It’s hard to believe that a new year is almost here. While many ministries to children and teens base their planning on the local school year, the beginning of a new calendar year is a great time to assess and make adjustments to your ministry. Once the holiday craziness subsides, things are often very quiet in January – giving you a great opportunity to take a closer look at what your ministry is doing well and what needs adjusting.
People often avoid planning tasks because they don’t know where to start or how to make decisions about what needs to be changed. They become overwhelmed, convincing themselves that everything is working ”okay” and they are too busy to do any planning outside the norm. As a result, many ministries limp along – never reaching their full godly potential or accomplishing all of the good works God had planned for it.
Teach One Reach One Ministries is here to help! We have developed multiple tools to guide you in assessment, strategic planning, volunteer training and more. Best of all, thanks to our generous donors, all of these tools are free! We want you to use your ministry funds in ministry to the children, teens and families you serve – not in financing a support ministry. You will want to take a look at all of the resources on our website (www.teachonereachone.org), but here are some of the resources you can use for assessment and planning.
- Classroom evaluation tool. Developed by educators, this tool is designed so that anyone can accurately assess what is happening in the Bible classrooms of your ministry.
- Bible curriculum evaluation tool. Developed by educators, this tool is designed to help you find the best possible curriculum for your ministry as well as illuminate areas in it that may still need tweaking.
- The ABC’s of a Ministry Listening Tour. This tool gives you step by step instructions for conducting a thorough listening tour designed to give you all of the information you need to make informed decisions.
- The ABC’s of a God-Driven Strategic Plan. This tool provides step by step instructions for developing not just a strategic plan, but one that truly reflects God’s priorities and makes room for Him to adjust the plan according to His Will.
- Effective Children’s Ministry ebook. A ministry primer everyone involved in your ministry needs to read to make sure they are all using best practices.
- Effective Teen Ministry ebook. A ministry primer everyone involved in your ministry needs to read to make sure they are all using best practices.
- Ministering to Marginalized Children ebook. Does your ministry serve young people who are often marginalized by our world? This book gives important tips for ministering to children with special needs, from generational poverty, living in disrupted family models and much more.
- Mastering Mission Trips Serving Children and Teens ebook. Are you sponsoring a mission team this year that will be serving children or teens? Make sure they help more than they hurt the people they are serving by following the best practices in this ebook.
- Helping Children of War ebook. Are you ministering to children or teens living in areas of systemic community violence or in areas impacted by terrorism, armed conflicts or war? Written to help the children and teens of Ukraine, this well researched volume gives you the basics needed to help any children process and heal from exposure to violence.
All of these resources can be found under the resources tab on our website under volunteer training resources or ebooks. Don’t let another year go by with a ministry that is just okay. Take some time over the next few months to help your ministry reach its full godly potential.