How to Use the Seek. Pray. Serve. Planner in Your Local LWML Group

If your LWML group has ever stared at a blank calendar wondering, “What should we do this year?”—the Seek. Pray. Serve. Planner is your answer.

Created by Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, this two-year planning guide is more than a schedule. It is a thoughtfully designed ministry companion that helps local groups stay Christ-centered, mission-focused, and organized—without burning out leaders or reinventing the wheel.

Here’s how to put this powerful resource to work in your own LWML group.

The planner is designed to guide two full years of ministry, which makes it perfect for long-range planning.

How to use it:

• At the beginning of a biennium (or when new leaders are installed), gather your officers or planning committee.
• Review the overall themes and structure of the planner together.
• Identify which months or themes align best with your group’s rhythm—school year, calendar year, or quarterly meetings.

This one meeting can eliminate hours of guesswork later.

Each month in the planner includes a theme supported by devotions, Bible studies, discussion questions, mission stories, or creative elements.

How to use it:

• Choose one planner section per meeting as your foundation.
• Build your agenda around that content instead of searching for something new.
• Adjust as needed: shorten a study, skip a sketch, or focus on discussion.

The beauty of the planner is flexibility—it supports your meeting without dictating it.

Mission stories and service themes woven throughout the planner help groups see the why behind their work.

How to use it:

• Pair planner themes with a simple service activity or ingathering.
• Use mission stories as prayer prompts or discussion starters.
• Connect local service projects to the national mission focus highlighted in the planner.

This keeps meetings grounded in action, not just conversation.

Not every group meets monthly—and that’s okay.

How to use it:

• Monthly meetings: follow the planner in sequence.
• Quarterly meetings: choose one theme per quarter.
• School-year groups: select themes that fit fall, winter, and spring rhythms.

The planner works for your schedule, not against it.

A tool only works if people use it.

How to use it:

• Encourage leaders to keep a digital or printed copy handy.
• Refer to it during meetings so members recognize its value.
• Revisit it annually to reassess goals and refresh plans.

Over time, the planner becomes a trusted companion—not just a document.