Articles
Practical help for the leader who wears every hat.
Short, practical articles on planning, preaching and teaching, and sharing the load, for small-church pastors, ministers, and ministry leaders.
The story behind The Jethro Plan
Why a minister and project manager built a planning system for small churches, and what Exodus 18 teaches every leader who carries too much.
Hold up their arms
God didn't give Moses stronger arms. He gave him Aaron and Hur. What Exodus 17 says to every leader who is tired of carrying it alone.
Sep 26, 2026 · 5 min readThe one-page handoff
You found a volunteer. Now what? A simple job card that lets someone own a task, so it doesn't come back to your desk.
Sep 26, 2026 · 5 min readDecember without burnout
Three simple ways ministry leaders can keep the Christmas season from running them into the ground, and still have something left for January.
Sep 26, 2026 · 5 min readWhy Sunday keeps sneaking up on you (and how to start it on Monday)
If Saturday night has become prep night, the problem usually isn't effort. It's timing. Here's a simple way to spread one message across your week.
Sep 22, 2026 · 5 min readPlan 12 Sundays in one afternoon
A project manager's way to map a whole series before it starts, milestones and all.
Sep 22, 2026 · 6 min readOne room, every age: how to teach kids and adults together
Why small churches can turn one classroom into a strength, not a compromise.
Sep 22, 2026 · 6 min readThe one-task ask: recruiting volunteers who say yes
Small, specific requests that help more people serve and fewer people burn out.
Sep 22, 2026 · 5 min readThe other 153 hours
Your planned hours matter. So does the rest of the week. A look at Sabbath for busy leaders.
Sep 22, 2026 · 5 min readThe one-sentence Sunday
Write the big idea first, and let the sermon, the class, and the songs follow it.
Sep 22, 2026 · 4 min readWhat 15 planned hours actually looks like
A sample week for a leader with a day job, hour by hour, with room for the unexpected.
Sep 22, 2026 · 6 min readWhat Jethro told Moses (and what it means for your Tuesday)
Exodus 18 as a practical plan for leaders who carry too much.
Sep 22, 2026 · 5 min readFive opening activities that work for ages 4 to 84
Quick ways to get everyone talking in the first five minutes, with almost no supplies.
Sep 22, 2026 · 5 min readWhen your pastor preaches and you teach: staying on one message
For Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, and worship leaders who want to build on Sunday's big idea.
Sep 22, 2026 · 5 min readGet a free all-ages lesson
See what a Jethro Plan lesson looks like: "Jesus Calms the Storm," with a leader script, questions for every age, and a family page.
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.