By Johanna Gruber Shared meals are one of the most effective ways to bring people together. They support volunteers before a busy Sunday, help welcome newcomers, fuel children’s programming, and create connection across a congregation. But for churches with multiple campuses, managing the food behind those moments can become a financial and administrative headache. Orders […]
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Q: As church leaders come to you with questions about church seating, what are they asking most often? In contrast, what questions would you advise them to ask first? A: The first question we ask is, “What issues do you have with your current seating that you want to try to fix?” Many churches have […]
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Strategic decisions — made early — can help you create versatile spaces and maximize your investment. Q: As church leaders come to you with questions about church seating, what are they asking most often? In contrast, what questions would you advise them to ask first — and why? A: I think the No. 1 question […]
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Before any design takes shape, you need a clear funding strategy and a comprehensive accounting of project costs. An experienced church construction adviser explains what to plan for — and what happens when budgets fall short. Q: You say hard costs are “what people picture when they picture construction,” but soft costs are […]
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By Jeff Harvey By the time most church leaders notice a problem, it’s already a few months old. Giving comes in under budget for the third straight month. A midweek class that used to fill the room has shrunk to a handful of regulars. A family that served every Sunday hasn’t been seen since spring. […]
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Growth doesn’t cost a church depth. It costs visibility — and someone has to close the distance. By Luke Denton When the world shut down in 2020, my staff and I did something that felt almost old-fashioned: we split up our entire church database and started calling people. Not just the pastors. My IT guys […]
Read More > By Jonathan Smith I was asked a question recently that got me thinking: “If there were only two things you could convince church leaders to do, what would they be?” As I thought about it and looked back over the past several decades I’ve spent working in church IT, two things quickly rose to the […]
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By RaeAnn Slaybaugh At Chase Oaks Church, partnering with Learning Care to bring Pathways Learning Academy to campus has helped meet a community need, create new ministry connections and put underused facilities to work — without asking church staff to become childcare specialists. For many churches, full-service childcare offers compelling possibilities: meeting a community need, […]
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8 tried-and-true strategies By Peter Fairchild Jordan had been looking forward to her package all week. She treated herself to a lipstick set from a new makeup brand. The packaging looked elegant, and the purchase was reasonably priced. When the box arrived, she tore it open with excitement. But her smile quickly faded. Inside were […]
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By Matthew Mattingly, ARM Most churches review their insurance policy once a year, sign the renewal, and move on to the hundred other things competing for an administrator’s attention. That’s understandable — risk management isn’t why anyone got into ministry. But in 20 years of working with religious institutions, the churches that get hurt aren’t […]
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