You’re Not Starting Over — You’re Starting Deeper

In this episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, Todd Rhoades talks about changing perspectives on the New Year within church ministry. Rather than viewing January as a return to zero, where ministry leaders might feel the same fatigue and drama as years before, Todd suggests recognizing these experiences as growth opportunities. He emphasizes that everything learned from the past year contributes to spiritual and personal development. Entering 2026 shouldn't be about starting over but building on what has been internally planted. Todd encourages listeners to acknowledge God's work within the past year and to write down key lessons, fostering a deeper, more anchored approach to ministry moving forward.• January in ministry can feel repetitive, like Groundhog Day.• Leaders are not going back to square one but building from the past year.• Ministry isn't a fresh start every year; lessons from the past are valuable.• Starting the new year should be anchored in history, learning, and faith.• Reflection on unfruitful appearances may reveal deeper growth by God.• Listeners are encouraged to write down three key lessons from the past year.

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Chapters

• 0:00 New Year Feels Like Groundhog Day
• 0:29 You’re Not Back At Square One
• 1:03 Last Year’s Work Wasn’t Wasted
• 1:45 Start Anchored, Not Fast
• 2:32 God Plants Below The Surface
• 3:42 Reflective Questions And Next Steps
• 4:17 Closing And Contact

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:07

It's almost new year, and if you're like me, you probably feel like this anymore can feel like groundhog day in the ministry. You've got a new calendar, same mating, you've got a new series, but the same fatigue, you've got new goals, but the same drama. And maybe you're thinking, here we go again, just another day and another new year. But here's the truth that most leaders miss. You're not going back to square one. You're building from something, and maybe you're stronger than you think. Hi there, my name's Todd Rhodes, and you're listening to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. There's a lie that church staff often believe this time of the year, and that's because maybe 2025 didn't work. Maybe 2026 will be a reset, a redo, a fresh start from scratch. But ministry isn't linear, and it's definitely not a clean slate every 12 months. I wish it was. So what did you do in 2025? Even the stuff that didn't go how you hoped? Just know that wasn't wasted. Everything that happened this year formed you. And for your team, it shaped them. And it taught you what to try again and what never to touch again. So there was some learning involved. So at the new year, you're not starting over. You're starting with some history and with some learning. And sure, with some scars, with some muscle, though, that you didn't have at the beginning of 2025. And most importantly, with God still at work, you can depend on 2026 being a really great and interesting year. Let me flip it a little bit. If you're thinking that you're starting from zero, here's what's going to happen. You'll act like it. You'll overwork, you'll overcompensate, you'll try to prove yourself once again. But if you're believe that you're starting deeper with roots, you'll slow down, you'll lead with humility, you'll listen more, you'll trust more, and you'll probably risk more because you're a little bit more anchored. Now, some of you are ready to step into 2026. Already tired. You didn't get the rest you wanted. The calendar filled faster than your soul recovered. And the pressure to start strong is already creeping in. But maybe you don't need to start fast. You just need to start anchored. And that means acknowledging what God did last year in 2025, even in all the weirdness that it might have been. It means tracing back to what he taught you in those moments and that you didn't even realize were sacred. And it means realizing that you're not returning to ministry as usual. You're returning in January of 2026 to a deeper, wiser, a little more broken year, which often means a little more usable. You know what? You're not the same leader that you were last January. And that's exactly the point I'm trying to make. God isn't asking you to reset everything. He's inviting you to dig deeper into what's already been planted. I've had times over my ministry career where I wish I could just hit delete, where I felt that the year had slipped by with too much busy and not enough fruit. But you know what, in hindsight, and the older I get, the more I realize this. Those times were often the years where God was planting some things under the surface, stuff that didn't bloom until much, much later. And it was there and it mattered. And I wonder, maybe that's true for you too. So here's what I want you to think about today as we head into this new year. What happened in 2025 that did not look fruitful to you? Maybe it still doesn't, but might actually have planted, been the beginning of planting by God of something deeper in your life. And here's another question for you. Where are you tempted to erase rather than build on what's already been done? Write down three things that God taught you in 2025. Not results, but those roots that we're talking about here. Things that changed you, even if the outcome wasn't visible. That's it for today. We're reflecting on the end of the year. I always like to do this and planning for the new year. And I hope this is helpful. You can reach out to me anytime, podcast at chemistry staffing.