End of the Year Challenges that will Spur Growth in your Ministry

It is the end of the year with another calendar year officially coming to a close. Sure, Thanksgiving just passed and Christmas is still yet to come but it is an exciting and busy time of the year in the life of the Church. There are lots of gatherings and events that happen around Christmas time. But just as great of a time of year it is to celebrate, it can also be a great time to do end of the year challenges in your ministry.

End of the year challenges don’t have to be reserved for end of the school year. Challenge can and should happen at the end of each calendar year as well. For example, here are a few different ways for you to challenge those you are ministering to and your volunteer leaders as we wrap up the calendar year.

Challenge those you are ministering to:

• To take a next step of faith. As you spend time with people you know where they are at spiritually. As someone who has a personal relationship with someone challenge them to take that next step of faith that maybe they have been hold back on and doing. It could be sharing their faith with a friend, or spending more time reading the Bible or praying or even encompass another spiritual discipline. There are a variety of ways you can challenge them, spend time asking God who it is He wants you to challenge and then issue the challenge to them.
• To get baptized. What a great way to start a new calendar year than to be a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)! Who, in your ministry, has been thinking about it or processing a lot. As you meet with those you are ministering to, challenge and encourage those you know who have been thinking about to enter in the new year as a new creation. Don’t manipulate them into get baptized but use the end of the year to challenge those you know who have bene processing baptism to ask them again where they stand and what it would take to give their life over to God.
• Become more involved or take on a leadership position. This is different than taking a step of faith. This is taking time to identify those who have shown some leadership over the fall and you challenge them to get more involved in what you are doing in your ministry and also take a leadership position as you enter into the new year.

Challenge your leaders:

• To take a next step in leadership. All fall long you have watched and observed them leading. Now, as you prepare to enter into a new calendar year you can encourage them to take a next leadership step. What is it that they can do in the next few weeks where you can challenge them to take that next step?
• To encourage salvation and baptism. In every ministry we are apart of there are people who are talking about salvation and baptism but yet are hesitant to take that step of faith. Challenge your leaders to be prayerfully considered how they can encourage salvation and baptism with those people.

If planned out right, the end of a calendar year challenges can really spur on growth in your ministry or the year ahead. Seek Christ today and ask Him to guide you on who, in your ministry, you need to challenge and spur on to take a next step, be baptized or take on more leadership in the new year. The better you can utilize the end of the calendar year, the better the start of the new year can begin in January.

What do you think? What end of the calendar year challenges do you have for your leaders and those you are ministering to? Share your thoughts below or social media using #ymsidekick when you post.