Church Leadership Strategies: Pray, Plan, and Present

 

It is amazing what the shepherds of the church can inspire brothers and sisters to accomplish for the Lord when they proactively project ideas, goals, and practical steps for the coming year. Recently (January, 2026) I witnessed a group of elders doing this very thing. On the first Sunday of the year, they took both the morning and the evening services to announce and explain their plans as overseers to lead the church. Their approach was so impressive and so outstanding to me that I felt compelled to tell you about it.

This particular church has three overseers (shepherds, pastors, elders) and about 300 in attendance. These leaders called the church together, reviewed the past year, and laid out a blueprint for the next twelve months. The three men were all together in the pulpit area, and they took turns speaking to the church one by one.

Gratitude and Humility

The first shepherd began by saying that the three elders were honored, humbled, and grateful to be able to serve. The church members had received them, helped them, and encouraged them in their tasks (Heb 13:17). He thanked them for their efforts with the children and the youth, and he urged the church to keep seeking to be innocent as children. He emphasized the central focus: serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

Survey and Feedback

The church had received and completed a survey, and the overseers had carefully reviewed every individual response. They appreciated feedback of all kinds. They had learned that a personal approach (shepherding) made them more effective. They asked that brothers and sisters would keep coming to them often.

Specific Opportunities

He mentioned the need for more people to serve in a particular ministry, and he commended by name the coordinator of that ministry. He said that, while they had already scheduled guest speakers for special meetings through 2028, they would also invite preachers suggested by the members to come and preach beyond that period. In other words, they had listened, and they would act on the members’ recommendations.

“Ask an Elder”

Once a quarter, any interested member would be able to attend a scheduled “ask an elder” conversation. All three elders would join, perhaps on a Zoom call or in person, to answer any questions about judgments the elders had made or about biblical doctrine and its application. If the members just wanted to talk or offer suggestions, the elders would welcome such conversations. There would be other opportunities to meet with the elders, but these quarterly events would be scheduled and announced in advance.

Online Resources

Work groups and teacher assignments would be posted to the members-only portion of the church’s website for easy reference. A digital library of the church’s teaching resource materials, would be prepared and posted online. Links to new songs for the church would be included, too, so that the members could learn them.

Commending Good Works and Missions

This first shepherd briefly reviewed the past year, including the baptisms, the new members, the current and new Bible teachers, the youth devotionals, the VBS, small-group studies, and the Bible drills. He commended the church for inviting and welcoming newcomers, with whom further Bible studies had often taken place. He noted that the congregation had given a specific amount, hundreds of thousands of dollars, to support evangelists and missionaries in many countries. He named each of these nations. In addition, several church leaders and members had traveled into other countries, sometimes into dangerous areas, to assist with mission efforts.

He kept saying, “We’re so proud of ...” with a broad smile on his face.

Restoring the Fallen

He acknowledged that several had left the congregation during the past year. He emphasized that the shepherds had done, and would continue to do, all that they could to restore erring disciples and bring them back to a right relationship with the Lord. He urged the church to pray for, and to try to influence, those who had fallen away. They were not to be treated as enemies, but as fallen brothers and sisters. He stressed that church discipline was also intended to win such brothers and sisters back to the Lord.

Training Future Preachers

He commended a second minister that the congregation for mentored and trained for some time. This man and his wife had recently left with the church’s blessing so that he could become the regular, full-time preacher in another state where there was a great need. Meanwhile, the church had taken on a new couple, to train and mentor them for the same purpose. That is, the church was regularly interning ministers so that they could be effective preachers and evangelists.

Annual Themes for Focus

This overseer listed the congregation’s annual themes from the past several years. Then he explained that the elders, with input from the deacons and others, had begun working on the new year’s theme the previous year. They chose the greatest command: to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). That theme was to provide a focus to the year while allowing all of God’s Word to be taught.

Exhortation and Expectation

He stated that the elders expected the members to be present for all services and to make themselves available to participate. This was an important expression of one’s commitment to observe and obey the greatest command: to love God. He said, “I need you. You need me. We need each other.” “God expects us to do this together, to be involved in this together.”

Plans in Print

Then, on behalf of all three shepherds, he presented and described a tri-fold brochure that each person had received that morning. One panel featured the theme. A second panel had an invitation, a photo of the building and property, and the scheduled times of study and worship.

Scripture Reading, Listening, and Memorizing

The third panel featured the Bible reading schedule for the entire church to read the whole New Testament together through the year.

In addition to reading through the New Testament, the elder exhorted each person to listen to an audio version of the New Testament twice during the year. He mentioned the various apps that would be helpful. Such would require just 3 to 4 minutes per day.

The church would have a monthly memory verse. He encouraged all who wished to participate to contact the appropriate person.

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In this post I have described just part of the pastors’ (elders’, overseers’, shepherds’) first-of-the-year message to the church. I have shared powerful evidence of what can happen when leaders pray, plan, and present dreams and goals for the next twelve months. Please let your church leaders read this article, to consider what they may choose to do.

To God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever.

 

Eight Reasons to Quit Alcohol – from the Experts

Most of my readers know that I do not drink alcohol at all and that I strongly urge the same practice for others. Often my discussions with Christians center, of course, on the scriptures. However, I have been impressed, even stunned, by the many recent warnings that have come from non-religious sources. Here’s one I recently discovered from AARP, the American Association of Retired Persons. It shows the findings of medical and scientific experts regarding the advantages of drinkers’ quitting alcohol for as little as one month.

