Yearly Archives - 2023

The SBC’s Ticking Time Bomb

Southern Baptist churches are heading into a crisis that will determine which local churches will survive and which will slowly die. The chart on the left identifies the ticking time bomb about to explode throughout the Convention. Can you see the problem? Can you do the math? 84% vs. 16%! 84%...


From the Desk of Our Executive Director

The SBC’s Ticking Time Bomb is our lead article written by our Stewardship Coach, Mark Brooks. Mark has been working on a presentation for a retreat the Executive Committee of the SBC is putting on for all the state convention CP/Stewardship leaders. This article, a part of his presentation, is...


We are the Winning Team

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! I’ve written hundreds of talks for the offering time. I do this to help you elevate the offering time. To simplify and better meet your needs, starting in March, I will be moving away from posting weekly talks to the Stewardship Coach/Stewardship Journal newsletter and will instead provide...


Correcting Easter Offering Mistakes

How do you correct these mistakes? Here are some thoughts on how to correct the above mistakes. Don’t make the offering time about you! Too often, we make any appeal to give about hitting some budget number that few, if any, understand or care about. If your goal is to make...


The Easter Offering Pushback

How you approach the Easter offering speaks volumes. Most pastors think I am nuts for even mentioning an offering on Easter, as the offering is the furthest thing from their minds. Then June rolls around, and their Treasurer tells them there is not enough money in the bank to do...


The Pro-Digital Pastor

The what? I confess that until last week I had never thought about that or even heard that phrase used. What is a pro-digital pastor? According to a new study, Meet the Digital Donor, produced by the Barna Group, a digital pastor is one who is thinking strategically about how...


From the Desk of Our Executive Director

Are you a Pro-Digital pastor? I must confess I had never heard of that term before reading our lead post entitled The Pro-Digital Pastor. The article is about a new Barna study that tracks the digital giving patterns of American church members. I think you will be surprised at some...


The Offering As Our Valentine

Let me save some of you guys’ marriages by reminding you that Tuesday is Valentine’s Day! Don’t forget! Americans love Valentine’s Day. We must, as we will spend 24 BILLION dollars expressing our love for that special someone. Last year, the average spent was $174. Would it surprise you that men...


The Essential Tools for an Easter Digital Giving Strategy

The following is an excerpt from my new playbook, Say Yes to Easter Giving. You can obtain a copy at https://acts17generosity.com/shop/say-yes-to-easter-giving. With Easter only weeks away, it’s time to start planning your Easter offering! Easter is the church's best-attended day of the year, and now it will be your most viewed...


7 Keys for Adjusting to the Post-Covid Attendance

How is your attendance? The answer to that question depends greatly on where you live and how long you kept your congregation locked down. Lifeway Research reports that, on average, churches are running at 85% of their January 2020 attendance figures.1. “While some pre-COVID churchgoers have not returned to church...