On Nov. 12, 2025, the very last US penny was pressed. That is hard to believe. Growing up, I would see people with jars of pennies in their bedrooms and other places. You might have seen the gleam of copper at the bottom of a wishing well. That will slowly fade from our culture. However, with an estimated 300 billion pennies in circulation according to the US Mint, it may take some time for it to fade completely. The big question is “Why?” Why is our beloved penny being set aside? The simple answer is cost. Over the last decade, the cost of penny production went from 1.42 to 3.69 cents per penny. If it costs nearly 4.00 cents to make a coin that is only valued at 1.00 cent, it makes sense to me (no pun intended).
To me, this serves as a warning for our ministries. What are we investing in that should be set aside? Do we simply feel nostalgic about ministries that tug on the heartstrings but have long since lost their value? This isn’t just a problem of our more “seasoned saints.” Student ministry can fall into similar patterns. Why do we attend the same camp or conference? Why do we have a lock-in? (And, that is a topic for a whole other article.) Why do our weekly youth meetings look the same for years instead of looking into the spiritual needs of our current group of students? Ultimately, it means that we must sit down and evaluate what we are investing in. Has the investment come to outweigh any sort of return? Now, I am not talking about a commitment to pure pragmatism. That can be a dangerous path to take. However, with limited resources of people and finances in our churches, we must be wise and prayerfully evaluate what we are pouring into.
What should we consider as we evaluate our current batch of programs and ministries? What should be on our minds as we take steps to become better stewards of what God has placed in front of us? Here are some questions to get you started:
• Why does this ministry exist? I had a Taekwondo instructor who would do something to help you while you were teaching. If he thought you were off track, he would draw a question mark on his forehead to remind you to ask the “Why” question. Why am I leading this drill? What purpose does it serve? Why are you doing it now? We don’t ask the “Why” question enough. We often get something started because the church down the road has that thing, and we think we have to have it too. The ministries and programs your church promotes should be a reflection of how God uses you, not how God wants to use the church down the road. Additionally, when asking the “Why” question, we need to ask who this ministry is for. Was it created for those inside the church or outside? That will dig into those questions of existence.
• Does this ministry continue to reflect the vision of the church? Our church’s mission never changes. We are to Love God, Love People and Make Disciples. That is a one-size-fits-all statement for all churches. Our vision is how God wants his people in a specific community at a specific time to fulfill His mission. That may shift over the years as the congregation and community change. Bus ministry may have worked well in days gone by, but it may not be the best choice for your church now. That, and other ministries, may have reached the end of our usefulness to your congregation. How is your church living out its mission?
• Can the church afford the financial investment? We don’t want money to be a deciding factor as we weigh discontinuing a ministry, but it often reflects other factors. There may not be support for that ministry within your congregation, or changes in your community may have impacted giving across the board. Sometimes, we must set things aside when we can’t afford them. Would I love to have season tickets to the Razorback football games? The answer (even with this year’s performance) is a resounding “Yes!” However, the bank account won’t allow for that. I have to set that dream down for now.
• Does God want us to bring a ministry to a close? That is probably the biggest question. We should bathe our decisions in prayer. We must pray through all these evaluations. We should never leave God out of the decision. In fact, it should be where we start and end as we look at what God has us investing our time and energy in.
Are there ministries within your congregation and student ministry that need to come to the end of their era? Possibly. Take some time to look over what God is doing within your congregation and what may need to be set aside. It is not an easy or painless process, but it can be an important part of moving forward.
