug 2 – Aug 15Rhythm + series

Lock back in

  • Leadership re-engages by early August — this is ramp-up, not coasting
  • Finalize the big invite Sunday run of show and assignments
  • Confirm volunteers, greeters, and the follow-up team
  • Cast the vision internally: tell the church what is coming
5
Aug 16 – Sep 5Series

Mobilize the church

  • Put invite tools in your people's hands and equip them to bring a guest
  • Promote big invite Sunday every weekend and build the on-ramp
  • Rehearse the guest experience end to end
  • Run a live test of the follow-up system
Sun, Sep 6Hold · Labor Day

Hold through Labor Day

  • Do not make Sept 6 your invite day — the holiday weekend means a softer crowd
  • Keep the weekend steady and consistent; save the invites for the 13th
  • Use the week of Sep 7–12 for final confirmations and a guest-experience walk-through
  • Lock every team, every assignment, every detail
Sun, Sep 13The destination

Big invite Sunday

  • Make the room guest-ready: warm welcome, clear next step
  • Sunday, Sept 13 — your big invite Sunday (choosing Sept 20 simply adds a buffer week to mobilizing)
  • Follow up with every guest within 24–48 hours
  • This is the launch pad into fall momentum