For most of us the school year has now come to an end. The natural reaction is to breathe a sigh of relief and start packing for the beach. However, judging by the fact that you’re reading this post you realize that, while the summer means more time to rest, there’s still work to be done.
I’m a big advocate of making sure your ministry has a defined, written out, God-given vision. How you carry out that vision may differ year to year in your ministry or you may need to reevaluate and clarify the overall vision at times. Before you enter the period of college ministry hibernation take some time to assess this past year while it’s still fresh in your mind. Here are 5 questions to ask as you evaluate your ministry:
- Did the things we implemented actually accomplish what we set out to do?
- What one thing was most effective in accomplishing the vision God gave us?
- How have students changed from the beginning of the year until now?
- What one area of our ministry could we change to better accomplish the vision?
- What ways can we use to measure our progress toward the vision next year?
Hopefully as you ask these questions you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised at all that God has done in your ministry over the last year. For some, you may realize the need to make big changes, but that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It simply means you’re realize areas that can be improved on, which will make your ministry that much stronger come next year.
As you read over these questions were there areas of your ministry that came to mind? Do you regularly examine your ministry at the end of each school year?