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Mid-Winter Ministry: How to Keep Momentum Going

By December 14, 2023Coaching, Leadership
At TFI, we love to celebrate what God is doing in your lives and in your ministry. During December, we collectively celebrated the gift of God given to us. We celebrated our Savior as a child- a child who was vulnerable and in need of care- care provided by a father who was not biologically his own.  When that child grew to be a man, He asked His followers again and again to love God by serving the vulnerable. And now, as TFI advocates, you follow this command by asking the church to care again and again for the foster care community.
For some, the Christmas season may have felt like an energizing and encouraging time in their ministry. Perhaps you held a larger-scale event like a Christmas party for fostering families or agency workers in your area. Or maybe this is the primary time each year when the church is pursuing your ministry, asking what gifts they might give children experiencing foster care at Christmas.
Pastors, lay leaders, and likely you, are tired come January. God has instilled natural and healthy rhythms in His kingdom. We do not consider animals lazy for their winter hibernations, nor is it wrong to rest after expending lots of effort. Sabbath is God’s gift to you, and a mainstay of sustainable ministry is to not always operate at full speed. While honoring the need for breaks, both for the church and your own, there are some simple but effective ways to keep ministry momentum going during the winter months.

Try one or more of these strategies, and talk with your coach about the challenges or gains you encounter:

Take Inventory:
One of the most straightforward ways to engage future volunteers is to take account of current ones. Collecting the names and contact information of the individuals who donated a gift card, baked cookies, or helped in any way this holiday season gives you a group to return to when the next need arises.

Bring Someone with You:
Plan a trip to visit one of your agency contacts in January, and bring someone who volunteered for TFI during December with you. This can be an opportunity to encourage the worker (as Christmas can be a particularly hard time to work with children who have experienced trauma) and inspire the person you bring to become more engaged.

Think Spring:
Now is the time to plan ahead. While volunteers are still experiencing the joy of serving, provide them with a future opportunity. You don’t have to have all the details worked out, just a general idea. Make sure to avoid scheduling near the other busiest time for the church like Easter.

Pair People Up:
One hesitation for participation in ministry is an individual’s fear that they will not have the time or necessary skills. When making an ask, offer to find a partner for them to work with, or better yet- ask them if they know someone who might also like to get involved.

Individual Outreach with Acknowledgment:
It is always the right time of year to express gratitude. As you reflect on who served with your TFI ministry through this last year, reach out to them individually to let them know how thankful you are for them and how you would value their continued involvement in this coming year.