Chuck Lawless is the Dean of Doctoral Studies and Vice-President of Spiritual Formation and Ministry Centers at Southeastern Seminary. The following was originally posted on his blog at https://chucklawless.com/2023/10/10-reasons-long-term-pastorates-matter/ Just this week, I had a conversation with an aspiring pastor asking about the importance of pastors staying at a church even...
An Interview with Greg Fine, Pastor of FBC Higginsville A few months ago, I was wasting some time on Facebook and came across a retirement announcement of long-time pastor Gregg Fine of FBC, Higginsville MO, fifty-plus miles east of Kansas City. Greg has been on the list of MBC pastors that...
In Moses' last recorded speech to the Israelites, he re-emphasizes that they should love God with all of their heart, soul, and strength. He then tells God's chosen people to pass this on to the next generation - to "impress" this lesson on their children. Moses understood the importance of...
There are encouraging signs both for churches in the United States and Christianity around the globe. But there are also concerning trends, and leaders should be prepared to face these challenges in their churches. The latest report from the “Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations” study, led by the Hartford Institute...
A 2019 Lifeway Research study found that “3 in 4 (76%) retirement-age ministers are confident they will have enough money to live comfortably through retirement, with 31% saying they are very confident. Still, almost half (47%) say they are often concerned about their family's financial security. And 27% say their...
To prepare for your best end-of-year offering, we must understand and realize the power of online giving. Millions of dollars are raised on the last day of the year, with almost all of it coming through some type of digital format. Here is a post I recently wrote about the...
#GivingTuesday is a movement that started a few years ago as a global day for people to be motivated to give back. It always falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, after Black Friday weekend, and Cyber Monday, when Americans typically spend millions on Christmas gifts. This year #GivingTuesday falls on...
As we focus on the changing world of giving, one huge change is in the use of biometrics. Biometrics allow for giving to be easier and faster. It’s where commerce is heading and where we will be forced to offer this type of giving to our members sooner rather than...
Nonprofit employees want inspired leaders with bold vision: Nonprofit employees ranked vision, relationship building, inspiring trust, and strong communication skills as the most valued elements of leadership. That was the finding of a national study recently conducted among nonprofit employees by a leading nonprofit firm, Dickerson, Bakker & Associates. You...
In my twenty-five years as a stewardship coach, I have found that there are two common downfalls that churches run into when it comes to donations: taking their donors for granted and failing to thank them. I am often amazed at how poor the average church is at simply expressing...
