The end of a year is often a time to reflect on and review the last 12 months, allowing you to plan and prepare for what’s next.
You undoubtedly had a busy year filled with various activities, regular services, mission efforts, and other ministry opportunities.
But with so much going on in the life of your church, how do you look back on what this year held so you can see growth and success in the next year?
You start small. Let’s break down your church and examine each area carefully to see each piece of your ministry in detail.
Ask these questions when gathering with your church staff and key volunteers to help evaluate your ministry efforts this year and plan more effectively for the next one.
Other questions will likely come up as you evaluate and plan, but these will help get you started.
Worship Services
- Did we see an increase in attendance during our worship services this year?
- If we had a decline in attendance, do we know of any specific reasons why people stopped coming? Are there specific changes we can make to encourage retention?
- How many first-time visitors did we have?
- How many guests returned more than once?
- How many visitors began attending regularly or joined the church?
- How many baptisms did we perform this year?
- Does our congregation engage in our worship services (e.g., sing during praise times, come forward during responses, pay attention during sermons, etc.)?
- Are there any changes we need to make to improve our services?
- Are there any elements of our services that need to be tweaked, updated, or changed to help keep our congregation engaged and growing together?
Technology
- Does our technology work for our current needs in all areas of ministry?
- Is our technology scalable? Will it continue to work for us as we grow?
- Are there any tasks we can’t do with our current tech that would improve our ministry?
- Will we be able to afford our technology systems next year? Do we need to change or remove any tech to work within the budget?
- Do our volunteers and staff know how to properly use all of the relevant technology for their areas of ministry?
- Is there any additional training we need to provide to ensure everything is used and maintained correctly?
Children’s Ministry
- What did our attendance look like for children this year?
- How much time and effort did we put into increasing our children’s participation?
- What was our most successful event for children this year?
- What made it successful?
- What was our least successful event for children this year?
- Are there any changes we can make to this event to improve it? If not, should we replace it or remove it from our calendar?
- Did we see evidence of spiritual growth in our children’s ministry this year?
Youth Ministry
- What did our attendance look like for youth this year?
- How much time and effort did we dedicate to increasing youth participation?
- What was our most successful event for youth this year?
- What made it successful?
- What was our least successful event for youth this year?
- Are there any changes we can make to this event to improve it? If not, should we replace it or remove it from our calendar?
- Did we see evidence of spiritual growth in our youth ministry this year?
Adult & Senior Adult Ministry
- What did our attendance look like for adults this year?
- How much time and effort did we invest in increasing adult participation?
- Did we see an increase in engagement among our adults and senior adults this year?
- How can we be more intentional about reaching and connecting with adults in the new year?
- Are we offering small groups on the right days and at the right times for the adults in our congregation to participate?
Missions
- What missionaries, mission trips, or special projects did we support this year?
- How did we support them this year (e.g., financial, time, resources, volunteers, etc.)?
- Which of those efforts do we want to support again next year?
- For the ones we will continue to support, is our current support sufficient, or do we need to increase/decrease our contributions?
- Do these mission efforts still align with our church’s mission and vision?
- Are there new mission opportunities God is calling us to participate in?
- Does our church have the means to add new mission opportunities without impacting our current mission efforts?
Giving
- Did we reach our goals for tithes and offerings this year?
- Were we able to accomplish everything we had planned without going over budget?
- Were there any unexpected expenses that impacted our financial goals?
- Did we see an increase or decrease in member giving this year?
- Are we offering the right giving methods to match how our congregants prefer to give?
- What does our planned budget look like for next year?
- How do we need to adjust our giving goals to maximize our ministry’s efforts without burdening our congregation?
Outreach
- What outreach opportunities did we participate in this year?
- What were the results of those outreach efforts?
- Did we see any salvations, seeds planted, or other positive results from those outreach opportunities?
- How did we see God move through our outreach efforts?
- What outreach events would we like to plan again next year?
- Do we have the necessary funds and resources to undertake them again, or will we need to adjust the budget/plan accordingly?
- Are there any new outreach opportunities we feel God is calling us to?
Volunteers
- How many volunteers did we have serving across all areas of ministry this year?
- How many of those volunteers are first-time volunteers?
- How many of those volunteers have already committed to continue serving in the new year?
- Do we have adequate training for new and returning volunteers to encourage success and retention?
- Do we have enough support for our volunteers throughout their service?
- Do we have a plan in place to check in with our volunteers regularly, both on their specific positions and on their personal discipleship journeys?
Discipleship
- How many salvations, rededications, baptisms, and other discipleship milestones did we see this year?
- Did we see an increase in engagement and participation among those who were already members?
- What efforts did we put in to encourage discipleship and spiritual growth this year?
- Are there areas of discipleship (such as prayer, personal Bible study, fellowship with other believers, and confession) where we need to intentionally work with our congregation over the next year?
- Do we have adequate resources, such as accountability, counseling, and prayer partners, to help our congregants grow in their walk with Jesus and support them through all of life’s challenges?
Planning for a new year always takes time and can be an overwhelming process if you don’t know where to start.
Asking these questions as you begin to examine your goals and plans for the upcoming year will help you evaluate your ministry efforts this year, enabling you to adequately prepare for the next one.
There will be more questions that arise and additional discussions that need to be had, but having a starting point will help push you in the right direction so you can see growth and success in the new year.
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