Did you start the year with some big expectations? New year, new plans—and this time, you’ll finally feel caught up in ministry.
And even if you didn’t set formal goals, the pressure to...
be more organized
gain clarity about what actually matters
finally feel ahead
...lingers in our minds.
But many ministry leaders reach the end of January not with momentum, but with fatigue. Not because they failed—but because they never really stopped running.
So before you plan the next series, the next semester, the next initiative, it’s worth pausing long enough to ask a gentler question:
A lot of times we want to improve and fix the things around us. But without the time, capacity, or support to do that, we end up frustrated—and eventually defeated.
Ministry doesn’t usually exhaust us because we’re lazy or ineffective. It exhausts us because we keep stacking new responsibilities on top of unresolved ones—without space to integrate, let go, or be supported.
Not that you need my permission to slow down, but maybe a little reminder that slowing down doesn't mean you don't care. It doesn't mean you are disengaged or losing the vision. Slowing down, and pausing is something Christ modeled for us, especially after big ministry moments.
So I'll encourage you to ask it again:
This is also why short, focused experiences—like the MYM SPRINT cohort, which closes registration this week—exist at all. Not to add more to your plate, but to help you decide what actually belongs there and what doesn’t. For some leaders, this season is the right time. For others, simply naming the need for support is enough for now.
As we move toward February—and eventually Lent—there will be no shortage of voices offering plans, challenges, and strategies. There’s a place for those. But they matter far less if we never address the weight we’re already holding.
So for now, let this be enough:
You’re allowed to take inventory instead of action.
You’re allowed to name fatigue without solving it.
You’re allowed to believe there might be a better way—without having to figure it out alone.
And if what you need right now is a steady reminder that you’re not alone in this work, join our email list. Each week we'll email you a quote, picture, video, something to remind you that you were built for this. We write with people like you in mind.