8 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol for a Month: Improvements in sleep, blood pressure, mood and more

By Barbara Sadick, AARP. Updated January 06, 2026.

“With a reduction of alcohol consumption, you have an opportunity to experience some important health benefits, which can serve as a starting point to meet your goals,” says Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, vice president for emergency medicine addiction services at New York’s Northwell Health. But if you drink every day, you should consult with a health professional before quitting cold turkey, he adds.

In addition to the health benefits listed below, research has found that those who give up alcohol for a month — whether it’s Lent, Dry January, Sober October or any other month — tend to drink less alcohol long term. Even if you cut back, there are still benefits, according to a 2025 report in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism.

In fact, drinking hit an all-time low in 2025, according to a Gallup poll. Between 1997 and 2023, at least 60 percent of Americans reported drinking alcohol. In 2025, that dropped to 54 percent. (The previous low was 55 percent, in 1958, the poll showed.)

Here are eight things that happen to your body when you stop drinking for a month.

1. You’ll sleep better.

While it may initially make you drowsy and help you fall asleep faster, alcohol can also disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm, making it harder in the long run to fall asleep when you want to, says Dr. Manassa Hany, director of the division of addiction psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, New York.

Alcohol particularly disrupts rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is crucial for cognitive function, memory consolidation and overall restorative sleep. As your body metabolizes alcohol, it can cause you to wake up more frequently throughout the night, interrupting your sleep pattern and reducing overall sleep duration so you wake up feeling less rested.

Hany says that once you stop drinking, you may initially find it more difficult to fall asleep. Your sleep, he says, will be restored gradually during the first four weeks, but after that you’ll sleep more deeply and wake up more rested.

2. You’ll be more hydrated.

As you eliminate alcohol, which causes dehydration, your body will begin to absorb more water, improving the functioning of every organ, including your skin and your brain. Gradually, as cell turnover increases, the damage alcohol may have done will begin to be reversed.

Because alcohol deprives your skin of nutrients, when you stop drinking you may notice that your skin has a healthier glow. You’ll also see fewer wrinkles, less puffiness and an elimination of red blotches. Premature skin aging will subside, and if you have dandruff or eczema, they too may disappear.  

3. You’ll have better liver function.

The liver, your body’s largest internal organ, is a filter for everything you put into it. It aids in digestion, stores minerals and vitamins, regulates blood clotting and eliminates waste. It also helps fight infection, eliminates bacteria from the blood and maintains hormone balance.

Hany says that the ethanol from which alcohol is made is a toxin and that too much can tax, damage and even destroy your liver cells by causing fat to accumulate. If the damage isn’t too great, though, a monthlong break can allow your liver to recover.

4. Inflammation will decrease.

The ethanol in alcohol inflames your liver cells and causes the liver to swell, says Dr. Mohammad Alhabbal, the medical director at AdCare Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Because your liver is connected to your pancreas through biliary ducts, he says, your pancreas will begin to overproduce enzymes and become inflamed, as will your gastrointestinal system, your esophagus and your stomach. Continual inflammation of the organs, he warns, can eventually lead to them shutting down and then shutting off.

In a month’s time, Alhabbal says, inflammation will decrease significantly, and damage can be reversed.

5. You’ll likely lose weight.

If you stop drinking alcohol, you may lose weight. Because alcohol slows down your metabolism, you can easily gain weight when drinking. When your metabolism slows, your body needs to work harder to process fats and sugars. On its own, alcohol is high in sugar and empty calories, and when you add mixers, you’re likely to substantially increase your calorie intake. A 2018 report in BMJ Open noted improvements in insulin resistance in people who abstained from alcohol for one month.

Drinking alcohol tends to decrease your inhibitions, so it’s likely you’ll also eat more junk food. Alcohol enhances the taste of salt and fat. When you stop drinking, not only will you likely consume fewer calories. You’ll also have more energy, and that may even increase your activity level.

6. Your immune system will work better.

Your immune system keeps you healthy. Drinking alcohol weakens that system, making you more vulnerable to infections and diseases. You don’t have to be a regular heavy drinker for alcohol to affect your immune system. If you have five to six drinks in a single session, you can suppress your immune system for up to 24 hours, according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

If you drink regularly, alcohol can also prevent nutrients from feeding your immune system. It also reduces the white blood cells in your body, making it more difficult to fight off disease. In a month’s time, though, your immune system will be able to recover.

7. Your blood pressure will improve.

Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. If you already have high blood pressure or hypertension, you might be better off if you stop drinking. According to the American Heart Association, as you age, even one drink a day could raise your blood pressure, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. 

8. Your mood will improve.

Ethanol is the main ingredient in alcohol. Initially, it tends to calm you, but eventually it leads to hangovers, mood swings, exhaustion and depression. Alcohol also raises cortisol levels in your brain, which increases stress. 

Ironically, the negative emotions you may have wanted to initially suppress when you drink may become heightened. But when you stop using alcohol, you’ll find yourself feeling motivated, and your mood will stabilize. The 2025 report in Alcohol and Alcoholism showed more positive feelings, a higher sense of control and more reported happiness. 

Based in New York, Barbara Sadick is a freelance health journalist. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report and The Washington Post, among other publications.

Source: https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/stop-drinking-for-a-month-benefits/?cmp=EMC-DSM-NLC-OTH-DLY-247401-320001-9895645-NA-01082026-TheDaily-MS3-NA-BTN-C-Health&encparam=leRqPKfOz0MQKWPD6y+gVQZptAEgngkt+6lEE++pYog=