The Most Important 30 Minutes of Your Week: Weekly Check-ins

As ministry leaders, we often feel the pressure to pour ourselves into the people we serve: the congregation, the community, and the families walking through our doors each week. But in the middle of sermon prep, budget meetings, and event planning, there’s a simple, often-overlooked leadership practice that carries profound power—the weekly check-in.

A weekly 20 to 30 minute check-in with each team member may feel like a small thing, but it is, in fact, one of the most transformative things a leader can do. When your team knows that every week they’ll have a space where their voice matters, where their leader leans in with curiosity and care, it communicates something no title or team retreat ever could: You are seen. You are heard. You are valued.

And isn’t that what most people long for? Not grand gestures or micromanagement, but to feel that their presence, perspective, and contribution matter. Especially in ministry, our teams often carry invisible burdens, family struggles, spiritual fatigue, personal doubts or insecurities, and when those go unacknowledged for too long, burnout isn’t far behind. Regular check-ins open a safe space for these burdens to be shared. That alone can lift the weight.

Don’t Overcomplicate It.

Let’s be clear: a check-in is not another meeting. It’s not a performance review, a time for you as the ministry leader to share everything you want to see happen, and it’s certainly not meant to be a one-sided update on to-dos. Please don’t do this! This can make your team members feel as though they are really just another resource for you to get things done. 

A good check-in is a conversation. It’s human. It’s 20 to 30 minutes of being with someone, asking a few well-placed questions, listening more than talking, and offering encouragement when needed. If something major arises that would derail the time frame, don’t rush it, schedule a follow-up. Protect the space for what it’s designed to be: relational, intentional, and focused.

The simplicity is part of its power.

Say Less, Ask More.

Michael Bungay Stanier’s book The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever offers a guiding framework for this kind of interaction. He urges leaders to resist the urge to “fix” and instead embrace the power of asking well-timed questions. His seven coaching questions, like What’s on your mind? or What’s the real challenge here for you?, are gold for weekly check-ins.

Why? Because they invite honesty. They allow team members to take the lead in their own development. They demonstrate trust. And they shift the leader’s role from solver to partner, which fosters growth, autonomy, and mutual respect.

Show Up Authentically.

Check-ins don’t require a script. They require you. Your presence. Your authenticity. Your willingness to listen even when you don’t have the perfect words to say. A leader who shows up distracted or disinterested might technically “check in,” but they’ll leave people feeling checked out. A leader who puts down the phone (better yet, silence it!), looks someone in the eye, and asks How are you really doing? becomes a healing presence.

In the Gospels, Jesus had countless crowds pressing in for His attention, but He stopped for the one. The bleeding woman. The blind man. The Samaritan woman at the well. He made time for intentional, personal interaction. That model still speaks today.

Make the Commitment.

If you’re not doing weekly check-ins, now is the time to start. Block out 30 minutes per team member. Make it a standing appointment. Show up with a curious mind and an open heart. And stick with it.

If you’re already doing check-ins, evaluate them: Are they relational or just transactional? Are you listening deeply or just ticking boxes? Could you shift from giving advice to asking better questions? This one leadership habit can change everything. It’s small. It’s simple. And it’s sacred.

Because in the end, it’s not just about team alignment or ministry goals. It’s about people. And when you take time each week to show someone they matter—not just to the church, but to you—you model the very heart of Christ.

uniteleadership.org

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