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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By Dr. David Kotter A pastor sits at his desk on Monday morning. Sunday’s sermon is over. Next Sunday’s is six days away. One screen holds an open Bible. The other, ChatGPT. A cursor blinks patiently. Which window should he click first? This scene is no longer hypothetical. It is becoming a weekly decision in […]
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By Malcolm Freberg Open the door for non-cash donations, and skyrocket your church’s end-of-year giving Every church depends on end-of-year generosity to kickstart its coming year of ministry. Research confirms that more donations arrive in December than any other month of the year — and because you already know this, chances are that you’re […]
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With a title like that, I’m sure you’re hooked and can’t wait to keep reading. You might be saying, “What’s with all the acronyms, and why should I care?” I’m glad you asked, and I hope you’ll stick with me. SMS stands for Short Message Service, which is the technical term for text messaging. SMS […]
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Examining engaging design at Pleasant Valley Community Church in Owensboro, Ky. By RaeAnn Slaybaugh When Pleasant Valley Community Church Executive Pastor Jay Mills began looking for a partner to help expand and accommodate rapid growth, he already knew who he wanted to call. Mills had known Rodney James, founder and president of Master’s Plan […]
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Why similar organizations experience very different outcomes By Jon Barron A ministry has a major water loss over a weekend. The policy responds. Adjusters are assigned. Mitigation begins. On paper, the organization is covered. By Monday morning, however, the harder questions are operational: Where will programs meet? Who speaks to staff, donors, residents, parents, or […]
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Andy Stanley is a bestselling author, communicator, and founder of North Point Ministries. In his latest book, What Great Leaders Do: 7 Essentials for Enduring Impact, he distills decades of leadership experience into seven essential practices that create strong leaders, healthy organizations, and lasting influence. Andy Stanley on the leadership tensions that quietly derail churches—and […]
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By Brianne Shaw It wasn’t part of the program. It happened off to the side at a conference, between sessions, the kind of moment where someone finally says what they’ve actually been thinking. “I want this,” a pastor told me. “I just can’t figure out how to use AI.” He wasn’t skeptical. He wasn’t pushing […]
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ELEVATE YOUR MINISTRY LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY Here is a place where you belong! Are you ready to move from day-to-day management to visionary, kingdom-building leadership? As a Church Executive reader, you already know the unique pressures of leading a modern ministry. Managing staff, balancing budgets, and maintaining spiritual alignment requires more than standard business strategies. It […]
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Why the Church must champion real human connection in an age of loneliness By Denise Craig, CAE, CCA Walk into any airport, coffee shop or college campus today and you’ll see something both fascinating and heartbreaking: people talking to their phones. They’re not scrolling, not texting, but talking. On the other end of that conversation […]
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