In a valuable new eBook, “Finances & Administration for Church Leaders” Rev. Dr. Sara Day, CFP®, examines the value of a pastoral relations committee — among the most effective methods for strengthening the lines of communication between the pastor and the congregation.
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Whichever end of the spectrum your church falls on — big, small, urban, rural, tech-savvy or still improving — I’m sure there are things about your church’s online presence that sometimes make you cringe. With that in mind, I’d like to talk about the five most “cringe-worthy” mistakes I see churches make with their digital giving strategies. My intention here is not to “throw stones,” but rather to shine a light on some of the low-hanging fruit in the oft-confusing and ever-changing world of digital giving.
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Every church is different. Even so, one thing they all have in common is the desire to create a space that evokes and contributes to a person’s worship experience. In this in-depth new eBook, “Designing Worship Spaces” series author Curtiss H. Doss, AIA — who has designed for church clients for more than two decades — talks about the unique DNA of each church, and why it must be honored in the church’s worship space design.
Read More >If I asked you to tell me about your 2014, you’d likely tell me about the highlights — vacations you took, job changes, big things in the lives of your kids, and other things that stand out in your mind. But, that’s not what made the biggest difference in your life in 2014. Here’s what actually made the biggest difference: You ate. You slept. You drank water. That’s why you’re alive. That’s what sustained you and allowed all of the other things to happen. When any of those slipped, so did the rest of life. Try to enjoy your vacation without food, drink or sleep. Try to have breakthroughs at work or be a sunshiny presence at home. Eat, drink, sleep. Do those three things well and the rest of life happens. Fail to do them and life is worse — or life ends.
Read More >On May 18, 2014, Powhatan Community Church (Powhattan, VA) enjoyed its largest single giving day in the church’s 13-year history. And, founder and Senior Pastor Brian C. Hughes reported that the church was on budget to make the most aggressive budget increase in 10 years. All this exceeded the giving increase for which Hughes and his staff’s planned and prayed.
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I use the term “statesman” not in a truly political sense, though I do believe pastors should be the most active “ambassadors” for Christ in their churches. Pastors are statesmen in that they must realize they always represent their churches. That hat never comes off.
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As iServe pastor, Mari Beth Poor oversees the “on the mountain” ministries that enhance the overall experience of people attending Sunday worship services at Mountaintop Community Church. These include guest services, student ministries, children’s ministry, and worship and media. She also leads the church’s “off the mountain” community efforts and global outreach.
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While churches might have to be run like businesses, there are specific needs and flexibility which non-CMS financial management applications just cannot provide. For some, the leading secular accounting software might be the answer — but we suggest otherwise. Here’s why.
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In this series installment, Paul Gage — who has consulted more than 500 church capital campaigns, with results exceeding $1 billion — focuses on the second phase of a campaign: Organization. According to Gage, the three most critical components of this phase are Prayer, Presentation and Preaching.
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Anyone with resources — whether believers or not — will only give generously to what they understand and value. If your givers can’t articulate the result, or if they don’t fully support the outcome that their gift is meant to achieve, they won’t give much. Typically, they won’t give consistently, and they certainly won’t give lavishly or at great sacrifice.
Clearly communicating vision provides both the roadmap and the destination for the generous heart.
