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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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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Why You NEED to Join Jim Wideman’s NextGen Leader Lab

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Ministry Leadership is Tough—But You Don’t Have to Do It Alone!

Let’s be real: leading in kids, youth, or family ministry can feel like juggling flaming dodgeballs while riding a unicycle. (Sound familiar?) You’ve got volunteers to manage, parents to support, kids to engage, and let’s not even talk about planning that next big event!

Enter: Jim Wideman’s NextGen Leader Lab!

This isn’t just another leadership course where you take notes, get overwhelmed, and do nothing with it. This is hands-on, real-world coaching from one of the best in the biz—a guy who’s been in ministry for decades, made the mistakes, learned the lessons, and is now handing you the playbook for success.

Why You’ll Love NextGen Leader Lab

✅ Jim’s Been There, Done That – You get to learn from someone who’s seen everything in ministry and knows what actually works (and what doesn’t).

✅ Practical, No-Fluff Leadership Coaching – This isn’t theory—it’s real strategies that help you lead better right now.

✅ A Community That Gets You – No more feeling like you’re on an island! You’ll be surrounded by other NextGen leaders who totally understand your wins, struggles, and the endless search for enough goldfish crackers.

✅ Laugh While You Learn – Jim’s teaching is packed with wisdom, experience, and plenty of dad jokes—so come ready to grow and have fun!

✅ Take What You Learn & Actually Use It – You’ll walk away with actionable steps to make an immediate impact in your ministry (instead of another notebook full of good ideas that never happen).

Who Is This For?

🚀 Kids Ministry Leaders
🚀 Youth & NextGen Pastors
🚀 Family Ministry Directors
🚀 Anyone Leading the Next Generation (and trying not to lose their mind)

Are You Ready to Level Up?

If you’re tired of figuring things out the hard way, this is your chance to learn from some of the best and lead with
🎉 SIGN UP NOW and start leading with more impact (and less stress)!

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There’s A Brand New Book Available

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What happens when you coach 12 of the sharpest Kidmin & NextGen leaders for 16 weeks that you’ve ever coached. YOU WRITE A BOOK! And that’s exactly what we did!

EVERYONE DOES BETTER WITH A COACH
Practical Solutions For Kidmin & NextGen Leaders is a brand new book from Jim Wideman Ministries.

Everyone can go farther and faster with someone coaching them than they can on their own. This is true in sports, it’s true in your health, it’s true in business and it’s also true in ministry.

I have always admired coaches. As a student of great teams in sports and ministry, I’ve been saying for years’Show me a successful team and I’ll show you a great coach.” I’ve also noticed truly great coaches have developed the skills to produce a winning team wherever they coach. Also they have learned how to assemble other great coaches around them. That’s exactly what I’ve done in EVERYONE DOES BETTER WITH A COACH- Practical Solutions For Kidmin & NextGen Leaders.

I’ve assembled some of the brightest and best coaches from my “Think Different Coaching Network. We identified some of the most common struggles that today’s Kidmin & NextGen leaders are facing and I asked each one to offer five solutions that you can do now to bring clarity and coaching to turn each challenge into an opportunity to improve. Each coach will also offer you a question to help guide you to taking your first step. Now you can get a team of coaches to help guide you to victory.
EVERYONE, YES EVERYONE DOES BETTER WITH A COACH.
When you order the paperback from me I’ll throw in the digital book free. Order yours today!

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Creativity and Innovation

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I’ve always been a big fan of dynamic duos like Batman and Robin, Sam and Dave, Sonny and Cher, Peanut butter and jelly and also Paul and Silas, Barnabas, and Timothy. The thing I’ve noticed about dynamic duos, is they are more dynamic together than they are apart. Just like the home and the church working together can do more than either on their on to reach the family, the same is true with creativity and innovation they are better together than either by themselves.

Children’s leaders are some of the the most creative people I know. It just seems like creativity runs through their veins as well as blood. Back in 1988 I put on a different kind of conference at the time called the Children’s Ministry Idea Explosion. It was held in Orlando and as part of the conference it included a day at DisneyWorld. Now this was not my first trip to this creativity megaplex but I think I got more ideas on that trip than any before or any since why? The answer is simple I went to a creative place with a bunch of creative people. All day long we bounced off ideas of “what if?” and “how could we?” off children’s pastor after children’s pastor.

