Many pastors face a common fear. Sometimes the fear strikes when looking at the annual budget. Sometimes it happens during the morning offering. Other times, it occurs when he looks at his own household budget. It’s a fear that everyone faces, not just pastors. Where is the money going to come from? What if we have to give up our building? Will I be able to provide for my family if my salary gets cut? Pastors tend to respond to the pressure in different ways.

Continue reading “The Nagging Pastor – What Happens When the Tithing Drops” »

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Congratulations to one of our former Sharefaith writers, Jamee Rae Pineda. She has co-written a book on Christian recovery titled Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery.

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Churches have fallen on tough times. Giving is down. Way down. From established churches to startup churches, it seems like everyone is reeling from the economy. With lost jobs or slashed incomes, churchgoers just aren’t giving. Even those who still have a good income are hesitant to let go of their dollars. Thus, churches are experiencing budget shortages and major cutbacks. Clearly, something needs to change. Here’s how—ten ways to grow your church offering.

This post is a little bit longer than most. I would encourage you to read it in its entirety. The ten minutes that you spend reading this material could dramatically change your entire ministry for years to come.

Continue reading “Tackling Tithing – 9 Ways to Grow Your Church Offering” »

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In the worship team of the modern day church, it is more likely to find a musician using a laptop and controller rather than dragging around an 80-pound keyboard. Thanks to the innovation of sampling technology, worship teams around the world are employing vast instrument libraries to enhance their worship service. Gone are the days of cheap sounding synthesized strings. Now, worship leaders can unleash the realism of a full-scale orchestral string section in the worship service.

Continue reading “Editor’s Pick: Cinematic Strings – Orchestral string realism for the worship team” »

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April 2010 marks the 42nd anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In his life, he proclaimed a message of freedom for millions. In his death, he gave a stirring call to the justice of equality. In his legacy, he encourages millions more in the triumph of social justice.

Continue reading “MLK Monument in Washington D.C.” »

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It’s 11:53am. Your Sunday morning service has just ended. People ease to their feet, collecting purses, Bibles, pens, cough drop wrappers, and keys. The low chatter of the crowd crescendos into the familiar after-church fellowship. Gradually, everyone files out the doors and down the steps to the parking lot. They disperse to their respective vehicles. Engines start, cars drive off, and off they go to Olive Garden, pot roasts, or quick sandwich lunches as they move to the next activity on the agenda. And what about your sermon?

Continue reading “The Voice of the Church – Out of Sight, Out of Mind” »

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Most churches have an unsung hero who works tirelessly behind the scenes. This week is Administrative Professionals Week and while most businesses have a crew of outstanding administrative professionals, churches also have administrators who shoulder a huge burden and have an incredible contribution to the kingdom of God. It’s time to thank them for the way that they contribute and prosper the ministry of the church.

Continue reading “The Never-Ending Work of the Church Administrator” »

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I know that the stock market is down and the economy is supposedly in the dumps, but there is one group of people that isn’t doing all that bad–a few pastors. One Atlanta area pastor owns not one, but two private jets which he uses for shuttling to and from Atlanta and New York City. He owns two homes. One is a 3 million dollar mansion, and the other is a 2.4 million dollar condo. The Rolls Royce (or two) that he drives are apparently “gifts” from his church. One well-known pastor was accepting a modest $200,000 salary, and has landed book deals around $13 million. His church operates on a $70 million budget. Another pastor earns a million-plus salary, and resides in a $2.6 million mansion. The list could go on and on.

Continue reading “Millionaires or Shepherds – Pastors of the Modern Church” »

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The church attendees at Lake View Community Church did one of three things during the Sunday preaching. Once the singing was over, they would either sleep, become engrossed in their mobile devices, or barely appear to be listening. The last group of people, the maybe listeners, was by far the smallest group. Pastor Davis, a seminary-trained, M.Div-toting, young pastor was frustrated. He was knowledgeable, trained, and working hard to produce textually accurate sermons each week. Yet his churchgoers appeared to be apathetic, uncaring, and totally out of touch with God. What a rotten church.

Continue reading “The Ever-Changing Church Audience – Speaking the Language of Your Generation” »

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I’ve got some questions for you. Is God your CEO? Do you have an Executive Pastor, not just a Senior Pastor? Does your church have an appropriate marketing orientation that reaches a strong local constituency? Are church attendees getting a good ROI?  Are the church’s deliverables meeting the client’s needs? Does the church have a strong CFO, CEO, and CTO? And a final question: is all this beginning to sound more like a business than a church?

Continue reading “The Nine to Five Pastor – Why Church Should Never Become a Business” »

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