By Beka Johnson The last year was nothing short of incredible. From the pandemic, to economic and social unrest, to natural disasters, we were forced to confront some of the deepest, darkest parts of our culture, including the depths of our own hearts. And it wasn’t pretty. The Church had to step into anxiety-filled moments, figuring […]
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Professional advice on what’s required for volunteers versus staff For many churches, a background check is the only line of defense employed when screening volunteers and staff. Is it enough? Brian Gleason: A background check is a best practice in searching for any previous convictions since previous behavior is the best indicator of future behavior. […]
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Content creation without barriers By RaeAnn Slaybaugh Having worked with Church of the Resurrection (COR.org) in Leawood, Kansas, in some capacity for more than 20 years, it is safe to say Sandy Thailing knows everything there is to know about its video production setup. Aside from his extensive work with this very large church, Thailing […]
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By Trevor Cornejo An ongoing challenge for churches is navigating how to continually encourage giving. What once was a simple concept of passing an offering plate pew to pew on Sunday mornings, now takes much more strategy and thought. In an age that is becoming more and more reliant on technology, even things like church […]
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By Tiffany Self How do we care for our communities well amid isolation, racial tension, and economic uncertainty? In light of what’s going on in the world today, we clearly need to humbly plead for God’s help and guidance as we recognize that our world needs places where people can feel heard and respected, but […]
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By Karen Wolf Mass notification systems help communities navigate the path to normalcy Christians throughout the world recently celebrated Holy Week and Easter for the second time during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the progress made with vaccinating the public has boosted many churchgoers’ confidence, gathering in-person is still beyond the comfort zone of many of […]
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As we begin the new year, the country will already have witnessed health care workers and others receiving the first vaccines developed to protect us against COVID-19. It is a testament to science — and, I believe, a miracle — that a vaccine has been developed so swiftly. Nevertheless, it will be later this year […]
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No one was — or could have been — prepared for what was coming with COVID-19. But, for better or worse, there’s no substitute for experience. In this spirit, we asked several church executives who have graced our cover in the past few years to reflect on leading during disruption. How have they and their […]
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By Molly Matthews The global pandemic has brought about immense change, and many have unfortunately felt negative effects. However, not everything that has come out of this is doom and gloom: some churches have seen positive impacts from pivoting their business strategies. Primarily, ministries were forced to turn to digital solutions to maintain connection with […]
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Even during COVID, you can use your info to engage new visitors, drive more effective discipleship, and re-connect with at-risk members As churches shift to all-digital (or mostly digital) strategies during COVID, are there opportunities to gather important data on new “visitors”? Senneff: When many people are engaging online, understanding who’s attending is a real […]
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