I’ve never forgotten that day and the conversations that came from it. But conversations alone don’t make things come to pass. I’ve always heard, “After everything is said and done there’s usually more said than done.” This is why I think creativity without innovation is not as powerful as the two working together as a dynamic duo!

To help us understand these two let’s take a look at what Mr. Webster says about each one.

Creativity according to the dictionary is the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work. 

Imagination is a powerful tool. As most of you know I am a grandfather. One of the wonderful benefits of grandchildren for this children’s pastor is He has reminded me of things I knew about children and childhood that I forgot raising older children. My grandson’s imagination seems to be limitless. Every time he comes over to my house, his mother (Yancy) has to introduce who he is pretending to be which seems these days never to be Sparrow. He never breaks character until it’s time for a costume change and bam another super hero, doggie or hockey player breaks out. This has been a wonderful reminder of both the power of imagination and also the importance of string up my imagination. I don’t know why as adults we don’t make time to stir up our imagination and make time to think creatively and encourage original ideas.

I think one of the things that is lacking in children’s ministry today is the lack of original ideas. Now I know it’s been said there is nothing new under the sun but there’s stuff that’s new to you. 

You’ve heard me say over and over again that same action brings same results but did you know same thinking does also and we have to be willing to think differently and to think in ways we have never thought before to come up with original ideas. I think people in ministry develop bad habits over time because of how busy we are. Instead of taking time to be creative and try to come up with original ideas we just rely on the ideas of others. I’ve used this joke for years that one of my favorite tools in my kidmin arsenal of tricks is “selective creativity” that’s right I’m highly selective who’s ideas I rip off. There’s nothing wrong with borrowing a great idea in fact it’s smart but sadly one of the things that bothers me that has happen in children’s ministry we rely on the ideas of others rather than to continue to cultivate creative thought and original ideas in our own life and ministry.

Another excuse busy people use is we say we are not creative. I don’t believe that, especially for the believer because Genesis 1:27 tells us God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. We were created in the image of the creator, the one who created the universe and everything that was created. I think what we are really saying is we have chosen to not take the time to be creative and to get together with others to create creative meetings and sessions to brainstorm and think as well as rethink, to use our imaginations and dream what needs to happen differently as well as what needs to be created that just doesn’t exist in our ministries that needs to exist. In the early years of children’s ministry we were forced to be creative and innovative because stuff just didn’t exist.

I have enjoyed working more closely with the folks at Orange this past year. I have learned a lot about the importance of surrounding yourself with creative thinkers. I’ve learned that one of the things that encourages creativity is to begin to ask questions and then throw out new ideas.

One of the tools that I have started using that helps me with encouraging creativity is the creative board. (I’ve been using the web app version www.creativeboard.com, I love it!)

Don’t think because you are the leader you have to be the source of all creativity in your ministry, 1. Pray get the creator involved, 2. Surround yourself with creative thinkers, 3. Create a safe and idea welcoming environment that’s coved under the umbrella of mercy and even crazy, way-out there stretches of the imagination are welcomed.

Innovation is the action or process of innovating. To innovate means you make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. I think you can’t evaluate your ministry and life too much. The missing piece from anything moving from good to great is evaluation. To innovate really requires the rethinking of what’s being done and being willing to change your systems, processes and methods to give birth to a new way of achieving a desired outcome. As a person who wants to see results we’ve never seen why would you just want one of these? I’m a systems guy and love systemic thought the problem is not all creative types are good at implementation and not all systems folks are great at creativity. That’s where we join forces and create teams that bring both, creativity and innovation together. Change begins when you realize one or both of these are missing. 

So my question to you is who do you need to invite to your meetings and to evaluate what you’re doing creative folks or innovators? What needs to be that isn’t so that your ministries are effective, healthy, growing and bearing the fruit God wants they to bear. A wonderful mentor in my life used to say it doesn’t take leadership to change something that’s not working, it takes true leadership to take something that’s working good and add creativity and innovation to make it better!  Decide total to let this dynamic duo work for you to help you see God’s dreams for your life and ministry come to pass.

 

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