Tag «Church Answers»

Seven Ways to Thank Donors to the Church without Knowing Their Identities

Nonprofits that aren’t churches can have a significant advantage over churches in donor development. Almost every leader of a nonprofit that isn’t a church knows precisely what everyone gives. He or she can then thank them personally and appeal to them in the future. But what do church leaders do if they do not have…

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A Sermon Illustration to Challenge Us to Tell the Gospel

A Sermon Illustration to Challenge Us to Tell the Gospel Billions of people around the world have little or no opportunity to hear the gospel. Millions of people in the United States, including some who themselves have never heard the Good News, are not Christ-followers. Some of our neighbors likely are not believers. In many…

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Can I Be an Effective Pastor If I Don’t Like Management?

Can I Be an Effective Pastor If I Don’t Like Management? Pastors are not managers, at least in a corporate-business-world-publicly-traded-company-sort-of-way. But pastors are shepherds. And shepherds manage sheep. Leading a church involves management. A church hierarchy assumes management. And most churches—even smaller congregations—are not completely flat in structure. Even at the most basic level, churches…

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Should Your Church Be Revitalized or Replanted? A Post-COVID Reality

Very few church leaders and members are opposed to their churches being revitalized. After all, revitalization is the process of your church getting reinvigorated. Revitalization literally means “life again.” It sounds pretty basic. The problem is that many church leaders and members really don’t want substantive changes with their revitalization. For them, revitalization is a…

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Why Do Some Churchgoers Stick with Bad Pastors?

Most pastors work hard, love their churches, and would sacrifice their lives for the people they lead. If you are reading this article for ways to get back at your pastor, then it’s likely you’re the problem, not your pastor. But there are some bad pastors out there. Why do people stay with them? There…

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Confessions of a Cynical Pastor

Note: We received the following story at Church Answers recently. The only changes I made were to protect the identity of the pastor. His self-awareness and prescriptions are very helpful. I spent the last week with my family at the beach on vacation. We really enjoyed ourselves. I wished we had another week! While there,…

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Five Reasons My Family Loves (Really!) Ministry Together

Shepherding my family and my church are intertwined. Some might advocate separating the two, but it’s impossible since my household is part of the local church. When I leave the church building, I come home to church members. The call to pastor a church is not an individual decision, but rather a collective determination by…

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12 Strange Foods Brought to Church Potlucks

Many churches still have potluck meals. Some have them once a week; others celebrate this tradition once a year at a homecoming event. I remember them well in some of the churches where I served as pastor. One of the most challenging issues for me occurs when a church member asks me to try his…

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The Difference Between Curious and Caring Pastors (And Why It’s Better to Be Caring)

Both curious and caring pastors ask about members and staff. Both curious and caring pastors inquire about those who are not acting normally. An illness, family issue, or work-related problem should raise a leader’s level of awareness about a particular individual. Both the curious leader and the caring leader exhibit good management skills when inquiring…

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11 Characteristics of Church Leaders I’d Like to Imitate

No matter how old I get, I have much room to grow as a leader. In fact, I watch other leaders who inspire and challenge me to lead better. Here are some leadership characteristics I’ve seen in these folks (who are, most often, local church pastors): 1. They strive to imitate Jesus. That’s the bottom…

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