By Sam S. Rainer III The lockdowns did not shorten the workweek. Many people in a variety of professions are working more hours. I wanted to know how COVID-19 affected the workweek of pastors. At Church Answers, I asked a simple question of our community of pastors and church leaders. How many extra hours have […]
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Arlington, Va., September 2, 2020 — National polling of the U.S. workforce indicates a majority of employees are burnt out (58 percent), up from 45 percent in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among employees who report burnout, 35 percent say it is attributable to COVID-19 circumstances, up from 25 percent in April. These findings […]
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By Alex Kim, CFP®, MBA, CPA Identity theft is on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to IDentity USA, a provider of identity monitoring, protection and recovery. Experts predict 1 in 4 people in the United States will be victims of this growing crime trend as more people work from home. Cyber criminals hope […]
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How to navigate a sexual abuse crisis at your church By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris The headline stunned the congregation of a large Protestant church: Church Rocked by Sexual Abuse Allegations. Church leaders took hundreds of phone calls from members, media representatives and advocacy groups. Social media coverage was immediate and savage, assuming the […]
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By Rev. Vincent Howell Projects are a part of the work of ministry in any local congregation. They range from updating the parsonage when a new pastor is assigned to developing a new ministry to grow youth programs, hosting a holiday meal for the community and planning programs during the Advent season. Yet, many times, […]
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Houses of worship play a critical role in the life of the community. As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic progressed, many organizations suspended in-person gatherings in accordance with government mandates or recommendations to limit the spread of the virus. Now that states and local communities are planning to ease restrictions, you may be considering how and when […]
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By Matthew F. Manion As of this writing, masses are being celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome for the first time in 10 weeks. Throughout the United States, individual states and local jurisdictions are creating guidelines for religious gatherings as they begin to reopen their governments. As churches around the globe begin to open […]
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CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN MINISTRY CONTEXTS By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris When in doubt, REPORT. If every allegation of child sexual abuse was simply reported by church leaders to appropriate authorities, the resulting positive impact would be immeasurable. Survivors of abuse would feel validated — by itself a significant positive outcome — pathways to […]
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No matter the crisis, whether COVID-19 or something more local to our community, our first priority must be how we minister to people. Having current and real information is key to making necessary decisions in the moment. Answer the question, based on what we know, what is right, now? Don’t let all the other energy […]
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By Matt Mashburn & Melissa Mashburn We’re heading into a time where the future of staffing and team development will look very different. As church leaders, we will inevitably be facing some tough decisions around staffing in the near future. That might mean downsizing staff in some cases. We’ve outlined eight principles for navigating difficult […]
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