The hectic season of Advent has come and gone, and a new year awaits you! The last week of December is a perfect time to review your ministries and look closely at what is working, what is not, and what is coming up next year. Here are ten questions and suggestions for your year-end review. Get out some paper or fire up your word processor, grab a cuppa your favorite warm beverage, and do a bit of reflection. Ask yourself...

Are you getting the most out of your teacher trainings? One way to explore this question is to ask yourself what happens after a teacher training event. How do you take the next logical step...or do you? Here's an example...

As compassionate Christians, we are challenged to be accepting of all persons, in our personal lives and in the ministries we plan and lead. I hope that you routinely evaluate and assess your ministries with regards to accessibility and openness to persons with special physical and/or emotional needs. Are your programs also inclusive of persons with different learning styles?

Many churches give their teachers, youth leaders, and other volunteers in education ministries a small gift at Christmastime. Why not give a gift to your teachers that will help train them to be even better teachers next year? Here are a few items you might consider, depending on your budget...

At Different Voice, creation-care is one of our core values. What does it mean to translate this belief into action as we do ministry?

This is the time of year when many churches are hard at work on their budgets for next year. Tight family budgets mean a slimmer bottom line for some congregations, which in turn means your eduction budget could be trimmed back. Whether or not you are having to make cuts, try to remind people in your congregation that teacher training is one of the single most important items in your education budget for several reasons. Some of them include...

 Ever notice how, especially starting in the Psalms and prophets, God seems to be into "new" things, and we're encouraged to do new things? A brief sampling...