Three Questions That Will Kickstart Your Imagination for the New Year

Last week I argued that you are trying to do too much, that you need to limit yourself to three and only three projects each week.

But how do you decide which three to prioritize?

That’s where long-range planning can help.

And now is the perfect time to plan for next year.

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I used to think yearly planning was a post-Christmas activity. You know, New Year’s resolutions and all that.

And then someone suggested I begin on November 15. That tip has yielded great benefits.

I’ve found that brainstorming my plan earlier gives me six weeks to review and revise my goals before January 1.

During the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, it’s easy to underestimate my normal, non-holiday workload and overestimate what I can add to my schedule. Starting earlier helps me see what is reasonable, and what is not.

Early goal setting also allows me to start next year’s plan before this year ends, giving me a running start into the new year.

I’ve felt the disappointment of falling behind on a goal in the first week of January and abandoning it altogether a few days later. Starting early lessens the January letdown.

Sure, November 15 has passed, but Thanksgiving weekend is a great time to start daydreaming about next year.

Now where to start?

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These three questions will kickstart your imagination for the new year.

1. What needs the most attention?

Most churches summarize what God has called them to be and do in an abbreviated, memorable list. One church where I was on staff called it our Seven Priorities. Another that I pastored called it our Theological Vision, complete with nine areas of ministry. A third referred to it as our Six Missional Practices.

Start with your church’s list.

(If your church doesn’t have one, jot down the main commitments you believe God has given you, e.g., worship, evangelism, discipleship, community engagement, and so forth.)

Reflect on each ministry area. What are you doing well? What is not going so well? What obstacles keep your church from fulfilling its mission?

Better yet, conduct a SWOT analysis for each ministry priority. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, obstacles, and threats. Analyze each ministry in terms of what is helpful and harmful, and in terms of both its internal and external attributes.

To help you out, you can use this free, downloadable, and fillable worksheet I developed for module 2 of my online course.

As you complete your analysis, consider which missional practice is furthest from fulfilling its God-given mandate.

What needs the most attention?

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Before you move to the next question, can I get on a soapbox?

Please, pastor friend, resist the urge to answer this question without reviewing your church’s mission and vision.

Many of us, if asked what needs the most attention, would answer, “My sermons.”

That may be true.

But for this exercise we’re not daydreaming about your ministry development. We’re daydreaming about the church you pastor.

Yes, your sermons factor significantly in the health of your congregation.

I am convinced, however, that sermon prep easily becomes a good excuse to neglect other biblically-mandated practices.

Just sayin’.

So please start with your church’s missional practices, and reflect on what needs the most attention.

Maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to sermon prep later.

2. In your wildest dreams what would fruitful _____ look like?

For me the first four words awaken me to what is real.

In my wildest dreams.

The pessimist in me enlarges every obstacle. The cynic in me sits in the cheap seats hurling insults at the performers on stage.

Ironically enough, however, the phrase “in my wildest dreams” wakes me up.

What is real is the presence of the Holy Spirit moving powerfully in and among his people and through the world.

What is real is the Spirit of Pentecost who awakened 3,000 to new life without breaking a sweat.

What is real is the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now actively at work in my little church.

I cannot out-dream the Holy Spirit. No obstacle is too large, no church too stubborn, no pastor too broken.

What might he do?

So imagine yourself twelve months from now, talking with a close friend about the ministry area that today most needs attention, but by God’s Spirit has been transformed.

What does that transformation look like?

What fruit has resulted from this work of grace? What are congregants doing a year from now that they aren’t doing now? How has the culture of your church changed? How has your relationship with the surrounding community been affected? What inspired such a dynamic transformation?

Be as specific as you can, in writing.

No, you are not dictating to God what must take place. What you are doing is opening your imagination to the possibility of what the Sovereign Spirit of God can do through little ol’ you in the next twelve months.

You’re turning from your pessimism or your cynicism or your rigidity or your propensities to consider something new God might do in and for your church.

3. What three actionable items can you tackle next year?

You’ve got twelve months to do three things.

What will those three things be?

Here’s an example.

Let’s say you decide the ministry area most in need of transformation is evangelism. What three actionable items might you lead your church in next year? Maybe your list will look something like this:

• February — a church-wide week of prayer for evangelism, including a day for repentance, a day for lament, a day for empowerment, a day for specific petition, and a day for thanksgiving
• April — a four-week evangelistic book group to begin the Tuesday night after Easter (capitalizing on guests who attend that day)
• September — a sermon series on evangelism

Will these things transform the church? No. Only the Spirit of God has that kind of power.

These are simply ways to step intentionally into God’s purpose for this church with respect to evangelism, asking him to do what we cannot do.

The key phrase here is this: be reasonable.

You are not the change agent; the Holy Spirit is. So don’t create goals that are beyond your reach, like, say, baptizing 200 people next year. You can’t control people’s response to the gospel.

You can, however, be faithful. You can be expectant. And you can be prayerful.

In fact, no matter what missional practice needs the most work in your church, I suggest that one of your three actionable items includes that most-forgotten discipline:

Prayer.

Only God has the power to transform a barren ministry.

And he loves to surprise us with powerful moves of the Spirit.

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Discussion Question

As you think about your church, what area of ministry needs the most attention right now?

Let me know in the comments below, and jot down some actionable steps you hope to lead your church in next year.

I’d love to hear from you.