THE CHURCH EXECUTIVE TOP 10: In the past year,
Church Executive has covered a lot of topics. Among them, a handful resonated best with our readers. The subjects vary widely, but the metrics speak for themselves: they all deserve a second look.
FRESH PERSPECTIVES, FRESH START: When three pastors at Tennessee’s First Baptist Cleveland decided to take a phased approach to their church’s massive building project, it wasn’t the original plan.
But after taking stock and a change of heart, it
was the best one.
GARY HOFFMAN + FAITH FELLOWSHIP: Accommodating steady growth with a seamless campus expansion — With decades of sustained growth, leaders at Faith Fellowship were looking to add space and connect their existing facilities. And they did —
under budget.
RON JOHNSON, JR. + LIVING STONES CHURCH: Stepping out — together — in faith: Prior to the pandemic, Living Stones welcomed about 25 new members, quarterly, in its Starting Point program. For two years during COVID, this number grew to 100 new members per month.
Johnson introduced a third service, something the church has continued for four years, now. Even so, as he puts it, it “didn’t take a rocket scientist” to see that the church was out of space — particularly in its sanctuary, as well as in its children’s, administrative spaces and gathering spaces.
ON EAGLES’ WINGS LEADERSHIP CENTER: A launch pad for Indigenous leaders — On Eagles’ Wings Leadership Center in the Ozarks — a 22,000-square-foot facility — is the 30-year culmination of a vision held by Hutchcraft Ministries Founder Ron Hutchcraft, who has long demonstrated a heart for ministering to Native American communities.
This vision came into play in a major way in 1992, when Hutchcraft spoke on a Navajo reservation in Window Rock, Ariz.
Today, On Eagles’ Wings Leadership Center welcomes young Native Americans who live and study there, preparing to be messengers for Jesus Christ in their communities.
JEREMY HOLLEY + IMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH: Driving better stewardship with managed accounting services: They say change is hard — but sometimes, it’s worth it. Such is the case at Immanuel Baptist Church, where leaders are discovering the benefits of outsourcing their accounting services: better oversight, increased efficiency, more transparency/accessibility, and cost savings. It was even instrumental in recovering nearly $200,000 in “lost” online gifts and checks!
WESTSIDE FAMILY CHURCH: Serving local families with world-class, comprehensive emotional + spiritual care: In 2021, Westside’s leaders began to pray about their next season of impact.
In early 2022, the church body joined in, embarking on 40 days of prayer and fasting, as Executive Pastor Dan Chaverin says, to “hear God’s direction and priorities.”
In the end, they were united in one vision: to share the church’s abundant resources and generosity by building and operating a Westside Family Care Center.
CH (MAJ) WALTER McCALL + U.S. ARMY CHAPLAIN RECRUITING: Could Part-Time U.S. Army Reserve Chaplaincy be a fit for you? Find out who’s right for this role, what is means to commission as an Officer from the get-go, citizenship requirements for Reserve chaplaincy, and even the possibility of age waivers based on ministry experience
GREGORY LOVE, KIMBERLEE NORRIS + MinistrySafe: 25 YEARS, 30,000+ CHURCHES, 4 MILLION TRAINED ... and the work continues — Partners in the law firm of Love & Norris, Gregory Love and Kimberlee Norris co-founded MinistrySafe to provide a broad spectrum of resources to equip ministries in the prevention of child sexual abuse. Though the firm provides services to secular organizations through Abuse Prevention Systems, their hearts beat fastest for the Church. Now, 25 years later, MinistrySafe has reached some impressive milestones — but they’re nowhere near finished.
JOHN WHEAT, CLINT BROWN + TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH: Moving forward in faith — and building forthe future: A 23,200-square-foot expansion enables the church body to move confidently into the future.
Brought to you in conjunction with The Church Network, The Funding the Mission Issue features:
• Trends in Post-Pandemic Church Budgets and Funding
• Honoring Church Leaders
• Meet the Leader: Sheila Bennett
• Why Create a Gift Acceptance Policy?
• The Landscape of Church Funding
• Disaster Response Ministry Guide
• Pastor Excel 23: Quick Fixes in Excel
Brought to you in conjunction with The Church Network, The
Healthy Ministry Issue features:
• Just What is a Healthy Church Anyway?
• Is Your Church Facility Healthy?
• Measure and Enhance Financial Health
• Mentoring a Church Administrator
• Pastor Excel: Find and Replace
3 CHURCHES, 1 CHALLENGE: OUTSOURCED ACCOUNTING + PAYROLL CAN BE A GODSEND — Change is hard ... but does it
need to be? Surprisingly, if we’re talking about outsourcing your church’s financial systems and processes, the answer is no.
