What Worked, What Didn’t, and What’s Next

What Worked, What Didn’t, and What’s Next: A Better Way to Debrief Ministry Events

What does it look like to reflect on your ministry events and programming in a way that actually feels like honoring excellence, not just obligation?

As someone who comes alongside churches and ministries to support and strengthen their teams, I have spent a lot of time in my own local church over the years facilitating staff and volunteer events. I often have a front-row seat to the planning, the pressure, and the beautiful learning that happens along the way. And it reminded me how important and stretching these moments can be.

Events and programming sometimes can sneak up on leaders. It’s something we know should be meaningful, but between full calendars, budget limitations, and decision fatigue, it often gets crammed in last-minute or outsourced to a team member who’s already carrying too much.

Let's use an event I was a part of as an example.

The ministry team wanted to create a space that felt personal, fun, and excellent, but the logistics were difficult when coordinating across teams to make the event a success for all ages. Everyone had good intentions, but they weren’t aligned.

Events in ministry like this example are always at risk of becoming another “just get it done” moment. There are wobbles, and it is never perfect, but the people attending had fun, and it was intentional. As the host and facilitator, my role wasn’t just to run the event, but to help the team reflect, realign, and execute with purpose after it was all over.

It also allows the space to dream a little into what could be added or changed to make it even better. This format is critical to growth as a team in how you execute!

And it works.

The next year, the event went off better, we were more organized, and we were not exhausted by the end of the event. We slowed down, we put down our defenses, and we looked objectively at how everything worked together. We made a plan to address the next event as a healthier, more effective team!

If you’re helping lead or supporting events, here’s your invitation: reflect intentionality, don't just execute. Gather your team and work together to fill out the Recount Template!

Growth means reflection; growth also means discomfort. It might be good and messy, but sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is hold space for a team to reflect and reimagine when needed.

Healthy things grow—including our ability to reflect with our teams well. Keep showing up. Keep making space. It matters more than you know.