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Latest News Archives - Page 69 of 115 - Church Executive

Settling the annual review debate

Posted by admin

church compensation, church employee review, Church HR, church staff, church staff management, employee review, Staff management

May 11, 2015 at 1:29 pm.

In HR and management circles, there is a raging debate over whether or not to do annual reviews.

staffmanagementAll of Christ Community Church’s 120-plus employees are currently at the end of our fiscal year annual review season. Between now and June 30, each employee will receive a year-end review that takes place once a year at this time. It is a very systematic and organized process.

So, you can guess from our process that I am a believer in annual reviews. Well, I am — but you might be surprised at my answer to the annual review debate. Should an organization, business or church conduct annual reviews?

My answer is a resounding “maybe”. Let me explain.

4 reasons why connecting spaces trump cattle chutes

Posted by admin

church campus design, Church design, church facilities, connecting spaces, facilities management, third space, third space design

May 11, 2015 at 1:16 pm.

When I started my career in church facility development in 19XX (you venture a guess), the foyer/lobby/narthex (for my liturgical friends) was generally sized to be 1- to 2-square-feet per seat in the main worship space. In those days, this space was intended to be used as a place to funnel people from the worship space to the outside or down a series of narrow corridors that led to the education, administration or fellowship areas. There was often a small table for giving / tithing envelopes or general information, along with one or two uncomfortable high-back chairs … usually not ones you would enjoy sitting in for any length of time, nor were they arranged in a manner to encourage conversation or community.

For all practicality, the foyer was nothing more than a well-appointed cattle chute. (MOO)

Not any more.

The difference between commentary and leadership

Posted by admin

Church leadership, church management, church pastors, church sermon, church speaking, commentary

May 11, 2015 at 12:56 pm.

Both commentary and leadership are needed. Sometimes they overlap — a commentator may also be a leader. But here is how they are different.

How a healthy church can spiral — quickly — into dysfunction

Posted by admin

church crisis management, church decline, Church Growth, Church health, Church leadership, church sickness, church spiral

May 4, 2015 at 1:44 pm.

Churches are more like organisms than they are organizations. Like an organism, when church health declines, it typically does so slowly. But there are cases when an otherwise healthy person experiences a sudden deterioration. Healthy churches can also experience a sharp decline in health. There are cases of healthy churches quickly becoming dysfunctional. Below are five ways I’ve seen churches spiral downward quickly, almost overnight.

Protecting your church and religious organization against fraud

Posted by admin

Church Finance, church financial risk, church fraud, church fraud prevention, Church risk management, financial risk management, financial stewardship

May 4, 2015 at 1:14 pm.

Now more than ever, all organizations are exposed to risk, including cyber security breaches and internal fraud. Religious institutions — which strive on building a trusting relationship with their members and employees on the foundation of religious beliefs, coupled with tight budgets and limited financial oversight — are even more vulnerable to fraud and abuse.

5 critical questions to ask your (potential) agent

Posted by admin

church broker, Church insurance, church insurance coverage, Church risk management, insuring the church, selecting a broker, selecting insurance

April 29, 2015 at 11:26 am.

In the insurance world, agents — or brokers, in some instances — are oftentimes viewed as the “expert” when it comes to all things regarding liability, protection and coverage. As individuals, protecting things like personal vehicles and homes is thought of as a “no-brainer.”
What isn’t always top-of-mind is protecting the church.
As a ministry, there are innumerable assets and coverage options that should be considered when purchasing insurance. That’s where an insurance agent comes in to help.

Performance bonds: beneficial or a waste of money?

Posted by admin

Church building, church building project, Church Construction, Church expansion, church facility management, Church Finance, church performance bond, construction financing, facility stewardship

April 17, 2015 at 1:03 pm.

For most of my professional career, I have been anti-performance and payment bond-oriented. To me, they seem like such a waste of money. In short, they’re just an insurance policy (although the Surety industry would say they are not “insurance” but rather a “guarantee” — semantics!) in the unlikely event the general contractor on a job is unable to complete the project (usually due to a bankruptcy or other major catastrophe related to the contractor). In theory, that sounds great. It almost feels like the proverbial “Get Out Of Jail” card. But is it really?

Ordination class of 2015 shows increase in number ordained, reflects positive impact of support from families, Catholic schools, parish priests

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Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), class of 2015, Consecrated Life and Vocations, diocesan priesthood, ordination, priesthood, religious life, Secretariat for Clergy, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), USCCB

April 17, 2015 at 11:19 am.

WASHINGTON — The 2015 class of men ordained to the priesthood report that they were, on average, about 17 when they first considered a vocation to the priesthood and encouraged to consider a vocation by an average of four people.

Seven in 10 (71 percent) say they were encouraged by a parish priest, as well as friends (46 percent), parishioners (45 percent), and mothers (40 percent). On average, they lived in the diocese or eparchy for which they will be ordained for 15 years before entering seminary. Religious ordinands knew the members of their religious institute an average of six years before entering.

Church giving survey — win a $500 “Pastor’s Night In” package!

Posted by admin

church generosity, church giveaway, church giving, church survey, giving survey, Giving trends, pastor giveaway

April 10, 2015 at 9:55 am.

This “mystery grab bag” is full of items designed to help pastors relax, be inspired, and get recharged. No essay questions or homework required; just take a few minutes to respond and you could win a restorative night at home.

What makes a leader a Christian leader?

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Christian leaders, Christian Leadership, church leaders, Church leadership, Leadership lessons, pastor leadership

April 3, 2015 at 1:04 pm.

As a big fan of Major League Baseball and Christianity, I like to keep my ears open to hearing of Christian ballplayers. It’s not that their statistics are going to be any different or that they run faster or slower. I watch them to see how they live.