Resolutions, goals, or whatever you may call them are about to blow up your newsfeed and conversations.

Your friends and co-workers will be talking about losing weight, saving money, or how they want to learn conversational Pig Latin (I tried a few years ago but sadly gave up).

Now, this post is not about how to keep a resolution. For information about that, Michael Hyatt has great content and insight to help you with that, like this post about the persistence needed to reach your goals.

This is less about how you should accomplish a goal and more about which goals you should be thinking about as a ministry leader.

Last year you made several mental notes about what shifts need to be made during your small group, the changes needing to happen for next year’s camp, and how you can spread the Gospel to more people.

Brainstorming can be exhausting. Thinking about everything that needs to be tweaked and the scores of people who need a little TLC every now and again can make you anxious, overwhelmed, and fearful that change will ever happen.

As you survey last year’s small group, ministry, or event, here are a few resolutions every ministry leader needs to make this coming year:

3 Essential Resolutions for Ministry Leaders

Daily – Connect With Jesus

Let’s be honest, your spiritual life is not perfect. Ministry is a tricky beast to tackle. On one hand, you do have a responsibility to put in the best work that you can to help the ministry or group you lead. But on the other hand, you are serving King Jesus.

He has promised to be your strength, wisdom, guide, and provider.

When we lose sight of Jesus and our spiritual disciplines lack, we tend to lose focus in our ministry positions.

If nothing else, this year you should plan to be closer to Jesus than you have ever been in your life. Remember, the point is not to maintain a perfect bible-reading plan; the point is to maintain connection with the perfect Savior, Jesus.

Weekly – Communicate With People

Often we are so rushed to maintain programs that we neglect investing in people.

Why don’t you make it your aim to personally communicate with one person per week?

I’m not talking about a weekly leaders email or parent newsletter (you should continue doing those things, though).

I’m suggesting that you pick up a pen and write an encouraging, personal note to one person per week. If not an encouraging note, you can pick up the phone and call someone midweek just to check in and pray for him or her.

There are creative ways to communicate with people. Make sure that you are investing quality time encouraging your parents, volunteers, and leaders.

Monthly – Care For Your Community

When is the last time you have taken an off day to serve your community?

I’m not talking about a church-sponsored community event that you led or were expected to attend.

When was the last time you chose to use your precious time off to enrich someone else’s life?

Many church leaders serve only when they are on the clock. This year try serving once a month, in some capacity, when you are off the clock.

As we share the Gospel of Jesus outside church-sponsored events, the Gospel transforms our heart for the broken.

This coming year you will expect many parents, volunteers, and leaders to sacrifice their free time to help serve in some way.

Are you willing to make the same sacrifice to serve others?

Do you have any other resolutions ministry leaders should consider in the upcoming year?