DAVID FOSS, KATE HAUS + BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH: Consistently — and comfortably — accommodating growth — Bethel Church is enjoying a new sanctuary, added parking, youth and children’s ministry space (and much more) after working with an out-of-state design-builder
DAVID WELSH, JACK HOLLOWAY + FRANKLIN CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Embracing the peaks and valleys
BILL AANESTAD + ORCHARD CHURCH: Growing out, growing smart — As Orchard Church neared completion of its construction project, leaders wanted a long-term fixed-rate loan — but interest rates verged on a sharp increase. The process was exhausting … and more than a little disheartening. Still, the end goal was far too important to lose faith.
KIRT DAUPHIN + PAULANN CHURCH: “New building. Same Jesus.” If you had to choose a time to build a new church, it wouldn’t be during COVID. But as PaulAnn Church Lead Pastor Kirt Dauphin and Leadership Development Director Quinn Banister discovered, God’s timing is always good.
KIRT DAUPHIN + PAULANN CHURCH: “New building. Same Jesus.” If you had to choose a time to build a new church, it wouldn’t be during COVID. But as PaulAnn Church Lead Pastor Kirt Dauphin and Leadership Development Director Quinn Banister discovered, God’s timing is
always good.
GREG PETZ & WESTOVER HILLS CHURCH: Reaping the benefits of refinancing — When Greg Petz and his wife, Donna, moved to San Antonio in 1996, they found their church home — Westover Hills — even before their physical home. So, when Founding and Lead Pastor Jim Rion offered Petz the CFO position about 11 years ago, it was clear that it was time to step away from a career in corporate finance and into church work.
Brought to you in conjunction with The Church Network, this issue features: • Internal Financial Reporting • Preventing Conflict Before It Happens • Church Enshrinement Syndrome • More!
GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH: Seeking a Sunday-morning quarterback — Rod MacIlvaine is no stranger to ‘quarterbacking’ a church building project. What he didn’t want to do with the new, 16,000-square-foot facility at Grace Community Church in Bartlesville, Okla., however, was navigate a
third such project in this fashion.
That’s where the right building partner came in.
BRIAN BALES + CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP CHURCH: Enjoying made-to-order ministry space — Over 30+ years, leaders at Christian Fellowship Church grew adept at making ministry work in a former manufacturing facility in Loudoun County, Va. Now, with their new, $25-million facility in nearby Ashburn — which sits directly adjacent to the popular One Loudoun mixed-use community — church leaders are relishing a facility that suits them (and their neighbors) to a T.
ETHAN VANSE + CHURCH ON THE MOVE: Shifting gears pays off — For Ethan Vanse, Church On The Move has been home for 30+ years. He and his family began attending when he was 10.
In 2010, Vanse became one of three teaching pastors at COTM.
Then, in 2017, he stepped out and led a different church — in California — that was being adopted by a large church.
In 2019, Vanse accepted the call to rejoin the leadership team at COTM. He embraced it, primarily because it gave him the chance to implement the same growth model as in California, but on a larger scale.
DR. MARLOW D. McGUIRE, SR. + ROCKBRIDGE SEMINARY’S BLACK CHURCH STUDIES INSTITUTE: Looking backward, moving forward -- Although the Black Church Studies Institute at Rockbridge Seminary has been in development since 2020, its real origin predates that period, to several seminary alumni group meetings led by Dr. Marlow D. McGuire, Sr. Among this group, a need was mutually acknowledged early on: that seminarians should be familiar with the history of the Black Church.
TRAVIS GREENE + FORWARD CITY CHURCH: Radical obedience, reimagined space, real impact -- In their new, reimagined church home — a former Best Buy — Forward City Church can finally do ministry the way its founders have always dreamed of
TRIP LEACH + NEW LIFE CHURCH OF ARKANSAS: At this large church, becoming debt-free — while continuing to expand across the state — are co-equal priorities. Here’s how it’s doing both, successfully.
ODELL DICKERSON, JR. + NEW PSALMIST BAPTIST CHURCH: Backed by a team with financial finesse — plus, a church-centric banking partner — Odell Dickerson, Jr., and New Psalmist are enjoying streamlined processes
ISAAC OYEDEPO + WINNERS CHAPEL INTERNATIONAL MARYLAND: A 15-acre shopping center becomes the perfect church home. Best of all, Phase of this challenging build is slated for completion on time and under budget.
BUCK ANDERSON & GRACE BIBLE CHURCH—CREEKSIDE: Setting a multi-site standard + driving long-term savings -- With its nature-sensitive, yet ministry-oriented design, Grace Creekside is the ‘brand standard’ for future campuses of this rapidly growing multi-site church.
