How to achieve your New Year’s ministry resolutions
It’s great to assess how we went last year and how we plan to continue and improve in the year to come
Welcome to the New Year!
It’s that time of year when we think about the year past, contemplate the year ahead and start trying to live up to our New Year’s resolutions. The making of resolutions is based on the foundation that we want our next year to be better than our last. And for this reason, I find that resolutions are a great thing—in theory.
In terms of our ministry, it is a great benefit to assess how we went last year and how we plan to continue and improve upon our ministry in the year to come.
What resolutions are you making this year?
For those involved in ministry, what are you hoping for this year?
To be more prayerful for the adults, teens, children and leaders involved?
To be more organised and effective in your admin?
To be more intentional in your relationships with your leaders?
To be more prepared in your own lessons, talks, Bible studies and activities?
To try something new in your ministry?
To be forming better relationships between your school and your church?
To train your leaders in specific skills?
To seek further training yourself?
I like resolutions ‘in theory’, but not always in practice—because I find that my commitment to them doesn’t last very long! Some resolutions never even become reality. Some last for a week or if I’m lucky, a month. I think I remember one resolution lasting all the way to April!
However, if we agree that resolutions are valuable, or at the very least that it is valuable to grow, mature and increase our ministry effectiveness, how do we work at keeping our resolutions? There are a few things that can help.
Three tips for making your resolutions stick
1 / Write your resolutions down
Put your resolutions in a prominent place in your home or office and hold yourself accountable to them.
2 / Share them with a friend
Who you share them with will depend on the resolution and on your relationships. But get someone else to hold you accountable.
3 / Recognise that you will fail
Rejoice in the fact that, though you don’t have the strength to keep your resolution, the Holy Spirit living with you is a Spirit of grace and strength.
Philippians 2:12-13 states, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
God asks us to work hard for him. He also gives us his Spirit to give us the ability to do so. And his Son has died on the cross and risen again, giving us the assurance of forgiveness and salvation whenever we fall short.
What resolutions will you be making this year? What will you be doing to actively keep these resolutions?
