Bicycles are amazing! They benefit the environment by using no fossil fuels, and they benefit the rider through exercise that burns promotes fitness. Why not honor the bicycle riders in your congregation and promote this mode of transportation by blessing the bikes. This service will help.
Lots of churches muddle along without policies to govern their financial matters, opening themselves up to problems down the road. Is yours one of them? If it is — or if your church’s policy simply needs updating — then Lifeway has a model policy that can get you going.
Summer is the perfect time to recruit volunteers. Fewer committee meetings mean more time for the one-on-one visits so important to matching the right person to the job. Here is a recorded webinar and accompanying slides to help you put your team in place, from the Episcopal Church Foundation.
People are leaving their churches because they feel excluded from participating in the communication of the message. They have heard countless sermons, but they grew weary, very weary, of sitting in pews, feeling muzzled, while the person on stage monopolizes every word, says Thom Schultz of Holy Soup. (Photo by stephen_jamesP, used by Creative Commons license)
The earth cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. (Photo by Aleteia Image Department, used by Creative Commons license.)
Worshipers want to feel their contributions are making a difference. The tithe may no longer be the norm outside conservative Protestant churches, but members who feel connected to their church and confident it is contributing to God’s work still give financially. From the Lilly Endowment’s Insights into Religion. (Photo by Lululemon athletica, used by Creative […]
Folks at a Lutheran congregation in Washington State were so inspired by Frances Moore Lappé’s book, “Ecomind,” that they took a step in addressing climate change. Partnering with local educators, they installed solar panels on a middle school. What can your congregation do? (Photo by Ellen Lamiman)
OK, so money is tight in the congregation. Tensions are high and anxiety is climbing steadily. How you respond can definitely impact the overall health and wellbeing of your church and God’s people. Here are four common traps to avoid, from ChurchLawandTax.com.
Ministers today face so many pressures, The intensity of the job itself added to the high rates of unrealistic expectations from church memberships or even leadership can set up ministers to burn out quickly and, often, to live with a great burden of guilt, frustration, and disillusionment. “Strategic neglect” may be a way for ministers to cope by taking a new look at putting first things first by better managing their competing commitments and finding homeostasis in their spiritual, personal, and professional lives. (Photo by Leland Francisco, used by Creative Commons )
Fewer people today are using cash and checks for their financial transactions. As a result, churches have an opportunity to expand their giving opportunities. Here are seven good reasons why your church should offer online giving options. From United Methodist Communications. (Photo by Kodomut, used by Creative Commons license)
