Growing up playing baseball the spring was something that I looked forward to. It meant warmer temperatures, more time outside and playing the sport that I loved.

Spring training is the season of baseball practice where teams and players get prepared for the season. This intentional time of practice is used to refine skills, gel as a team, and begin to set goals both personally and as a club.

In basketball this time happens during the summer. You’ve probably heard about players “adding to their bag” during this time. While that most certainly means a bit more cash in their pockets with a new contract, the phrase is designed to help you understand that the summer is the time for adding new skills, moves, and adjusting for tendencies learned from the last season.

In ministry, this season may not necessarily be outlined clearly. But we must take intentional time to invest in working on our ministries or adding to our bag. I think the Spring might be the best time, especially for those who serve with children and students. Those ministry leaders usually gear up during summer as well as prepare for fall. There also seems to be a natural slowing down that happens directly after Easter for a few weeks.

So over the next few posts, I’d like to walk through some practices on really investing some intentional time to developing your ministry, growing new skills, and setting goals for the year to come.