In the northern United States, the coming of spring brings many wonderful changes. We are pleased to finally see new green growth replace the melted snow. Indoors comes the traditional “spring cleaning”–making everything clean and fresh again. But it’s also a good time to conduct a “spring inventory”–seeing what supplies we still have on hand and deciding what needs to be replenished. This is a great time to apply this concept to our children’s and youth ministries. Maybe this week would be a good time for you and your ministry team to thoughtfully take inventory by asking some of the following questions…
- Was the Bible central in all of our teaching?
- Was God the main focus of every lesson?
- Was the Gospel proclaimed?
- Was Jesus made much of in our classroom and did we feel His abiding presence from week to week?
- What evidences of grace have we seen God work in the lives of the children and youth in our classroom?
- How has God caused me to personally grow this year as I have taught and led these students?
- Have the students seen the love of Jesus through my demeanor, words, and actions?
- Did I spend time in faithful prayer for myself, the other teachers, and my students?
- What has been the greatest joy I’ve experienced this year in ministering to these students? Have I shared that joy with others for their benefit and God’s praise?
- Have we established good lines of communication with the parents?
- What has been my biggest challenge this year? Are there steps that I and others can take to help overcome this challenge?
- What would I have wanted to do differently? Why?
- Is there anything that we would want to communicate to the leadership?
I have been involved in children’s and youth ministry for more than 25 years, and I can honestly say that no two years are alike. Every year brings new mercies, joys, challenges, and even some regrets. Taking “inventory” helps me to reflect back and thank God for what He has graciously done, and it also causes me to humbly acknowledge my weaknesses so that I might call on Him to replenish my soul. It also can serve as a time of encouraging one another as a team, working to problem solve, and provide the leadership with important feedback for future planning and training.
Any thoughts on the “inventory” questions listed in this post? What would you like to add to the list? We would love for you to share your comments!
