In ministry, it can sometimes feel like the only “routine” we have each week is planning to be surprised. We sit down to plan our teaching calendar when — surprise! A volunteer stops by the office for a chat. Or maybe you’re getting ready to send your monthly parent email when a family needs your help. There are all sorts of reasons why our attention can be pulled from important parts of our ministry. And most often, these urgent needs override everything we planned to work on.
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve served in ministry — the urgent needs never stop. They’re simply a part of serving, leading, and working alongside people. The last-minute meetings, conversations, and shopping trips for supplies are an important part of your ministry. That doesn’t mean they need to disrupt your entire plan for the week, though. You can plan your week and make space for whatever surprises come knocking on your office door right before lunch. That’s why we made you a printable Weekly Planner, just for church leaders! And it’s free!
Each week, you’ll get one page to help you map out your week. It’s simple! It all comes down to these five words…
- REFLECT: Before you start each new week, we’ll remind you to reflect on the previous one. Jot down one lesson you learned!
- PRIORITIZE: You can’t do everything in a week, but you can do a few things well! Identify no more than five priorities every week that you want to complete and celebrate by the end of the week! As you plan your to-do list, make sure they help you stay focused on those priorities.
- CONNECT: Ministry is, of course, all about people. Whether it’s a kid, teenagers, parent, or volunteer, we’ll prompt you to identify three people you need to connect with each week.
- STRATEGIZE: Each week, we’ll remind you to align your to-do list with all seven areas of your ministry (and of the Grow Strategy). Did you prioritze all seven of them? If not, how can you rearrange your priorities to emphasize them all, and create a healthier and more holistic approach to your ministry planning?
- GROW: If you want a healthier, growing ministry, then your ministry needs you to be healthy and growing. We’ll help! Each week, we’ll give you…
- A ministry tip to get you thinking, help you evaluate, give you a helpful resource, encourage you, or all of the above!
- A passage of Scripture to think and meditate on this verse as you move throughout your week.
And if you decide you’d rather not print the planner yourself, you can also get a printed copy on Amazon! So, whether you’re looking to level up your weekly planning, track your goals and outcomes, or just start planning your week, go snag your free printable 2026 Weekly Planner today!
In this post, here’s what we’ll cover: