Guest AuthorI’m going to lay all of my cards on the table right here at the beginning: I wholeheartedly, unreservedly, and unashamedly believe that every church should have a plan in place to care for its guests.
The Christmas season provides a unique opportunity for your church to connect with people in the community. And social media is one of the greatest tools we have to promote what’s happening in the life of our church.
A key method for both ensuring children are safe and showing parents your commitment to safety is through the check-in process.
But that’s not the only important thing that happens at check-in.
“In the middle of winter when fogs and rains most abound,” C. S. Lewis once wrote about those who inhabit the island of Niatirb, “they have a great festival which they call Exmas, and for 50 days, they prepare for it in the fashion I shall describe.”
By Reuben Evans The new series Angels follows up The Unseen Realm and Demons. It’s available for purchase on Faithlife TV. Pop culture and church tradition have a lot to say about angels. However, in this documentary series, Dr. Mike Heiser takes...
Happy Reformation Day! In this guest post from Dr. Jim West, professor of biblical studies at the Quartz Hill School of Theology, we are reminded of the great Reformers and how they changed the course of history. *** The temperature outside the...
“I am not the head of the church. Jesus is.” As a pastor, I had not only heard that many times, I had said it many times myself. And I really did believe it. But it left a major question unanswered for me. If I am not the head, what part of the...
I don’t know a single worship leader who doesn’t want more solid musicians on their worship team. Identifying those musicians through an audition process is the first step to getting them there. But how can you set your new musicians up for success...
Two years ago, I transitioned from leading and overseeing our church’s youth ministries to overseeing and leading our children’s and youth ministries. Practically, that’s an eighteen-year gap of kids under my care—not to mention their older...
Summer months provide an excellent opportunity to refresh and clean up the church. Decent weather makes it easier to handle outdoor projects. No school may mean some students are willing and able to volunteer a few hours to help. As you take...
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” But what are good works? Professor R. Michael Allen explains in the course Law and Gospel: The...
If we learned anything last year, it’s that the church live stream is an important tech tool. For many of us, the live stream is here to stay.
Here are four tips for making sure your online guests aren’t an afterthought but are instead welcomed and folded into the life of your church.
By Trillia Newbell The other morning I woke up while my children were still sleeping and began to pray. I started thinking about my identity. Who am I? As I settled into my prayer time, I began to rejoice at the thought that I am a mother. It is...
Having a process for tech purchases not only saves money in the long run, but promotes good stewardship and mission focus.
Here are seven cost-saving tips churches can follow to successfully plan technology upgrades and purchases.
This is a guest post by Peter Krol. A reader of my blog recently emailed to say, “I was never intentionally taught how to lead a Bible study, and, when the time came for me to teach others how to do it, I had no idea even where to begin.” Do you...
Volunteer sound techs are blessed with a calling to deliver great sound for their congregations week after week. It’s a big responsibility. And now that churches of all sizes are regularly live streaming, there are even more demands placed on the...
By Harold L. Senkbeil Where do you go when the calamities of life feel too heavy? We’re all tempted to turn inward, but perhaps we would do better to open the Psalms of lament instead. In the following excerpt from Christ and Calamity by award...
But what does an online pastor do? I get asked this a lot. Here’s a job profile to help start the conversation.
What do churches need to do church online well? Read on to learn what Jay Kranda, online pastor at Saddleback Church, has to say about this timely topic. *** A couple of months ago, I wanted to buy stock in Pinterest. I had never bought anything...
Did you know Jesus talked more about money than he did about heaven, hell, prayer, or faith? Thousands of verses discuss money. The Bible isn’t bashful about money and stewardship—but many pastors and church leaders are (especially when it comes to...
The good news is there are five key metrics within easy reach that will help you assess the state of your church’s health.
In late January, Discovery Church in Colorado Springs, CO, launched a three-tier discipleship program at their church. About six weeks later, the COVID-19 pandemic sent their entire discipleship program online. Turns out they were actually ahead of...
By Tobin Perry Developing generous givers isn’t about your church’s budget. It’s about discipleship. Jesus’ commission to make disciples and teach them everything he commanded (Matt. 28:18–20) means teaching people that giving is part of the...
When you think about helping people grow spiritually, Bible engagement and discipleship are probably at the top of your list. What if your congregation engaged with the Bible in meaningful ways every day?
There’s no shortage of ideas to communicate to our church members, and they all seem to creep into our announcements and church emails. Soon we’re communicating everything about everything—which becomes noise—instead of communicating a few things...
What does the Bible say about loneliness? More than you might think. Scripture’s light reveals its lies and shows us how to deal with loneliness God’s way. This excerpt is adapted from Finding God in My Loneliness by Lydia Brownback. *** Lie:...
By Stephen Nichols, adapted from Welcome to the Story: Reading, Living, and Loving God’s Word. *** How Dietrich Bonhoeffer came to write Life Together In 1935, the German National Church threw its support behind the Nazi party. Troubling to many in...
By Brandon Crowe When we ask, “What does the Bible say about work?” we often find a list of verses telling us to work hard and be faithful in our labor. But when we take a broader view of the topic, we can ask: how does the great commandment shape...
At the church where I’m a pastor, planning, building, and filling our leadership pipeline has taken almost eight years. Through that time, we’ve learned a few things the hard way. Here are our biggest mistakes and the lessons we learned.