Legal & Insurance Issues
In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need to get attorneys or insurance companies involved in the happenings of a church. But we don’t live in a perfect world. We need legal input—for everything from overtime pay laws to the legal use of movies in a sermon. The following is not legal advice just ideas …
The Top 5 1/2 Questions XPs Are Asking about 2023 Giving Trends … with Surprising Answers
We had the pandemic and that raised lots of eyebrows about giving. Now we are in a post-pandemic era. There is angst about economic uncertainty and changes in core giving engagement. What is giving [...]
Password Management and LastPass
I’ve been asked a lot of questions about password managers, especially due to the LastPass hack that started in 2022 and was fully disclosed in 2023. Before getting too far into this, let me [...]
What’s a Pastor to Do When Called to Testify in Court?
Have you ever had a church member ask you to testify in court on their behalf? At some time in your ministry, you will likely receive questions from a congregant requesting your attendance and [...]
Internal Controls From 30,000 Feet
Internal controls are vital in the life of a church’s finances. But, what are they? How can they help staff, give great data and protect against fraud? Mike Lee is an experienced CPA and [...]
Why Implement a Written Integrity Plan?
Public confidence in nonprofits is declining to dangerous lows. Consider, for example, Gallup’s 2022 study on Confidence in Institutions, which reports that trust in the church has declined to an all-time low. Just 31% [...]
9 Resources on Financial Integrity
A nationwide survey of more than 700 church leaders conducted by Church Law & Tax showed that nearly one-third have served in congregations that suffered from some form of financial misconduct. Half occurred within [...]
Guardrails to Strengthen Pastoral Integrity
My title may seem a little off-putting, perhaps even negative. Why do I need a guardrail? Or better, what is a guardrail for a pastor? This brings another question, If our church incorporated guardrails, [...]
Five Budget Busting Spaces You Think You Need but Really Don’t
Wasting money on spaces that really don’t matter is one of the most dangerous pitfalls that a church can fall into. The truth is, anyone can justify why they need room for a specific [...]
How to Increase Engagement with a Hybrid Church Model
Digital solutions undoubtedly play a significant role in Church today, but the technology churches leverage (and how) continues to evolve. Pushpay recently released its 2023 State of Church Technology report, and findings show that [...]
Know When and How to Delegate
Church leaders have extraordinary demands on their time. So when it comes to experiencing growth in your church, you have to think differently about how you run it—and it starts with effective delegation. First, [...]
The Power of a Restorative Sabbatical
Pastor, could God use a sabbatical to re-energize your passion, realign you with His direction for you and your church, and restore your soul towards sustainability in the next season of serving? Let me [...]
Best Questions to Ask Your Architect for Your Next Building
When was the last time that you built or renovated your facility? For some it was last year, others 10 years and others … never. Let’s talk with a seasoned and award winning architect [...]
Websites that Provide Resources & Create Leads
Your church website is important to your ministry—of course, we all know that! It is one of the key ways to get information out to members and visitors. In this sense, it is vital [...]
Cultivating Hospitality in a Divided Church
Politics. Masks. Vaccines. The reasons churches are dividing are legion. How should we as church leaders cultivate spaces where people who have nothing else in common gather and are willing to put those differences [...]
This is the Perfect Season to Add a Residency
When resources are tight, and getting tighter, it could be the perfect time to add a residency to your staff team. Residency is a two year ramp towards full time employment that gives you [...]
Managing Creatives
Creative types are leaving the church. Many feel overworked, burned out or had unrealistic demands. The creative person is essential for your church and has a huge role to play in Christ’s kingdom. Some [...]
Keeping Your Marriage Healthy in Ministry
Recent research indicates that high level marital satisfaction is insufficient to keep a marriage healthy by itself. Generations of broken families make it extremely difficult to practice what one has never seen up close [...]
Faith Driven Investment Policies for Churches
Doing ministry in the twenty first century is expensive—and that was before the recent bout of inflation. Finding ways to generate increased returns on the resources the Lord has blessed and entrusted to your [...]
A 5-Year Ministry Plan at Age 90
Gene Getz is 90 years old … going on 91 in March. He miraculously survived Covid even though he spent eight months in the hospital. Gene's doctors suggested that his family meet to say [...]
Letting Your Pastor Go: Without Destroying the Pastor or Your Church
Church transitions are difficult, but they don't have to be destructive. No one gets into church leadership to scatter the sheep. They often want the best for the church and its members, but the [...]
The Art of Leading Change
Leading change is difficult. The hardest part is not deciding which path to follow. The bigger challenge is found in the messy human dynamics throughout the journey of change. Many resources for leading change [...]
What Does ‘Data’ Mean to Your Church?
What is data anyway? You don’t have to look far to find data. Megabytes in your cell phone plan. Visits and results in your electronic health record. Expenses and deposits in your bank account. [...]
Elder Boards That Work, Pastors Who Thrive: A New Vision for Church Governance
At some point, every lead pastor asks this question: How do we govern this church? Often with little background on the subject, pastors and boards cobble together a system that either works for the pastor [...]
4 Reasons You Don’t Delegate
I don’t have time to teach someone else how to do it. It will be quicker if I just do it myself. Chances are you’ve used one of those excuses when you’ve taken on a task [...]