Blog - Page 18 of 284 - Church Executive


Think “borrow” is a bad word? Think again

By Jerry Vaughan “Debt” isn’t a popular word in churches. As church lenders and people of faith ourselves, we understand: it’s difficult to preach about being debt-free and then turn around and borrow money for a building project.  So when cautioned against committing too heavily to raising funds ahead of construction — compared to financing […]

Read More >

Setting up your church for successful financing 

Every day, I talk to church leaders who are looking for additional financial support. They’ve grown frustrated with their current loan (or lack thereof).  All too often, the conversation becomes an explanation of why a bank isn’t likely to be interested in a project or loan and then a few basic changes to consider for […]

Read More >

Surveying the lending landscape

Supply chain issues. Rising interest rates. A reimagined worship environment. All these factors — and more — are likely to impact church financing now and in years to come. Church Executive: Tell me about your organization and its history working with churches. David Lee: Thrivent has been serving the financing needs of churches for more […]

Read More >

The financial realities of home improvement projects

By Keith R. Davenport, CFP® With the growing popularity of HGTV and other networks, homeowners are presented with glamorous home makeovers and improvement projects. It all looks beautiful on the screen, but how much will that project cost? And will it increase your home’s value? Let’s look at the realities. At some point, most homeowners […]

Read More >

Shifting gears

ETHAN VANSE / SENIOR PASTOR / CHURCH ON THE MOVE / BROKEN ARROW, OKLA. For leaders at Church On The Move, switching it up — not only in their growth model, but also in their building approach — got them just where they wanted to be. By RaeAnn Slaybaugh For Ethan Vanse, Church On The […]

Read More >

REPORTING vs. REPUTATION

The dangers of choosing an organization-centered response  By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris At a Christian school in West Texas, five employees were recently arrested and charged with ‘Failure to Report with Intent to Conceal’ after a teen reported he had been sexually assaulted on campus, by another student. Nine days later, four administrators from […]

Read More >

A church for the city

  With stained-glass windows and ornate pillars juxtaposing stained concrete and steel, Frontline Church’s downtown Oklahoma City location merges historical beauty with a modern renovated space for the community. By Carla Hinton • Photos by Marcus Wehmuller • Additional reporting by RaeAnn Slaybaugh The transition from house church living room to one of the most […]

Read More >

How functional design helps drive financing

When the term “engaging design” comes up, the financing part of the equation might seem unrelated.  Nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve been working in the church loan market, exclusively, for more than 16 years. I’ve known Bruce Woody, President and CEO of HH Architects, that entire time. Our organizations attend and sponsor […]

Read More >

All-in on A/V

The right system is essential to engagement. Here’s how to get it (in plain-English). Church Executive: How can a church leader know that the A/V system is falling short of its engagement potential?  David McCauley: Reaching 60-percent-more-active engagement is something I talk about often. Yes, this is a hard metric to measure; but I feel […]

Read More >

Engagement is for everyone!

An experienced church architect discusses what “engaging design” really means — and it’s a lot more than bricks-and-mortar Church Executive: The topic of “designing for maximum engagement” is top of mind for you and your team. Why? Bruce Woody: During COVID, there was such a period of disengagement. Church leaders demonstrated their flexibility by shifting […]

Read More >

HTML Snippets Powered By : XYZScripts.com