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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A major building project is something typical pastors undertake only once or twice in their careers, if ever. Many potential pitfalls loom without the right guidance, and far too many pastors are essentially “flying blind” when they start out. It can even lead them to burnout … and leaving their churches behind. To this end, […]
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By RaeAnn Slaybaugh After more than a decade meeting in a school, and then in a leased warehouse, Faith and Victory Church in Auburn, Wash. — a suburb of Seattle — was enjoying significant growth: 30 percent, year over year, for several years. The need for a more permanent (and suitable) church home was […]
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When I was growing up in a pastor’s home, I remember the building fund appeals and public declarations of how much we had raised for the new sanctuary. I remember watching the magic of construction progress over the next few years. Behind the scenes, however, there were meetings with bankers, bond brokers, and large donors […]
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By Jerry Vaughan “Debt” isn’t a popular word in churches. As church lenders and people of faith ourselves, we understand: it’s difficult to preach about being debt-free and then turn around and borrow money for a building project. So when cautioned against committing too heavily to raising funds ahead of construction — compared to financing […]
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One of the most challenging aspects of growth in a church can be the preparation and coordination of balancing space needs with financial means. After all, the physical building can mean so much to your church family. You want to have a certain feeling when you walk in the building. You want the building to […]
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[left to right] Churches by Daniels Founder & CEO Charlie Daniels and wife, Sally, with Cassie and Justin Driver After a devastating fire, a brand-new pastor embarks on a challenging rebuild project — and gets much more than he hoped for By RaeAnn Slaybaugh Growing up in a pastor’s home with sound biblical teaching, Justin […]
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A unified approach to church building & capital stewardship just makes sense We’ve all heard of church building projects that go like this: hire an architect and design a building. Find out the building you want is more than your church can afford. Hire a capital stewardship consultant to raise the difference. Find out the […]
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By Joe Park An increasing number of church leaders are reporting a slow decline in church giving — both in total dollars and in the number of people giving. Over time, this decline could have a devastating effect on a church’s capacity to fund ministry. Yet many churches are experiencing strong growth in giving. And […]
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This article is an excerpt from “CHURCH BUSINESS: Making the Business of the Church Easier, Simpler, and Much Less Painful.” By Nathan Freeland Should the pastor know what people tithe? I used to think he shouldn’t. But then I learned about Dan. Knowing the truth about Dan changed my mind. Dan had been a leader […]
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