Leadership

With Easter just 40 days away, today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. For those, like myself, who did not grow up following the liturgical calendar, Lent may be a foreign thing. In short, Lent is the season of the Christian Year where we focus on simple living, prayer and fasting to grow closer to God.

Changing churches is never easy. For those who are very connected through volunteering, children's ministry, and other aspects of church community, change is rarely sought after. Many people feel called away from their current church for a number of different reasons. Moving to a new state or city is one obvious situation, but there are a slew of other reasons why people leave their church and join another, or quit church altogether. What leads up to this point is perhaps, a can of worms to be opened.

Monday morning starts, just like most mornings start. A cup of coffee, small chat with a few co-workers, and then head to your desk to get the day going. Most likely you do not even think about it. You push the power button on the desktop or tablet, wait a little bit, open a program or two and your church management software is up and running. There are profiles to update, events to create, emails to send, and a host of other responsibilities that you hope your ChMS can handle. You use this software every day, but do you really KNOW your church management software provider?

As I've written before... Volunteers are the life blood of your church. Much of your ministry success rests on the time and talent of those most committed to your church. With Christmas approaching, it seems like a good time to list some ways to bless your volunteers. Making certain they understand the value you place on them.

Church mergers are occurring in an unprecedented way today across North America. These mergers are more mission-driven and future-focused as opposed to the failed mergers of the past that were more survival-driven and focused on preserving the past. Mergers that have a multisite outcome report a higher success rate and satisfaction factor than mergers that unite into one location. Every merger involves a lead church and a joining church. The merging of churches is a delicate dance where one leads and the other follows. Should two churches consider merging?

Many churches offer midweek ministry options. They are a great way to keep people in connection with God and with other believers in addition to Sunday services. While some people opt not to participate in midweek classes, studies, or youth groups due to distance from church or their schedules, many do find it wonderful to have options for connecting with others and the Word of God during the week. From babies to grandparents, there are many ways to get together.

There’s a word that crops up and plagues churches in the media far too often, a word nobody ever wants to hear associated with theirs: scandal. Whether it’s a staff member embezzling funds, a pastor acting inappropriately toward a child, a bad accident, or even just a leadership transition gone awry, these stories come out — and the churches they come out of almost never saw them coming.

Have you ever met or worked with a truly great leader? Someone who had to ability to call out the best in those around them and accomplish exceptional things as a team.