A tale of two church cafés
Today, churches are offering a lot more than a cup of joe in a Styrofoam cup. With beverages and atmospheres that rival secular franchises, their champions have learned a lot in the process.
Read More >LEADERSHIP Archives - Page 86 of 121 - Church Executive
Social media risk — a spot check for the church?
Recently, I convened a panel of experts for a conversation about where the Church stands relative to capitalizing on the remarkable evangelization opportunity of social media. The key questions:
• Are churches actually embracing
social media?
• If so, how are they doing managing the risks?
• How can churches establish boundaries as they row in these unchartered waters?
When a church MOVES, will its people FOLLOW?
Churches relocate more than you think. In fact, your own church might be moving. Or, maybe you’re wondering how to relocate successfully sometime in the future. In either scenario, you’ll face some primary challenges:
• Communicating the church move to your members and regular attendees
(the congregation)
• Communicating the church move to your neighbors (the community)
That’s why you need a communications strategy before you make the move.
Read More >Religious institution financing truths—regardless of the lending climate
As the business administrator of a religious institution, you don’t need to be an experienced commercial developer to get a construction loan — you just need an expert ministry bank.
Read More >Effective student spaces: 3 tried-and-true design elements
Many student worship spaces use design elements that promote ministry and embody many of the same elements we find in all worship spaces. However, student worship spaces typically take it to a different level. While the ultimate goal is to worship Jesus, there’s also a practical goal: to maintain a connection with the student, who’s bombarded with all the trappings of today’s culture and crowd. To be successful on both fronts, the architecture and the design of the space must uniquely “speak” to the student population.
Read More >Using ChMS tools to engage visitors: 5 steps
Engaging first-time visitors is crucial to church growth. Most church growth studies find that:
• Out of 100 visitors, typically 10 to 25 will return for a second visit
• About 50 percent of those second-timers will return for a third service
• Of those, 75 percent will make a fourth visit
• After going four times, churches can generally begin to call those people regular attenders.
But, how can churches ensure they’re connecting with visitors so they’ll want to return for that next visit?
Read More >Engagement leads to building disciples
Making connections is an important part of life. From faster, more effective communication to building a more engaged community through deeper relationships, the promise of connecting through the use of technology in the 21st century seems awesome. While technology itself is not the answer, it can be utilized by churches to better connect, engage, equip and mobilize their congregations for doing the work outlined through the Gospel.
Read More >Proof that adding mobile giving won’t increase your church’s budget
A few months ago, I sat down for coffee with a young executive pastor. He was technologically savvy, ambitious and full of positivity as his church had seen triple-digit growth in the last few years.
As soon as the topic of church software came up, his countenance changed.
Read More >Invisible technology, tangible fellowship
Too often, we talk about tracking visitors and not letting them “fall through the cracks” of the organization. That’s the foundation of what a church management system (ChMS) should do — but it can be lot richer.
Read More >Hail Mary or holy moly: there’s got to be a better way to fund ministry
Many church leaders have realized that data and technology provide new ways of thinking about how they can overcome their increasing financial challenges.
Read More >