Managing Big Event Mode (Without Losing Your Mind, Ministry, or Family)

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If you’ve been in ministry for more than five minutes, you know there’s a mode we all switch into before a big event. I call it “Big Event Mode.” It’s that magical time when your to-do list has babies, your phone battery can’t keep up, and your family starts calling you “stranger.”

Whether it’s VBS, a fall fest, camp, Christmas, Easter, or just Sunday, ministry has a way of cranking up the pressure before a big moment. But here’s the deal: stress and busyness don’t have to steal your joy—or your effectiveness.

So let me give you some wisdom (and maybe a laugh or two) on managing Big Event Mode like the seasoned pro you are—or hope to be.

1. Plan Like a Boss, Pivot Like a Ninja

The best way to reduce stress? Start early. Like before-you-need-to-start early. Big Event Mode is a lot less terrifying when you’ve mapped things out ahead of time. But even the best plans need wiggle room—because something will change. Supplies won’t come in. A key volunteer will get the flu. Someone will accidentally book the bounce house for the wrong weekend. (Ask me how I know.)

Stay flexible. Hold your plan in one hand and your peace in the other.

2. Don’t Try to Do it All—That’s What Volunteers Are For!

God didn’t call you to be a one-man (or one-woman) show. He called you to equip the saints—not replace them. Big Event Mode is a great time to let others rise to the occasion.

Learn the spiritual gift of delegation. It’s right there between hospitality and sarcasm… or it should be.

3. Say “No” So You Can Say “Yes” to What Matters

In busy seasons, you can’t say yes to everything. Protect your energy like it’s the last slice of pizza at a youth event. That means no extra side meetings, no new side projects, and no side-eye when people don’t understand you’re in full-on go mode.

Focus on what must get done, and don’t apologize for simplifying.

4. Celebrate Every Win (Even the Little Ones)

Did the supply order show up on time? Win. Did your intern finally learn to staple facing the right way? Win. Did nobody cry during volunteer training this week? Big win.

In stressful seasons, gratitude is your secret weapon. Pause and celebrate what God is doing—even when your to-do list says otherwise.

5. Laugh On Purpose

If you’re not laughing in Big Event Mode, you’re probably crying. And let’s be honest, tears ruin your walkie-talkie.

Schedule in some laughter. Make a playlist. Tell a dad joke. Find that one volunteer who always brings the weird snacks and hang out with them. Humor lightens the load—and your team needs to see you smile on purpose, not just when you finally find the lost receipt in your back pocket.

6. Remember Why You’re Doing This

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in checklists, decorations, and room layouts that you forget the “why.” You’re not planning an event—you’re building moments where people encounter Jesus.

So breathe. Pray. Worship while you work. And when the big day comes, don’t miss the ministry because you’re too busy managing the madness.

Big Event Mode doesn’t have to break you. It can build you. With the right prep, the right people, and the right perspective, you can lead through it with peace, purpose, and maybe even a little bit of fun.

Now go drink some water, hug your family, and check that date on the bounce house one more time—just to be safe.

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Fun is Not the Goal: Why Our Kids Need God’s Power, Not Just Pizza

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Let’s talk about church for a second—specifically, kids at church. Somewhere along the way, we started believing that if church isn’t a non-stop carnival for kids, they’ll peace out the minute they turn 13. So we build ball pits, pass out donuts like party favors, and give away iPads at big events just to keep them coming back.

Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m not anti-fun. I love a good snack table and some loud worship songs with hand motions that double as cardio. But if all we’re offering our kids is a sugar high and a memory verse with glitter on it, we’re selling them short. Way short.

Because here’s the deal: our kids don’t just need to be entertained—they need to encounter God. For real.

They need to feel His presence. They need to experience His power. They need to know that when they pray, heaven hears. That when they worship, something shifts. That when they invite Jesus in, He shows up. That’s not religious hype. That’s reality—and they’re hungry for it.

You know what actually changes a kid’s life? Not a bounce house. It’s the moment they hear God speak to them for the first time. It’s when they feel Holy Spirit so strongly they can’t stop crying—and they don’t even know why. It’s when they pray for their friend’s broken arm and it gets healed. That’s the kind of stuff they’ll never forget.

Fun wears off. Encounters with God stick.

I’ve seen kids fall on their knees in worship, completely undone by the love of Jesus. I’ve watched kids lay hands on each other and pray with fire that could melt steel. I’ve heard them speak in tongues, get words of knowledge, and see visions. That’s not “junior” Holy Spirit. That’s the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead—working through an 8-year-old who hasn’t even finished their math homework.

So yes, let’s keep things fun. Let’s make church a place kids want to be. But let’s stop thinking fun is the goal.

If all they leave with is a smile and a prize, but not the presence of God, we’ve missed the whole point.

Let’s raise a generation that doesn’t just know about God—but knows Him personally. Kids who don’t just sing songs, but actually worship. Kids who don’t just sit through a Bible story, but feel the Author speaking to them through it. Kids who know what it means to carry His presence into their schools, their sports teams, their homes.

Because the world doesn’t need more well-behaved, churched-up kids. It needs kids who walk in power. Kids who carry the presence of God like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Let’s be the ones who show them that’s possible.

