As we step into this new year, you're likely carrying both the exhaustion of a busy Advent season and the quiet hope that accompanies fresh beginnings. January offers us a unique gift: the chance to pause, reassess, and chart a purposeful course forward for our churches and ministries.
Perhaps your church is navigating transition. Perhaps you're simply sensing that familiar Holy Spirit nudge toward something more. Whatever your context, this new year presents an opportunity to move from good to great in your ministry impact.
Jim Collins' timeless work, Good to Great, offers a framework that resonates deeply with those of us called to shepherd God's people. As you consider what God might be calling your church toward in 2026, here are five transformative steps to embrace:
“Instead, prayerfully identify and develop those humble, hungry, and spiritually mature individuals God is bringing your way.”
Greatness begins with what Collins calls “Level 5 Leadership.” That paradoxical blend of personal humility and fierce determination. Sound familiar? It should. This is the leadership of Christ himself, who washed feet yet overturned tables, who came as a baby yet spoke with divine authority.
As you face 2026's challenges, consider Mark 10:43-45 afresh. What would it look like for your leadership to embody both servant-heartedness and kingdom boldness this year?
Before rushing into new programs or initiatives, pause. Collins' principle of “First Who, Then What” reminds us that great churches emerge when the right people are serving in their God-given gifts.
This year, resist the temptation to fill slots. Instead, prayerfully identify and develop those humble, hungry, and spiritually mature individuals God is bringing your way. What systems will you create in 2026 to attract, equip, and deploy exceptional volunteers?
New beginnings require honest assessments. Collins advocates confronting the “brutal facts” and ministry leaders know this tension well. We serve a God of miracles while ministering in a broken world.
As you plan for 2026, courageously name your church's real challenges. Low attendance? Financial strain? Leadership gaps? Bring these realities into the light, not with despair, but with the faith that God specializes in transformation. What truths need acknowledging as you step forward?
The “Hedgehog Concept” calls us to crystal clarity about our unique calling. In this new year, gather your leadership team and wrestle with these questions:
• What stirs holy passion in our congregation?
• What unique contribution can we make to our community?
• What are we uniquely equipped to excel at?
• What sustains our ministry resources?
Let 2026 be the year you stop trying to be all things to all people and instead lean into the specific calling God has for your church.
Finally, let this year be marked by disciplined action filtered through Scripture and guided by the Great Commission. Every innovation, every program, every decision submit it to this test: Does this make disciples? Does it honor our worship? Does it follow Christ's commands?
Friend, as you stand at the threshold of 2026, remember that the path from good to great isn't about human striving. It's about aligning our efforts with God's purposes, stewarding our resources wisely, and faithfully tending the flock He's entrusted to us.
The weariness you may feel from the holiday rush? It's real, and it's okay. But don't let it define your year. God is doing a new thing (Isaiah 43:19), and He invites you to participate.
Take time this January to work through these principles with your team. Pray over them. Adapt them to your context. And trust that the One who began a good work in your church will be faithful to complete it even in 2026.
For deeper exploration of these concepts, consider these resources:
• Collins, James C. (2001). Good to Great
• Collins, Jim. (2006). Good to Great and the Social Sectors
• Lencioni, Patrick. (2016). The Ideal Team Player
• De Pree, Max. (2004). Leadership Is an Art
