You have likely heard a variety of claims about the state of the church in America today. It’s easy to repeat dour or sensational headlines. But what do the polls and statistics actually tell us? We can glean some interesting insights from Church Trac’s “The State of...
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You have likely heard a variety of claims about the state of the church in America today. It’s easy to repeat dour or sensational headlines. But what do the polls and statistics actually tell us? We can glean some interesting insights from Church Trac’s “The State of...
What is the state of giving in the American church today? Here are several interesting trends from the Ministry Brands’ 2025 State of Church Giving report. Giving is up. Around half of American Protestant and Catholic churches (51%) experienced an increase in giving...
For a lot of churches, the process of getting a loan can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many questions. What are the first steps? What information is going to be required? If you are considering taking out a loan in the future, you can start getting things in...
Pastors are in the relationship business. Church leaders who want to become more productive, influential, persuasive, and avoid many of the pitfalls that come with poor communication can focus on becoming better listeners. We live in a culture that places a higher...
Have you ever tried to make a complicated recipe? It can be challenging. Maybe you thought you followed the directions exactly but your anticipation dissolved into heartbreak with the final result. Something as simple as overbeating your eggs can determine whether you...
Work is hard. Even if you like what you do, chances are you still have a love–hate relationship with work. If you feel this way, you’re not alone. Americans have a habit of working longer and taking fewer vacation days than people in other industrialized countries....
In almost every sphere of our lives, good communication is critical for happiness and productivity. When you are able to effectively share information and communicate expectations, you foster trust and confidence in your working relationships. Good communication is...
A strong church board can be the difference between a congregation that’s firing on all cylinders and one that’s hobbling along. When things are off-kilter in the church leadership, it has a dramatic impact on the life of the church. Here are five signs that your...
Pastors and church leaders give of themselves day in and day out. In fact, as turmoil and strife ripple across the globe and the needs of our immediate communities increase, leaders may feel that they are in a never-ending cycle of “doing” without any moment to rest....
Failure is something we all try to avoid—leaders especially. When faced with a task, ministers, pastors, and other church staff will count the cost by identifying the steps needed to succeed. But failure will always be a part of life on this side of heaven; in fact,...
When reflecting on high points from the past year, few pastors talk about how excited they were to create the budget. While all ministers would probably agree that a budget is an important document and acknowledge that it keeps the church’s finances on track, very few...
Burnout is a significant concern for pastors and church staff. If you’re overworked and not paying attention to the signs, you can end up doing serious damage to your ministry. In addition to paying attention to your workload and stress level, consider how your work...
The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV). Clear expectations are critical to a church’s health and growth, and a lack of clarity can cause a church to atrophy. Leaders, ministers, and pastors have the opportunity—and...
Your church has a finite pool of resources to use toward accomplishing your mission. Typically, you won’t have an excess of funds to allocate for every project, ministry, or idea you are passionate about. Just like with a personal budget, you know that directing money...
Many church conflicts can be traced back to poor communication. The cost of poor communication can be intensified when the topic of finances is being discussed. For example, imagine a church board has been planning to purchase a building to expand and create new...
Hiring someone who turns out to be a poor fit is a costly, time-consuming mistake. It’s a lot more challenging to let someone go than it is to pass on them at the very beginning—especially in a church context. Here are five mistakes to avoid when hiring a new staff...
Not all church teams are created equally. Some are synergistic forces of nature that instinctually set and meet goals. Other teams remain excessively busy but struggle to gain much ground. Why is it that some churches have staff that seem to function so well together...