Want to know more? Connect with me & like minded NextGen leaders at NextGenLeaderLab.com

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Planning Well Doesn’t Mean Leading Well

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Back in the day, I had a Franklin Planner, a whiteboard calendar the size of Texas, and a Sharpie collection that could rival Hobby Lobby’s inventory. I planned everything—sermons, series, snacks, puppet practices, you name it. I even planned my planning time.

But one day, I had a lightbulb moment that hit me right between the three-ring binder and the Gantt chart:
Just because I planned well didn’t mean I was leading well.
Shocking, I know. I wanted to argue with myself. “But Jim,” I said, “your spreadsheet color-coding is top-tier!”
And it was.

But I also had volunteers who were confused, parents who felt out of the loop, and a team who could recite my plan but didn’t know how they fit into it.
A Good Plan Without Good Leadership is Just… Paper.

It’s easy to confuse planning with leading. But they’re not the same. Planning is important—absolutely. I believe in systems and structure (have you read STRETCH?). But if all I ever do is plan, I’m just organizing people’s time. Leading is about organizing their hearts.
Let me break it down like this:
Planning tells people what to do.
Leading shows people why it matters.
Planning is the map.
Leadership is the guide who walks it with them.

You Can’t Delegate Vision to a Calendar.
A calendar doesn’t inspire people. A Google Doc doesn’t cast vision. And a checklist can’t coach someone through their burnout. I learned that leading well means connecting, communicating, and caring—not just cranking out more detailed plans.
You ever try to follow GPS directions that are technically accurate but lead you straight into a lake? That’s what it’s like when a leader plans without leading. (Ask me how I know. That poor rental car.)
So What’s the Fix?

If you’re a planner like me, here are a few reminders that’ll help you move from planner-in-chief to leader worth following:
Talk to people more than you type.
Real leadership happens in conversations, not just in content.
Stop managing schedules—start mentoring people.
Invest in who your team is becoming, not just what they’re doing.
Revisit your “why” often.
If you haven’t said the vision out loud in the last week, go ahead and say it again today.

Evaluate more than events.
Ask your team how they’re doing, not just how the service went.
Make space for the Spirit.

Don’t get so married to your plan that you forget the Holy Spirit might want to interrupt it.

You can plan the perfect service, coordinate the cutest crafts, and schedule snack duty to the second—but if you’re not leading with heart, with purpose, and with people in mind, you’re just running a well-organized circus.

And trust me, I’ve been to enough circus-style ministry moments to know… you can have a great plan and still lose your monkeys.
So yes—plan well. But lead even better.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not about how good your plan looks—it’s about how well your people follow the God who called you all to it.

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There’s A Brand New Jim Wideman Book Available Now!

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Over thirty years ago, I began a journey that I’m still on today—a quest to move past “live well and do well” and to actually “lead well.” After fifteen years on the job trying to do my best and working hard, I realized there was more needed than just hard work, or even smart work for that matter. I realized true authentic leadership doesn’t come from a position or even a title; it comes from who you are, as well as, from who you are becoming. It comes from the inside out, and it is not a one-time choice; instead, it is the result of a daily choice to say yes to all of Jesus’ invitations.

One of the good things that came out of the shut down of 2020 for me is that my first book (Children’s Ministry Leadership “The-You-Can-Do-It-Guide”) that I  published more than twenty years ago, the rights, came back to me. Hallelujah! My idea was to read through it and make some updates and self-publish it and make an updated version of this popular book that has served as a textbook on Children’s Ministry Leadership for many colleges and seminaries.

As I started reading the book I realize more than the information inside had changed in twenty years. I had changed! In fact, I realized quick that I am not the same person I was when I wrote it the first time. I don’t think in the same ways, I don’t lead the same way. Although I am still involved in Children’s Ministry, my role had totally changed.  As the Executive Operations Pastor at my church. I mow oversee the finances, the data base, the facilities, HR, legal, security, guest services and car park, as well as Children’s Ministries. I have known from consulting and coaching with churches of all sizes, that the principles of leadership I live and teach work in every area of church ministry not just Children’s Ministry. 

That’s why, this is not the same book. I ended up not updated old material but totally re-writing the book from a whole different viewpoint and perspective as well as as over forty five years of hands-on experience.  What a wonderful opportunity I’ve been given to have a second chance to add, to take away, and to make the changes that I’ve wanted to make for years, as I have coached and taught through this material over the last twenty years.

I hope that wherever you are on your leadership journey that you’ll listen to Holy Spirit and apply what He will be speaking to you through this new book. We all have been called to be learners, and Jesus is not done leading us and showing us what He wants us to know and become, no matter what area of ministry you are currently leading.

I am so excited to announce beginning  October 5th, 2021 my new book “Authentic Leadership That Lasts” will be available for purchase. Right now you can pre-order it here at jimwideman.com  and be one of the first to receive it. I’ll also include a free digital copy as well for ordering from me. So follow the link and order your copy today! If you’d like to purchase multiple copies, reach out for quantity discounts. This new book is filled with gold, so get ready to dig.

 

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