Monkey Hunting
There is a Biblical concept some TV preachers have so mischaracterized that we are in danger of missing out on the true spiritual and financial blessing Jesus promised us when we give. We believe Jesus performed miracles. We believe He walked on the water, turned water into wine, healed the sick, and made the lame […]
The Importance of Preaching on Stewardship
A study was done in the mid-’90s where only 32% of American church members reported that they had heard a sermon on the relationship between faith and personal finances in the previous year. If it was 32% in the ’90s, what do you think that percentage is today? That study summed up the findings by […]
Six Thoughts on How to Preach on Giving
Let’s talk about some simple steps about how to preach on giving. Here are six guiding thoughts. A series on giving is better than one sermon on giving. George Barna stated years ago, “A series on giving is nearly two and a half times more likely to experience an increase in giving than preachers who […]
Stewardship Matters
In the mid-’90s, Paul Powell of the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention wrote a book titled Taking the Stew Out of Stewardship. While the book was well circulated, many pastors still find themselves in a “stew” regarding teaching and preaching about stewardship. Perhaps it is the fear of being misunderstood or having our […]
How to Develop a Pastoral Lane
I wanted to give you some idea starters and a great story to inspire you. Let’s start with … Practical Ideas for a Senior Pastor Pastoral Lane Tip: Write personalized thank-you notes to first-time givers. Does it work? I gave this tip to a church pastor running over 1,500 across three campuses. That busy pastor […]
The Importance of the Pastoral Lane
The Senior Pastor is my biggest challenge in helping churches build a culture of generosity. In my last post, I wrote about how I think in lanes when it comes to creating a culture of generosity based upon biblical stewardship. In this edition, I start breaking down each lane, starting with The Importance of the […]
Why Pastors Neglect Stewardship
The following is reprinted from The Top Ten Stewardship Mistakes Churches Make authored by Mark Brooks. I sometimes marvel that raising funds to fuel ministry gets so little attention from most pastors in America. In my experience, there are several reasons for this. The following list impacts many pastors, keeping them from fully developing a […]
The Key Lanes for Building a Culture of Generosity
If you ever played football, you probably had a coach yell at you at one point or another, “Stay in your lane!” Football players are taught to guard and protect their assigned lanes from blocking schemes to kick-off coverage. The theory is that the play will succeed if everyone stays in their lane and does […]
Systems Tell Your Story
The following is reprinted and was originally posted at https://www.onlinegiving.org/support/systems-to-tell-your-story. “To effectively communicate your message, you’ll need to stop building your strategy exclusively around physical attendance.” Why? As my friend, Dave Anderson, says, “Church attendance is not decreasing. It’s decentralizing.” 1. In early 2019, Phil Bowdle wrote that in a book named, Rethink Communication: A […]
Deferred Maintenance Explained for Facility Stewards
Are you being a good steward of your facility? One of our goals this year with the Stewardship Journal is to provide SBC pastors and church leaders with free advice on how to build, renovate, and care for church facilities. The following post is used with permission and can be found at https://www.smartchurchsolutions.com/resources/blog/deferred-maintenance-explained-for-facility-stewards/ As a […]