JOSH & BRYNN COPRON + GRACE CITY’S NEW CHURCH: Livin’ the dream — *under* budget: For Brynn and Josh Copron, the journey to executive church leadership — and a major building project — happened fast. But with the right building partner, plus their own passion for design, the result is a new church that’s beyond expectations ... and below budget.
LEADERSHIP (INTERRUPTED): Navigating COVID-19 has taught vital leadership lessons -- We asked several church executives who have graced our cover in the past few years to reflect on leading during disruption. Their roles vary, from pastoral leadership, to operations, to facilities management. Accordingly, so do their experiences. But one truth emerges time throughout: opportunity lies in adversity.
HEIDI COUGHRAN & BRIDGEWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Blessed under trial -- With preparation, persistence and wise collaboration, Bridgeway is saving $450,000+ in yearly interest — even amid a pandemic. Here's how.
JEFF MAPES, SCOTT BIXBY & NORTHRIDGE CHURCH -- Recently, Northridge Church in Rochester, NY, found itself in a unique position. To accommodate growth, it would need to buy, renovate and build. Fortunately, a familiar face on the lending side and a church lender with more than 115 years of experience made the process a lot simpler.
DR. JIMMY D. PRITCHARD + FIRST BAPTIST FORNEY -- When leaders at this Texas church acknowledged they'd outgrown its large, circa-2000 facility, they felt blessed … but also challenged. Having undergone a few previous building projects, Jimmy Pritchard and his team knew exactly what (and who) they were looking for: the right partners -- from the architect, to the A/V/L systems integrator, to the security & surveillance provider.
RYAN BINKLEY & CREATE CHURCH: WELCOMING (BY DESIGN) -- Ryan Binkley's path to building a church where people can “find and fulfill their created purpose in Christ" was winding (and often converging). But, the result is a facility whose welcoming design beautifully reflects its purpose.
CARBONDALE ASSEMBLY: HERITAGE LIVES HERE -- When a devastating tornado touched ground in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 3, 1999, Carbondale Assembly of God was destroyed. To pick up the pieces, father-daughter pastor team Phil & Sarah Taylor found the perfect fit in a pastor’s son / second-generation church builder.
MATT KAUTZKY & BLACKHAWK CHURCH: Spanning more than 130,000 square feet, Blackhawk Church transitioned from a (scraps of) paper-based facilities management system to an intuitive platform — all with zero downtime. The platform’s implementation has even fostered the pursuit of a guiding principle for the church: providing a peaceful place of worship.
ADRIENNE WILLICH & ELIZABETH SHAUGHNEY: How the Archdiocese of Washington (seamlessly) standardized reporting for 139 parishes, 63 schools & 4,500 staff
JOEL GUTHRIE: HARNESSING TECH TRENDS TO DRIVE REAL-WORLD ENGAGEMENT, GROWTH -- Joel Guthrie grew up in a church planting family, has served as a worship leader and youth leader at several churches, studied audio engineering, and has built an impressive tech marketing career (including for Microsoft and Amazon). All this technical know-how and passion for churches makes him the ideal host for The Church Engagement Podcast.
JEFF WILSON & SEVERNS VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH: A HEART FOR THE MINISTRY OF BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION -- When SVBC embarked on a $16.5-million building project in 2016, a steady hand was at the helm: Executive Pastor Jeff Wilson. Having quite a bit of familiarity with the chosen construction method -- design/build -- he was a big advocate. His reasons are clear: this huge project finished on time and under
budget, all with an expanded scope. Here’s how.
TOM LUNAK & CALVARY CHAPEL FORT LAUDERDALE: AN INFORMED APPROACH TO REFINANCING DRIVES CHURCH HEALTH & GROWTH -- For CFO Tom Lunak, managing the finances of 11 church campuses, a Christian school, full-service restaurant, skate park and school of worship, isn’t so different from his previous executive-level banking roles.
So, when the church's loan approached maturity a few years ago, and
refinancing the debt presented itself as the best stewardship option, he knew exactly what to look for in a lending partner.
Despite two potentially devastating setbacks, Word of Life Church has completed $29.4 million in building projects. The story began with a late pastor’s vision and culminated with his son’s own unique legacy.
BOBBY HART & FIRST BAPTIST TULSA: DEFYING SPACE &
THRIVING DOWNTOWN -- With a community focus, congregational support, a solid
plan and the right architectural expertise at the ready, First Baptist Tulsa has (beautifully) overcome the biggest challenge of its established downtown location: limited, priced-at-a-premium real estate. The result is 92,000+ square feet of stunning new preschool, children’s and adult education space.
ON THE MONEY: An informed discussion about the growing problem of clergy debt -- and what can be done in pursuit of debt freedom -- as well as the most in-demand financial planning topics among church leaders, and how to achieve true “financial wellness.” (Yes, it’s within reach!)
