I’ll never forget the phone call I received from Joel Osteen to let me know his father — long time Houston pastor John Osteen — had passed away. It was January 1999, not a great way to start a new year. John Osteen birthed Lakewood Church on Mother’s Day 1959 in the most humble possible way — a rural feed store outside of Houston.
Read More >Step back and think about branding a church that still worships in a building built in 1891 (that’s not a transposition of numerals either) and in the center of that sanctuary stands a pulpit 118 years old. Then add the geographic context of being located in a city that is home to so many great churches.
Read More >Blondy Church of God in Hohenwald, TN, opened its newly built Family Life Center in the spring of 2008 for social and sports activities. The center serves as a gathering place and draws a steady stream of people.
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There is a buzz of activity in the air of downtown Dallas, and Robert Jeffress and First Baptist Church of Dallas will add to that buzz when the church begins to recreate its campus this fall. “We’re experiencing reinvigoration of the downtown area,” says Jeffress. “Ten years ago 300 people lived downtown, today 6,000 people live in the downtown freeway loop and it is growing every day.
Read More >Church is no longer just a place to gather and worship. It seems an increasing number of churches are finding new ways to involve young adults, teens and children in the church community. To accomplish this, some churches are sponsoring “extreme” sports activities by taking church groups to facilities that offer inline skating, BMX biking, skateboarding, rock climbing, paintball and more.
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Born in England, Pete Briscoe saw ministry for his first eight years with his parents, Stuart and Jill Briscoe, as they worked with the Torchbearers group in northern England. Torchbearers, founded by Major Ian Thomas, “is all about teaching people that life is found in Christ and not in themselves,” Briscoe says.
Read More >Fortunately, most economists don’t think we’re anywhere near a depression — nor are we heading toward one — but they also agree that this recession isn’t going to improve any time soon. This means that church leaders have a greater burden than ever to guide their staff and people, many of whom are feeling the effects of this recession personally.
Read More >While capital campaigns will always generate larger gifts and pledges, here are 10 additional ideas to help you jump start some ways to get larger gifts on an ongoing basis to fulfill your church’s mission and vision for the future.
Read More >The CFO is a senior leader who deals with all the business areas of the church, proactively involved so that the decisions affecting the financial affairs of the church are handled on task and on target.
Read More >When we were starting Antioch Community Church, Waco, TX, in 1999, we were definitely operating on a shoestring budget. It was going to be a walk of faith. Before we even had our first public service, our church believed that God would provide $150,000 to buy a dilapidated grocery store that would become our home after some major renovations.
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