It’s all about timing! By Rodney C. James As they say, “timing is everything.” When forecasting for church construction this year, there can’t be a more accurate statement. In 2021, we all saw crazy increases in the prices of construction materials, sometimes daily. While some of the chaos of pricing fluctuation has stabilized, the new […]
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By Gregory S. Love & Kimberlee D. Norris Youth Leader Arrested for Sexual Abuse of 14-Year-Old Girl screams the frontpage headline of a major metropolitan newspaper — yet again. As detectives investigate, several other teen girls come forward with additional allegations. Parents of students in the program express hurt, anger and bewilderment: how could this […]
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By Gregory S. Love & Kimberlee D. Norris Headlines related to child sexual abuse continue to rock the Church, and faith-based organizations continue to reevaluate sexual abuse response and resources. The New Year provides a good opportunity to ‘check in’ on current church practices related to child sexual abuse. We asked Kimberlee D. Norris and […]
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By Kirk Evans If you are wondering whether it’s time to come up with a more cohesive, actionable defensive plan for your church family, the short answer is yes, now is the time. To help you understand what this entails through the eyes of another church leader, we sat down and chatted with Pastor Frank […]
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A key First Amendment case progresses; addresses government funding for churches and church schools Church Executive has been following the recent string of Supreme Court cases which are sorting out the First Amendment guardrails defining the extent to which church schools and other church-affiliates are entitled to participate in government tuition and other subsidy programs. […]
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For Jamie Barth, accommodating unique insurance requests is pretty common. A large Texas church hosts a Christmas pageant including live animals — camels, lions, a small elephant, and sheep for the manger. The church hires an outside company to provide the animals. The need for separate insurance coverage never occurs to church leaders; it only […]
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By RaeAnn Slaybaugh With rates near historic lows, it makes a lot of sense for a church to consider refinancing its debt right now. Like many houses of worship, Reston Bible Church (RBC) in Dulles, Va., wanted to take advantage of this lending climate while the opportunity existed. In particular, Executive Pastor Bruce Campbell was […]
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By Kirk Evans We live in trying times, in an era when hatred sometimes boils over into violence against strangers. What was once your safe place — your church sanctuary — is not immune to violent attacks. Criminals can come into your service, armed with intent to murder. To protect what is sacred, you must […]
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At New Life Church of Arkansas, becoming debt-free — while continuing to expand across the state — are co-equal priorities. Here’s how it’s doing both successfully. At the financial helm of one of the nation’s fastest-growing churches — with 18 campuses across Arkansas — Finance Director and CFO Trip Leach has his hands (blessedly) full. […]
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The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear another important First Amendment case in early December, and the experts are saying the Court’s decision in this case could well complete the job of allowing churches and their schools and other affiliates to participate fully in government grant and subsidy programs. As Church Executive readers might […]
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