Reflection that Leads to Momentum

I once heard someone refer to May as “May-hem.” Others have called it “Maycember”—like December, but without the joy of the holidays. It’s a fitting description. In the church world, May often feels like a chaotic in-between. We’ve had the big push leading up to Easter, but we haven’t quite reached the slower rhythms of summer. Meanwhile, we’re juggling graduations, end-of-year school events, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and a long list of ministry wrap-ups.

For our ECO staff, May marks the end of our ministry year. It’s a time when we evaluate our annual goals and begin to set the trajectory for the year ahead. While it might seem like an odd time to start a new ministry cycle, we’ve found that May offers a unique window: we have the perspective to reflect on the past year and the bandwidth during summer to begin foundational work—so we’re ready to hit the ground running in the fall.

Personally, I’m looking forward to carving out focused blocks of time this summer to move forward on some key projects that have been hard to prioritize during the busyness of the regular calendar year.

In our Cultivating Flourishing Churches material, we often use the metaphor of a tree to describe a congregation. Trees grow through seasons, and in each season, gardeners engage differently—sometimes by pruning, sometimes by fertilizing, sometimes by patiently preparing for growth. In the same way, our congregations benefit when we recognize the rhythm of the season we’re in.

So while May might feel overwhelming, I want to encourage you—as leaders and sessions—to carve out space for evaluation and planning as you prepare for the year ahead. Here are a few questions that might guide your reflection:

• Where have we seen great fruit in our ministry this year?
  It’s easy to focus on what’s broken or what needs to happen next. But don’t skip the celebration. Gratitude sharpens our vision and renews our strength.
• Where do we need greater clarity?
  Many churches have some elements of vision, but it’s often in need of refinement. Questions like: Do we have a clear picture of what a healthy disciple looks like? Or Beyond worship attendance and budget, what indicators help us understand the health of our congregation?
• Where are we out of alignment?
  Are we running ministries or committees simply because we always have? Or is everything we’re doing clearly aligned with the outcomes we’re called to pursue?
• What do we hope will be true of our ministry 1–3 years from now?
  This is a core question we ask in the CFC process. It reorients our thinking. Maybe it’s about building a discipleship or leadership pathway, or about planting a new church or multiplying services. The clearer we can be about this preferred future, the more faithfully we can move toward it—with the Lord’s help.

I pray you had a meaningful Easter season—and that in the midst of the “May-hem,” you’ll find a moment to pause, reflect, and begin discerning what God might have for you in the year ahead.

In Christ,
Dana

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