Christian tragedy
More than any other cause, the national recession notwithstanding, the Crystal
Read More >Blog - Page 240 of 301 - Church Executive
Church Executive, February 2012, Volume 11, Issue 2
This issue includes an interview with John Ortberg, senior pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Also highlighted are articles on how churches can use the entertainment business as a mission field, and how churches can effectively use recovery programs.
Read More >
Ask any pastor’s wife what her life is like in the church
Church is not always safe for the wife of the pastor.
Read More >Beyond Hollywood: Developing strategic partnerships for Christ
By now I’m relatively familiar with Hollywood. Entertainment’s hub and hometown is just up the I-5 freeway from Friends Church in Orange County, CA where I serve as teaching pastor. In October of 2010 my wife Tammy and I began to minister to a group of Christian entertainment professionals. Since founding their group, {l.a.}god, they have been able to disciple an ever-growing collection of people united in filling a void where they saw a “lack of much needed mentorship and protection from the hazards of the entertainment industry.” Out of {l.a.}god’s mass of talent was born a Christian music label, {l.a.}godMusic, whose namesake band released their debut album Shake the Earth in November 2011.
Read More >Church recovery programs are a safe place for personal growth
Look at your church’s weekend bulletin and you will likely see six, eight, maybe 10 “recovery programs” available, in what may seem more like a clinic than a church, where more is being said about therapy than salvation. But not so, says Liz Swanson and Teresa McBean, authors of a review of such programs in the book Bridges to Grace (Zondervan, 2011). “Recovery programs are absolutely not therapeutically focused,” McBean says. “They are, indeed, often times more about salvation than some of the other areas of the church. A recovery group does not advise, it provides a place for safe storytelling, connecting, and introduction to God. People talk about how God has helped them, and it encourages others. Therapy doesn’t work with recovery — only God can heal these wounds.”
Read More >Under fire: The ‘ministerial exception’
There is a blockbuster religious freedom case that is currently pending before the United States Supreme Court. Courts have generally believed that federal employment discrimination statutes do not apply to church employees performing religious functions.
Read More >Oregon congregation secures the finest piano available to enhance music ministry
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Salem, OR, has become the first church and the third institution in the United States to purchase the acclaimed Yamaha CFX Concert Grand Piano.
Read More >Make sure your staff has a chance at a dignified retirement
Retirement. We all hope one day to do it. As church and ministry executives, you likely want to make sure you can offer your employees a competitive, robust retirement plan at a reasonable cost to your bottom line. But how do you know if your current plan is on the right track, or, if you don’t have one yet, how to choose the right one? “Establishing employee benefits is a very important consideration for any church or ministry and its employees,” says Dixie Beard, director of business development at GuideStone Financial Resources. “But before rushing into establishing an employee retirement plan, it is important to establish your ministry’s objectives, such as meeting your moral obligation to employees, evaluating your cultural environment and establishing cost parameters.”
Read More >