Operation seminary: using your VA benefits for training
You’ve served your country faithfully. Now, you desire to serve the church more strategically.
How can you best use the VA benefits you’ve earned to get the biblical training you want?
LEADERSHIP Archives - Page 79 of 121 - Church Executive
Making MDiv residency work for busy pastors
Grand Canyon University (GCU) recently completed its second residency for the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program. GCU’s MDiv program within the College of Theology offers learning with interpersonal collaboration to develop and inspire future worship leaders.
Read More >The cost of ‘knowledge’ in the Information Age
The synod headquarters office — being a central repository of a great deal of sensitive information — had taken security very seriously, in every possible regard. So, what went wrong?
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Investing with purpose: the rise of responsible investing
More than ever before, individuals are aligning their finances with their personal beliefs. The noted increase in charitable giving in the United States, as shown in recent findings from the National Center for Charitable Statistics, is a great example of this positive shift. But, individuals are not only trying to use their finances for good by helping others; they are investing in companies that align with their values, too. For example, last year, one out of every six dollars invested under professional management — $6.57 trillion or more — was invested in a socially conscious investment strategy, as reported in the 2014 Report on Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends in the United States by US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment.
While the strategies go by various names — environmental, social and governance investing (ESG), socially responsible investing (SRI), biblically responsible investing (BRI), ethical investing, impact investing and many more — the goal of these fund managers is to reflect the beliefs of the investors they serve.
Read More >How to avoid cost overruns: tried-and-true strategies
Often, when a church decides it wants to build, the first step is to get a set of plans designed and then bid out with several contractors. Nearly every month, we encounter churches where — after bidding the plans — the project is over budget and cannot be completed.
Other church leaders tell us their buildings were built using this process … and yet they ended up spending a significant amount more than the contractor’s original bid.
You might ask how this could happen. The answer: cost overrun.
Read More >Designing worship areas: expansion takes shape
In this installment, we’ll focus on three types of alternative site selection:
#1: Expansion on one site (current or new)
#2: Expansion on multiple sites
#3: Expansion through church planting or new starts
Church transportation: survey the safety landscape
Good bus drivers avoid potholes, speedbumps and potentially dangerous conditions on the road.
Church leaders should be just as vigilant about heeding potentially dangerous conditions — for themselves and their precious cargo.
Read More >Church accounting basics: EMPLOYEE — to be or not to be
If your church is anything like mine, you are constantly trying to navigate the requirements of our nation’s employment laws. When researching the topic of “employee versus independent contractor,” what I find is consistently inconsistent. It’s easy to get lost in the lack of interpretation.
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