To weather the storm, church leaders should pay attention to 6 crucial factors — and understand how they’re affecting the lending landscape. For the last several years, I’ve been helping churches across the country make financing decisions as they seek to grow their ministries and meet their stewardship goals. At Thrivent, we’ve been monitoring the […]
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In the few years following COVID, church leaders were not focused on construction or physical plant expansion; rather, they were waiting for in-person worship attendance to fully recover. Over the last 12 to 18 months, lenders finally began to see a significant increase in construction financing requests. Enter the tariff war and the caution flags […]
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By RaeAnn Slaybaugh As Overflow Church navigates explosive growth, like-minded, like-hearted partnerships prove essential for project success. By his own admission, Pastor Brandon Teachey was an unconventional choice to take over as lead pastor at Overflow Church in Angier, N.C. In fact, he was as surprised as anyone when he accepted the role! At just […]
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How St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is harnessing the allure of old-world design for modern-day ministry By RaeAnn Slaybaugh Of the 46 years spent as a priest in the Dallas Diocese, Fr. Bruce Bradley has dedicated nearly 14 to serving St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Plano, Texas. When he arrived in 2011, the parish had […]
Read More >HERITAGE CHURCH — Lake Zurich, Ill. “For our new, 1,000-seat worship center project, we looked at several different theater seat companies and several different stacker chair companies. But — when we saw what SERIES® Seating could provide firsthand — our decision became an easy one. From the outset, it was evident they were not selling, […]
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A look back at the articles that mattered most to our readers in 2024 By RaeAnn Slaybaugh In the past year, Church Executive has covered a lot of topics. Among them, a handful resonated best with our readers. With the help of our thought leader partners, we’ve written about rapid expansion, building projects, and […]
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By RaeAnn Slaybaugh When three pastors at Tennessee’s First Baptist Cleveland decided to take a phased approach to their church’s massive building project, it wasn’t the original plan. But after taking stock and heeding change of heart, it was the best one. Senior Pastor Jordan Easley was called to First Baptist Cleveland while leading […]
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Getting the most from the smaller spaces in your church By Steve Siebert There was a time when churches could acquire existing buildings or land for low prices and renovate them at a fraction of today’s costs. Today, however, the cost per square foot for both acquisition and renovation has increased significantly, making it […]
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As leaders at First Baptist Cleveland know, the best-laid plans can go awry. That means going back to the drawing board — sometimes, with even better results. By RaeAnn Slaybaugh Senior Pastor Jordan Easley was called to First Baptist Cleveland while leading a church of 3,000 (and growing). “I thought I’d be there for […]
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By RaeAnn Slaybaugh With decades of sustained growth, leaders at Faith Fellowship were looking to add space and connect their existing facilities. And they did — under budget. Since 1999, Faith Fellowship in Wirtz, Va., has enjoyed consistent growth. How church leaders accommodated the expanding church family took varying forms. Over decades, it became clear […]
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