As the old saying goes: good fences make for good neighbors. The idea is that if you want to maintain a good relationship with the folks next door, you’ll establish clear boundaries. If the borders aren’t clear, it becomes too easy for parties to make a nuisance of...
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As the old saying goes: good fences make for good neighbors. The idea is that if you want to maintain a good relationship with the folks next door, you’ll establish clear boundaries. If the borders aren’t clear, it becomes too easy for parties to make a nuisance of...
When you hear the phrase “church culture,” what do you think of? A church’s culture is like the personality of a church and can be felt in the church’s atmosphere and environment. Culture is largely influenced by the church leaders’ (and thus the members’) mission,...
As church leaders, we often define what our church is about through carefully worded mission and vision statements. These crucial documents concisely explain what our church is called to be and do, providing clear direction that staff and members can rally behind....
“You are what your record says you are.” Bill Parcells, the former head coach of four different NFL teams, is well known for this pithy quote. Parcells led all four of those NFL teams to the playoffs, and three of them to conference championships during his career....
Whether you are building a new church, converting an existing building into the perfect meeting place, or remodeling your current location, your church building project is going to require capital. Sometimes churches are so overwhelmed by the funds they need to come...
Is your mission statement still relevant to the life of your church? When you wrote your mission statement, the whole leadership team likely spent significant time crafting the precise wording that would best summarize your church’s unique purpose and calling. But...
If your church is considering pursuing a church loan, now is the right time to start preparing your documentation. Even if you decide not to move forward with the loan, the process of gathering, reviewing, and preparing your information can be clarifying. While...
After preaching the gospel and making disciples, stewardship is arguably the most important aspect of church ministry. In fact, effective preaching of the good news and successful discipleship can hinge on a church’s ability to steward the commission that Jesus...
As a leader, it’s critical to acknowledge that the next crisis is not a matter of if, but when. While you don’t want to live life in fear, it’s prudent to take time ahead of crises to prepare your church’s financial plan or response. In the midst of a crisis, you’ll...
There are a number of reasons why a church might consider getting a loan. Sometimes growth puts a church in a position that requires expanding the existing sanctuary or moving into a new building entirely. It could be necessary to upgrade and improve areas in a...
Pastors hear plenty of warnings about burnout, and you don’t have to look far to discover the worst-case scenarios of ministries that have crumbled under the weight of stress and exhaustion. But having an understanding of burnout doesn’t seem to slow down the problem....
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...