A Time of Reflection

As much as I enjoyed all the seasons of ministry, December has always been my favorite. The pace of things seemed to slow down, and I could enjoy celebrating with my students, friends, and family. The extra time allowed me to sit back, relax, and take a breather.

Most people take this time of year to reflect on their personal lives. Some even set new year goals and resolutions. But what about reflecting on your ministry? As a leader, it is important to look back on your year celebrating and evaluating all that happened. Then make a plan for moving forward. Being honest with yourself about how things are working and being open to trying something new can be a difference-maker that leads to growth in the ministry and spiritual growth in the lives of your students.

I encourage you to carve out some time in the next couple of weeks with your team to reflect on your ministry. Get off campus and away from distractions. Celebrate the things God did and prayerfully consider what God has for this coming year.

Here are a few questions to get you started…

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Looking Back

1.       What were some big moments this year?
2.        Where did you see the most change in your students?
3.       What are you most grateful for this past year?
4.       How did you do with equipping your volunteers?
5.       How did you do with connecting with and equipping parents?
6.       Where did you fall short this year?
7.       What was your biggest success and failure? What did you learn?
8.       How were you challenged this year by the ministry, your students, and your leaders?

Looking Forward

1.       If you changed nothing this year about the ministry, where would you be? Is this
where you want to be?
2.       What areas need to grow in the ministry this year? How will you accomplish that
growth?
3.       What changes are needed to reach more students in your community?
4.       What events need to stop doing? What needs to replace them, if anything?
5.       What do you need to add this year?
6.       How are you going to equip parents this year?
7.       How are you going to challenge leaders and students this year in their spiritual growth?
8.       Are there any students falling through the cracks? Who are they? What are you going to do about it this year?

As you slow down, to reflect and celebrate what God has done in your ministry, I hope you are reenergized and excited for the new year.