Tag «Administration & Finance»

The Big Warning Signs Your Church Bylaws Are Working Against You and Not for You

Every church needs a good set of bylaws. Put simply, the bylaws are written legal documents establishing the governance of a church. Church polity and ecclesiology will have an impact on the contents of bylaws. The size and structure of a church will also affect bylaws. For example, multi-site churches will differ from single-site churches….

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8 Reasons Potential Pastors Would Rather Begin Ministry with an Internship or Assistant Pastorate

When I started pastoring more than 40 years ago, most of us called to pastoral ministry wanted to get started on the task quickly. Right or wrong, we typically leapt into ministry as soon as we could. Now, young leaders preparing for ministry are much more inclined to look for an “entry-level” position before stepping…

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Five Cautions about Church Budgets for the Next Twelve Months

The call from the pastor was not that unusual. Indeed, it was a part of a pattern we’ve observed at Church Answers. “Hey Thom,” the pastor asked, “Are you seeing anything about church giving declining? We thought it was a temporary pause at our church, but giving is consistently down about five percent.” While we…

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Comparing Your Church’s Current Data to 2019

There is always a danger in basing an article on numbers. They can seem to be ultimate or penultimate goals when they should be neither. Numbers, however, like a thermometer, can be a rough gauge of our current health. In that regard, looking at churches’ data can be a good exercise. Though the data is…

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4 Keys to Creating A Culture of Trust

Trust is eroding in various sectors of our society, including education, government, and even religious institutions. As followers of Jesus, we have a responsibility not only to possess good character and integrity but also to dedicate our time and efforts toward instilling and promoting these values both individually and corporately as image bearers of God. …

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The Future of Work in Church: Ten Realities You Might Not Know

AI. Robotics. Work-from-anywhere. The disappearing middle manager. The stress of blue-collar and service workers. Gigs and side gigs. The headlines state the obvious. Work is changing. The pandemic accelerated the change. Workers are adjusting. Companies are adjusting. The marketplace is adjusting. I am concerned, however, that most churches are not adjusting. The most common question…

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Five Essential Accountability Standards for Pastors and Paid Church Staff

Accountability is the acceptance of responsibility for your actions. But what does this acceptance look like with paid church staff? It’s more than theology. For example, a church leader may believe in the biblical nature of accountability but not follow through, like a person who believes exercise is good for the body but never goes…

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Shifting Your Church Out of Survival Mode and into Hopeful Optimism

Many churches are barely hanging on, but there is hope. Churches are simultaneously both fragile and resilient. They hang on by their fingernails, but those fingernails are surprisingly strong. Every Sunday seems to have the potential to be the last one. Yet the same church survives year after year, decade after decade. Struggling churches tend…

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Nine Microstresses of a Pastor

December 15, 1967 was a major moment in American history. I bet few of you know what happened on that day. I sure didn’t until I began studying the world of microstresses. Let me explain. On that fateful day in 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed, and 46 people died. The bridge connected Point Pleasant, West…

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The Top Three Ways Lead Pastors Can Serve the Second Chair

The second chair position is paradoxical for two reasons. First, a second chair involves the tension of submitting as a subordinate to the first chair while at the same time leading with a high level of influence. Second chairs maintain a dependence on the first chair while at the same time managing the significant amounts…

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