Ray Linder, MBA, is a pastor, CEO of Goodstewardship.com, and author of three books, including What Will I Do With My Money? Ray serves on the ministry staff of Cornerstone Chapel, Leesburg, Virginia.
Building Church Leaders, a leadership-training resource published by Christianity Today International, asked him how church leaders can help their people be responsible with God-given resources.
Our financial secretary called. "Pastor, we have more bills this month than money to pay them. What do I do?"
I was young and ambitious. I had pressed the board of our small church for an aggressive ministry budget. I hadn't expected an economic downturn to thwart my one-year plan to single-handedly fulfill the Great Commission. Then I remembered the advice a board member gave me on the night I proposed ...
Does a building campaign change the way a church teaches stewardship? For our congregation, the answer is dramatic, but not in the way you might expect.
You see, for 15 years, our church did not own a building. Saddleback Community Church grew from a few people meeting in an apartment, to renting facilities in various schools, to meeting in a tent. Then in 1995, with over 10,000 regular weekly attenders, ...
ARTICLE Borrowing Trouble? A new Leadership survey reveals that most churches make some debt work to their advantage. Bruce Howard
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The church I attend has a problem—a good problem, but still a problem. We have run out of space and we're landlocked. These issues have been the grist for leadership discussions.
Elder Bob: "We need to face the facts! We have four worship services on Sunday mornings. We're parking cars bumper to bumper, but we still have to run a shuttle service to the public parking garage. And we're renting ...
When Bowser pokes a cold, wet nose under my arm to signal it's time to pet him, the nose tells me he's healthy. When the nurse announces "120 over 80" for my blood pressure, I know I'm healthy. But when my church treasurer flings a file of figures across the table in his report, how do I know if my church is financially healthy?
What are some vital signs of churches that are fiscally fit?
Many ushers see the offering as one of their primary responsibilities. This article explains the offering and why it is structured the way that it is. As you read it, consider how the manner in which your church takes a collection reflects the values and emphases of your church.
The offering is, perhaps, the most fundamental act of Christian worship. It's certainly one of the oldest, having been ...