How to prepare your Children’s Church for a New Year.

The expression ‘clear the decks’ is a naval term meaning to remove or fasten all loose material to prepare for action!  Before the New Year rushes in with full force, it’s worth taking a moment to ‘clear the decks’, so your ministry can launch into the next season with joy, clarity, and purpose.

Here’s a simple, heart-centred guide to help you prepare your Children’s Church for a brand‑new year.

1. Declutter the Physical Space

A tidy space doesn’t just look good — it feels good. Kids notice it. Volunteers notice it. You notice it.

• Sort through cupboards, craft drawers, and supply tubs
• Toss dried-up glue sticks, tangled string, and the mysterious “bits” no one can identify
• Donate surplus items to schools, op shops, or other ministries
• Refresh your signage, posters, and welcome area
• Give everything a good wipe-down — chairs, toys, shelves, and especially those well-loved crayons

A clean space communicates: We’re ready. We’re expectant. We value what happens here.

2. Review Your Vision and Values

Before you plan a single lesson or event, pause and ask:

• What is God calling our ministry to focus on this year?
• What do we want children to know, feel, and experience?
• How can we help families grow in faith together?

Write it down. Share it with your team. Let it shape everything else.

A clear vision is like a lighthouse — steady, guiding, and impossible to ignore.

3. Refresh Your Curriculum

This is the perfect time to:

• Evaluate what worked well last year
• Retire lessons that felt clunky or confusing
• Update older resources with clearer language or fresh visuals
• Add new multisensory elements — crafts, object lessons, skits, games
• Plan your big themes for the year (Easter, Christmas, missions, character formation)

Think of it as pruning a healthy tree — you’re making room for new growth.

4. Care for Your Volunteers

Your team is the heartbeat of your ministry. A new year is a beautiful moment to:

• Thank them personally
• Ask for feedback
• Check in on their well-being
• Offer training or refreshers
• Clarify roles and expectations
• Encourage them to take breaks when needed

A rested volunteer is a joyful volunteer — and joy is contagious.

5. Prepare Your Kids for What’s Ahead

Children thrive when they know what to expect.

• Introduce new routines gently
• Explain any changes in simple, friendly language
• Create a “What’s New This Year?” board or slideshow
• Share upcoming themes or memory verses
• Celebrate milestones — new classes, new leaders, new friends

Kids love being part of something that feels alive and growing.

6. Reconnect With Families

Parents are your partners, not your audience.

• Send a warm New Year welcome email
• Share your vision and plans
• Provide a simple calendar or term overview
• Invite them to pray with you for the year ahead
• Ask how you can support them at home

When families feel included, ministry becomes a shared adventure.

7. Pray Over Your Space, Your Team, and Your Kids

Before the year begins, gather your team — even if it’s just two of you — and pray.

Pray for wisdom.
Pray for protection.
Pray for joy.
Pray for every child who will walk through your doors.

There’s no better way to “clear the decks” than to place the whole year in God’s hands.

A Fresh Start, A Fresh Wind

Preparing for a new year isn’t about perfection. It’s about readiness. It’s about clearing away the clutter — physical, emotional, and spiritual — so you can step into the year with open hands and a hopeful heart.

Children’s ministry is holy ground. And every New Year is another chance to plant seeds that will grow long after the craft glue dries and the chairs are stacked.

Here’s to a year filled with wonder, growth, and God’s goodness in every lesson, every laugh, and every little life you touch!

P.S. It would be remiss of me not to mention two deckhands named Salty and Swashy.  These two teenagers work on the fishing trawler, the Wave Walker.  But when the fish aren’t running, they work as tourist guides on True Treasure Island!  Salty is steady, but Swashy is a little wishy-washy…

Don’t Doubt (Jesus Walks on Water) https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Dont-Doubt2.pdf

Buried or Eternal (The Rich Fool)  https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Buried-or-Eternal2.pdf