Remember when our Christian leadership was telling us that we cannot “go back” to our pre-COVID world because it no longer exists? In this issue we will examine how The Way Forward is Back. During the height of Covid, it seemed that was all we heard. We were told to prepare...
It’s the middle of summer, your members are on vacation, and I have a question for you: how is giving going? Summer is the most challenging time for giving, with July being the lowest offering month of the year for the typical church. The irony is that summer is the...
Football season is just around the corner, and NFL teams are heading to their training camps in preparation for a winning season. The work they do in July/August will pave the way for success or failure once the season begins. At the same time, churches all over America are beginning...
How long has it been since you preached a stewardship series? I ask this question every year when I write about the necessity of stewardship education from the pulpit. Why is it that most pastors seldom, if ever, preach on stewardship? The answer is that it’s unpopular, and we fear...
“The critical question before the church might well be stated: Do Christians want to accept the death of the institutional church in the U.S., or get to work?” That is a quote from the recently released report from empty tomb, inc.’s thirty-second edition of “The State of Church Giving through...
If you weren’t the pastor, would you read your emails and letters? If you, a person highly invested in your church's vision, are not moved by your appeals, how do you think that same appeal will appeal to your rank-and-file members? If your appeals are not appealing, you will never...
33 Questions to Evaluate Your Church’s Health. That was the subject line of a recent email I received from Baptist Press. It’s an interesting read and provides a helpful analysis of the spiritual condition of a church. What I found amazing was that there was nothing said about stewardship. Few,...
Should pastors of the church know how much each family/individual tithes? That was a question @AdamPage85 asked on Twitter the other day. This unofficial poll had 1,183 votes when I weighed in with my answer. 90.2% said no, with only 9.8% saying yes. I was one of that 9.8%. I’m going...
“I know you need to raise a chunk of change, and I can help you do that. But can I tell you what I am really interested in?” I’m interested in helping coach you through this decade so that by 2030 your church will be financially secure and ready to...
Every time I visit Europe, I come home depressed. My wife and I just returned from visiting my daughter’s family in Germany, where my son-in-law is stationed in the Army. This is the second time, thanks to the Army, one of our kids has provided us with a free bed...
