With the inauguration of a new President and the peaceful transfer of power conferred, political commentators and journalists are keeping tabs on the first 100 days of the new administration. New leaders always bring new ideas and intensity to their work; pastors who are called to a new ministry do too.
Starting a ministry position is exhilarating. Starting a ministry position during a pandemic is also exhausting. Normally the pastoral rhythms are reset with new faces and new places, but with in-person gatherings suspended or with those new faces covered by masks, equilibrium requires expending more energy.
The adage, “It’s not how you start but how you finish” doesn’t easily apply to ministers in their first one hundred days at a new church. In contrast, starting well gives you the opportunity to make a good first impression and to cultivate a meaningful narrative about your place in and among the community you now serve.
For better or worse, a good, focused start will set the tone for your ministry in a new context, especially in the middle of a pandemic. To help you get started, here is a list of 100 things you can do to build meaningful connections and maximize your honeymoon phase in the first 100 days of your ministry:
End EVERY workday doing your favorite, life-giving ministerial task!
Ask the search committee chairperson why they called you to serve.
Wear a mask, maintain social distance, and wash your hands often.
Purchase a comfortable office chair, ring light, and Bluetooth remote. You might as well be comfortable if you have to stare into a camera.
Be present and visible to your family.
Get a library card.
Prepare great sermons and worship services.
Visit with every leader in your church (phone, video, email, or in-person with #3).
Find your bathroom.
Enlist your gatekeeper.
Discover your favorite local park and take a walk.
Audit your church’s website and add your contact information to the staff page.
Join an ecumenical group of pastors.
Network with your church’s ministry and missions partners.
Understand the daily operating procedures of the church office.
Approach a certified clergy coach (*cough* 540-427-7314*cough*).
Prioritize your schedule (see #1).
Assimilate into the community.
Set staff meetings on Tuesday afternoons, trust me.
Convey your enthusiasm about this new ministry!
Get settled into your office, but don’t stay there.
Check off one deferred church project.
Ask for recommendations around town (think homemade Yelp for doctors, mechanic, HVAC, etc.).
Solicit church recipes for your next big family meal.
Commit your pastor stump speech to memory and while you’re at it, record it.
Plan an open house to invite members to your home (…at some point).
Put your first week of (stay-)vacation on the church calendar.
Register to attend your denomination’s annual conference.
Study the church directory.
Create a physical folder for every person in your church and update the contact list.
Introduce yourself around town as best you can during a pandemic.
Meet with the superintendent of schools intent on offering your support and service.
Balance your personal financial books.
Attend civic events.
Develop a follow-up strategy for online and in-person church visitors.
Review church directory vendors and schedule a new one as needed.
Ask members to introduce themselves until you call them by name.
Deliver on your deadlines.
Have lunch or coffee with every staff member.
Add birthdays and anniversaries to your calendar.
Leave work early one day.
Exercise every day.
Have a conversation with the city/county manager.
Date your significant other at least once a week.
Take a selfie with the church before worship (or a screenshot on Zoom).
Pray for each member of the congregation by name.
Call an old friend.
Write personalized thank you notes to each member of the search committee.
Keep your daily devotions.
Seek stories from the senior adults.
Communicate to the children of your church during worship and virtual gatherings.
Hang out with the youth group.
Google your church and adjust accordingly.
Get monthly feed-forward from the elected church leaders.
Convene listening sessions with the church.
Tell good stories about your previous ministry.
Take a short, fun survey of the congregation.
Assess the church’s financial health.
Write down your short-term and long-term goals for the church.
Cast a humble vision for the church’s pandemic recovery.
Inventory all the church’s printed and digital communication materials.
Skip church one Sunday to observe the community during Sunday school and worship.
Ask the police chief to identify where the community aches the most.
Prayer-walk the church property.
Evaluate the church’s existing programs.
Revisit your calling as often as possible.
Listen to the complaints of the church but keep them in perspective.
Write a few newsletter articles.
Delegate minor tasks to keep you focused on the big picture.
Learn the history of your new church.
Call the former ministers (and ask to speak with their spouse, too).
Take notes on what you observe.
Follow through on all your commitments.
Journal your accomplishments so far.
Do something spontaneous as soon as you read this.
Walk the closest downtown area.
Meet with the church’s governing body each month.
Build a team of trusted advisors.
Fix high traffic and high visibility areas of the church.
Give your references an update.
Tell your funniest story since you moved into the community.
Identify the power-brokers and knowledge holders of the church.
Write down what you didn’t know you didn’t know.
Read through your favorite Gospel and pay close attention to the red letters.
Learn how things get done around the church.
Pay a visit to the local historical district.
Like, follow, or subscribe to the church, city, and schools on your social media feeds.
Order altar flowers for the neighboring church on behalf of your church.
Say “Thank you” a lot.
Do something kind for your new neighbors.
Make your church look good.
Learn the work styles of your colleagues.
Email ministers who have recently started a new position.
In all the doing, be your true, authentic self.
Be tough on problems and easy on people. You manage tasks and you lead people.
Find a confidant/e who knows what it’s like to be a pastor.
Under the best circumstances it takes 18 months to transition, so be gentle on yourself.
Embrace the idea that you are never finished.
Don’t try to do too much.
Journal your first 100 days and read through it on Day 101.
What else would you add to this #First100Days list? What would improve this list? Leave a comment below.