A brand-new calendar—full of wide-open white space—still makes me downright giddy. There’s possibility there. Hope. Room to breathe. Margin for the Holy Spirit. Space to disciple and be discipled. As you begin preparing for the next year, here are a few joyful and grounding questions to keep in mind:

A. What is your focus for the coming year?
As a church? As a family ministry? Clarity here shapes everything else. Where I serve, our first year was about getting our legal legs under us and getting the right people in the right seats on the bus. The second year was all about experimentation with what was in our hands, shared discipleship language, and setting organizational priorities. This upcoming year will be about systems and processes to scale disciple-making.

“Putting functional systems in place will never be urgent, but without them, everything becomes urgent.” Sustainable Children’s Ministry by DeVries & Safstrom

B. What days are already “known” or traditional in your church and community?
These are opportunities for family ministry to partner with, not compete—inviting disciples of all ages and stages to belong to the larger story.

C. Where do you already have champions?
Name the leaders, and their wingmen/wingwoman, who can take the point, champion, and advocate. Shared leadership is a gift.

D. What personal and professional priorities must be guarded?
Your calendar should protect what matters most, not crowd it out.

E. Plan 18–24 months ahead.
I do this every January and June. Future-you will be so grateful.

F. Remember: calendaring is not planning.
Calendaring is about partnership. It’s placing faith formation events and seasons where they complement the whole church—the full Body of Christ—not just one ministry. When we say ‘we are partnering with the families we serve’ we agree that the rhythm of our community has a say in what is prioritized and reasonable for families.

Now gather your tools.

Start with a blank paper calendar. Yes—paper. It helps you see the whole year at once. You can always transfer it to your apps later.

Block your vacation and Sabbath first.
Shauna Niequist writes in Present Over Perfect: “I fake-rested instead of real-rested, and then I found that I was real-tired.” Loving your work is a gift—but it makes it easy to overextend. A healthy “yes” requires a faithful “no.” Sustainability matters. You’re in this for the long haul.

Pull out last year’s calendar.
Note when planning actually needs to begin and mark cultural holidays like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and time change weekends. For example:
• Round Up in October requires June planning (90-120 days out at least for all big events)
• Palm Sunday sometimes falls during spring break; Advent season theme set in August
• Confirmation season requires counting backwards from Confirmation Sunday to the start of school with a parent meeting two weeks before
Patterns matter.

Add the church calendar.
Avoid conflicts with space, volunteers, and major seasons like Advent and Lent. Big church-wide events can drain volunteer energy—plan wisely. Be sure your regular Sunday morning “daily bread” is protected. Anything else is whipped cream. Add those items which are part of the church’s DNA.

Have a pencil and a really good eraser.
Trust me. Neat erasing matters. Only holidays and birthdays go on in ink.

Look at the school calendar.
Know when families are gone—and when they’re home. Fall and spring breaks often mean lower attendance, which can open creative doors. Pay attention to those fifth Sundays, how Easter and Christmas fall during the week.

Check the youth calendar.
Family ministry often rely on youth partnerships, and it’s beautiful for all ages. Coordinate summer outreach, retreats, mission trips, and holidays so families aren’t stretched thin. I’ve set a calendaring meeting with our youth/young adult lead for today, Dec. 30th to get a balcony view for the next 18 months together. Partnership.

Mark networking, training, and conference dates.
Getting out of your own building. Learning alongside others keeps you sharp, encouraged, and energized. Early-bird pricing is also a blessing. Right now, until January 3rd, it’s only $93 per person to attend the Global Methodist Church R3 Gathering for North and South Georgia for two days, one night in March. Register here.

And yes—college football schedules.
We live in the South. Enough said.

Now map out the next 18 months. Set aside uninterrupted time. Pray before, during, and after. Honor the rhythms of your community. Be mindful of volunteers’ time and families’ capacity. Map Sundays and Wednesdays carefully—this is the faithful, weekly work. When we are scheduling team meetings either monthly or quarterly, be mindful of families being separated where one or both are at church more than three or four nights in a week. Remember: we are in a discipleship partnership with each family.

When you’re finished… you’re not really finished. The calendar will change. It always does. But now you have a strong, prayerful starting point—one that keeps priorities aligned, allows you to plan well, communicate clearly, and reminds your family (and yourself) that they matter just as much as the ministry. Then it’s time to place it on the church calendar, reserve rooms, and set up online registrations so you can prepare a ‘cadence of communication’ for your team, your family, and the families you serve.

And that’s a beautiful way to begin a year.

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12