For this stewardship leader, being asked to give an enormous donation helped her understand the dynamics and importance of what development professionals call, “making the ask.” From the Lake Institute for Faith & Giving. ( Photo by Christina Morillo from Pexels)
Your church may have more resources than you think! In this podcast crom the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, Jacqueline Jones-Smith explains how Christ Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, once slated for closure, turned itself around by embracing a more entrepreneurial mindset and taking stock of its physical and human assets.
Church leaders don’t materialize in a vacuum. If you want those in your faith community to reach their God-given talents and gifts, there must be prayer, equipping, and real relationship. Read on for questions to get your leaders thinking about multiplying your congregation’s leadership capacity. (Image: Allison Baltzersen, Creative Commons License)
Don’t let the size of your congregation dictate how leaders are equipped to mission. Instead, take a cue from Sandy Plains United Methodist Church in rural North Carolina where they keep “every member in mind” for leadership in church and mission. (Image: Janet Ramsden, Creative Commons)
You can’t pay all the volunteer leaders in your church for the work they put into your congregation, and you can’t possibly run the church without them. But there are some really terrific ways to reward your folks that won’t tax your budget at all, Carey Nieuwhof explains. (Photo: ThinkPanama, Creative Commons)
Now some nine months after the pandemic cratered church attendance, there are some hopeful signs, reports Meredith McNabb of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving. The digital adaptations that helped congregations thrive are here to stay. (Photo: Gabriela Pinto, Creative Commons)
Covid-19 has left us all depleted, and that’s all the more reason to emphasize stewardship of our health in 2021. This free Toolkit has a monthly stewardship message and RCL-based snippets for the Sunday bulletins, and more. (Photo: Neil T, Creative Commons)
Too many congregations use a tired — and less effective — approach to filling a year-end gap in their budgets: They send out letters begging for donations, sometimes even using veiled threats that the church will close. There’s a much better way, says this article from Church Law & Tax. (Photo: Steve Jurvetson, Creative Commons)
Millennials have distinguished themselves from previous generations in their world view and way of engaging the world. To engage them in discipleship and stewardship requires a church to understand the Millennial mindset and find new approaches. From Kayla Matthews in NonProfitPro. (Photo: OECD, Creative Commons)
During the Sunday offering, are you asking your congregation to “give money” or are you inviting them to participate in what God is doing in the world? Here, from the United Methodist Church, is a beautiful brochure that explains how to raise money AND disciples. (Photo: Lisafx, Bigstock.com)