DR. WAYLON BAILEY & FBC COVINGTON: HIGHLY RELATIONAL, BY DESIGN -- In form and function, relationship is at the heart of everything FBC Covington does as a church. Here’s how that commitment translates into the design of its 180,000-square-foot worship, education and commons expansion.
SIMEON MAY, PHILL MARTIN & THE CHURCH NETWORK: Generally, church administration professionals “land” in their roles in one of two ways: from the pew / business world, or from the seminary — something The Church Network™ CEO Simeon May and Deputy CEO Phill Martin know all too well. After all, they’re prime examples of these two divergent paths. And it’s precisely this varied, in-the-trenches knowledge which has helped them serve association members successfully for more than 20 years.
SHANE WARREN & THE ASSEMBLY: A (construction) course correction -- After facing many pastors’ worst nightmare -- essentially ‘starting over’ on a $15-million building project -- the result is even better than imagined.
BIGGER VISION = BETTER ALIGNMENT + LARGER LENDING NEEDS -- Sixteen years ago, when Collin Lucas joined the staff at Cornerstone Fellowship of Livermore, he worked in IT. However, he also brought with him extensive experience in the business management consulting realm. Now, as Cornerstone’s CFO, his secular business background has proven instrumental in helping build — and fund intelligently — the church’s rapidly expanding infrastructure.
LEVERAGING INFLUENCE AT EVERY LEVEL: Three years ago, Andy Stanley — senior pastor of North Point Community Church — was feeling under the weather. The night before a monthly all-staff meeting, he called Lead Pastor Clay Scroggins, asking him to fill in and talk a little about leadership.
Today, all those strategies (and many more!) can be found in Scroggins’ new book, "How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority."
Here, he talks about the most important takeaways for anyone who’s trying to lead left, right, or even up.
GARY HAMRICK & CORNERSTONE CHAPEL: Make yourself at home -- The path to Cornerstone Chapel's new home -- a 108,000-square-foot, ski lodge-style facility on the outskirts of Washington, DC -- wasn't without a few bumps
RICK LORIMER & CHRIST PLACE CHURCH: Beating the construction budget -- and exceeding expectations -- How transparency, ministry experience, integrity - and a lot of patience! - delivered a $7.2-million church construction project under budget
RICK HOLLIDAY & NORTH POINT: TECHNOLOGY + ENGAGEMENT = GROWTH -- At one of America’s largest and fastest-growing churches, full engagement is the goal day in and day out. Church leaders have created great systems (facilitated by technology) to very accurately measure and manage 4 objectives in pursuit of full engagement: Group, Serve, Give, and Invest and Invite.
GLENN WOOD: MAKING MULTISITE CHURCH ACCOUNTING WORK, FLAWLESSLY, AT SEACOAST CHURCH -- For more than 22 years, Wood’s varied business management experience in the public sector -- including in the realm of accounting -- has proven essential at the church. Now, with 13 campuses, that expertise is even more critical in generating accounting reports, consistently, across the board.
JASON HAYES: CREATING GENEROSITY IN A CHURCH PLANT -- Through data & analytics, Shoreline Church (Knoxville, Tenn.) developed a plan that drove a $653,000 one-day offering & laid the foundation for a culture of generosity.
ACHIEVING HARMONY THROUGH “SOUND” STEWARDSHIP: At East Sunshine Church of Christ in Springfield, MO, four-part acapella harmonies have been a worship staple for more than 180 years, since the church was established. This approach to worship music is unique, beautiful and challenging. So was the sanctuary — until recently.
JOEL SIMS: A son’s legacy — and a father’s foundation — meet
In 2001, Senior Pastor Ronnie Sims at Word of Life Church in Flowood, MS, passed away. It was a pivotal time in the church’s life: a $10-million facility had been drawn up. It was Phase 1.
His son, Joel Sims, was a senior in high school at the time. Two years later, at just 19, he took the reins.
In 2011, the church completed Phase 1. Now, just five years later, Word of Life is embarking on Phase 2 — an $18.2 million, family-focused campus expansion.
Clearly, this growth was not without its setbacks. To persevere (indeed, to thrive!) in the midst of the most challenging circumstances has taught Joel a very important lesson — one he says every pastor needs to heed: Don’t go it alone.
lifton Guy, Director of Information Technology at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS, is a preacher’s kid. Two of his siblings are also pastors, as is his wife. But, Clifton himself is a self-professed “technical guy,” with a real interest in computers since childhood. He earned his degree in computer engineering and embarked on a 10-year career in IT software development. He’s also an entrepreneur, having started two tech companies and served on the management team of two other startups. So, Resurrection was in very good hands when it was time to upgrade its church management software platform. Here’s how Guy orchestrated an intensive, intelligent selection process … and what you need to know before making a similar investment at your own church.
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