Preaching and teaching series map
A 12-week series with the text, big idea, and key point for each Sunday, ready for the pulpit or the classroom, laid out like a project plan with prep milestones so Saturday night stops being a scramble.
For small-church pastors, ministers, and ministry leaders
Plan your 15. Trust God with the 168.
There are 168 hours in every week. We help you plan the 15 that need a plan.
For ministry leaders with more calling than hours. You preach, teach, lead, visit, and keep the church running, often alongside another job, a full family life, or both. The Jethro Plan gives you a planned preaching and teaching calendar, a ready all-ages lesson for every Sunday, and a weekly rhythm that protects your family and your health.
Founding membership opens soon: $15/month, locked in for life, first 50 churches only. Get the free lesson to hold a spot.
Sample week: a leader with a day job
15 planned hours
Mon
2 h
Sermon study, 7–9 pm
Tue
2 h
Visits and calls, 6–8 pm
Wed
2 h
Bible study, 6:30–8:30 pm
Thu
1.5 h
Admin, 7–8:30 pm
Fri
0 h
Family night, 6–10 pm
Sat
2.5 h
Rest, 7 am–12 pm · Sermon polish, 1–3:30 pm
Sun
5 h
Lesson, worship, fellowship, 9 am–2 pm
Not on the schedule, because it can't be: prayer, presence, and the 2 a.m. hospital call. The plan covers the focused work so you have room for the rest. Full-time and volunteer leaders get plans shaped to their weeks too.
Why "Jethro"?
Moses had more calling than hours too.
In Exodus 18, Moses judged the people from morning until evening. His father-in-law, Jethro, watched and told him plainly that he would wear himself out, and the people with him. Jethro's counsel was to share the load with capable, trustworthy people so Moses could focus on what only he could do.
The apostles did the same in Acts 6, appointing others to serve so they could give themselves to prayer and teaching the word. The 15 planned hours are the focused core of your ministry, not the limit of it. Planning well and equipping others is how a calling lasts.
Most American churches are small, and many run on one leader. Resources built for large, fully staffed churches don't fit the Sunday you actually have.
65
median weekly attendance at U.S. congregations
65%
of congregations had fewer than 100 in weekly worship
1 in 3
churches of 100 or fewer are led by part-time leaders
Source: Faith Communities Today 2020 national study, Hartford Institute for Religion Research
What's inside
A complete ministry system, not another pile of resources.
Everything is built to work together, so the sermon, the lesson, and your calendar all point the same direction.
All-ages Sunday lesson
One lesson tied to the sermon text that a single volunteer can teach to kids, teens, and adults in the same room. Includes a leader script, questions by age, and a take-home family devotional.
Your 15 planned hours
Time blocks for study, pastoral care, admin, and rest, delivered Monday morning, plus one short tip on what you can safely let go of this week.
Live office hours
A 60-minute call on a practical problem: building volunteers, running a board meeting, handling a crisis visit. Every call is recorded for replay.
How a quarter works
- Pick your series and add your church's dates and special Sundays.
- Get the Monday email with that week's plan, lesson, and prep milestones.
- Hand off Sunday's lesson to a volunteer by Wednesday.
- Bring your hardest question to monthly office hours.
Series map preview
A whole quarter, planned before it starts.
Each quarter's map lays out 12 Sundays like a project plan: the arc of the series, every text and big idea, weekly prep milestones, and backup plans for the Sundays that don't go as expected. Here's a peek at the Winter 2027 map.
Winter 2027 · 12 Sundays · Jan 3 to Mar 21
Storms and Faith
Key textPsalm 46:1
"The storm is real, but so is the One in the boat."
How the series moves
- Jesus in the stormWeeks 1 to 2
- Where storms come fromWeeks 3 to 6
- Courage in the stormWeeks 7 to 9
- Built to standWeeks 10 to 12, landing on Palm Sunday
Week by week
1Jan 3Jesus Calms the StormMark 4:35–41
2Jan 10Eyes on JesusMatthew 14:22–33
3Jan 17Running Into the StormJonah 1
Weeks 4 to 12 are in the full map, with a big idea and a weekly response for every Sunday. Get the free sample lesson
Weekly prep milestone
WednesdayHand the all-ages lesson to your volunteer teacher. Done when the teacher has the lesson and knows the time slot.
One of six milestones that make up the 15 planned hours.
Backup plan
Snow cancels a SundayText the week's big idea and family devotional, then combine the next two weeks.
One of five risks planned for ahead of time.
Sample lesson
One room, every age, one volunteer.
Here's a shortened preview of a weekly lesson. The full version includes a 5-minute opening activity, a leader script, and a printable family page.
Get the full lesson freeSeries: Storms and Faith · Week 1
Jesus calms the storm
Mark 4:35–41 · 40 minutes
Big idea
Jesus is with us in the storm, even when it feels like he's asleep.
Talk it over, by age
- Ages 4–7
- What scares you? Who helps you feel safe?
- Ages 8–12
- Why do you think the disciples woke Jesus up? What would you have done?
- Teens
- When has God felt quiet in your life? What helped you keep going?
- Adults
- Jesus asks, "Why are you so afraid?" What storm is he asking you about right now?
Take it home
- Pray together each night this week for one person going through a storm.
- Ask the oldest person at your table to share a time God carried them through.
Get to know us
Who's behind it, and where the lessons stand.
Pricing
Less than $7 a Sunday.
One plan covers your whole church. Cancel anytime.
Free
$0
- Weekly email with one time-saving tip
- One sample all-ages lesson each month
- Weekly planning template
Church
$29 / month
or $249 a year
- Quarterly preaching series maps
- Weekly all-ages lessons with family pages
- Your 15 planned hours, every Monday
- Monthly live office hours and replays
Founding membership opens soon. The first 50 churches pay $15 a month, locked in for as long as they stay subscribed. Get the free lesson and you'll hold a spot. We'll email you the day it opens.
No payment today. Monthly ($29) and yearly ($249) plans open at the same time.
Association
From $1,500 / year
- Church plan for 25 to 100 member churches
- One private training session each year
- A simple report on how churches are using it
Serving a church that can't afford it right now? Ask about a hardship rate. No small church should go without because of budget.
Questions
Before you join
Does this mean ministry stops at 15 hours?
No. Ministry is all of life, all 168 hours of the week. The 15 hours are the planned, focused work: study, preaching, teaching, visits, and admin. Planning that core well frees you for what can't be scheduled, like prayer, presence, and crisis care.
Who is this for?
Anyone carrying significant ministry responsibility in a small church: senior and associate pastors, ministers, elders, Bible teachers, and youth and children's leaders. It's built around the realities of bivocational and volunteer ministry, and it works just as well for full-time leaders who want to protect time for family, rest, and the people God has placed in front of them.
Can a volunteer really teach the lesson with no training?
Yes, that's the design. Each lesson includes a word-for-word leader script and timing notes, so a willing volunteer can prepare in about 30 minutes.
Get the full sample lesson free.
Enter your email and we'll send the complete "Jesus calms the storm" lesson. You'll also hold a spot among the first 50 founding churches, at $15 a month locked in for as long as you stay.