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8 Signs of a Financially Dying Church – Rainer on Leadership #276

Podcast Episode #276

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Church financial issues can sometimes precipitate church death. So today we cover a post by Art Rainer on the warning signs that a church may be dying financially.

Also, we’re collecting church budget data for a massive research project. If you’d like to participate, email your church budget to amy@churchanswers.com. Every participant will receive a free copy of the research once it releases, and the first 10 submissions will receive a free copy of Who Moved My Pulpit?

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

Stewardship is part of the discipline of Christian life, therefore we should preach on it.
Pastors should not apologize for preaching on money and stewardship.
If members do not trust the church leadership, they will give less.
Consider starting your church budget process with your ministry expenses—not personnel or facility costs.
Offering more options for giving typically means all types of giving will increase.
Churches should constantly be evaluating how they are spending their money.
Churches should be taking steps of financial faith, not financial foolishness.

The eight signs of a financially dying church which we discuss on the show are:

Failed to preach and teach stewardship.
Took on too much debt.
Was not transparent with finances.
Used very few dollars to reach and minister to the community.
Did not have multiple options for giving.
Did not constantly evaluate how funds were spent.
Never took wise steps of financial faith.
The church relied on a few big givers.


Episode Sponsors

Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped hundreds of churches just like yours find their church staff and are uniquely geared to help you discern who God is calling to lead your church.

Find out more about Vanderbloemen Search Group by visiting WeStaffTheChurch.com.

Midwestern Seminary, one of the fastest growing seminaries in North America, exists to train leaders For The Church. The local church is God’s “Plan A” for the proclamation of the gospel, and there is no Plan B. And this is Midwestern’s vision and heartbeat—equipping pastors and other ministry leaders who are called to expand God’s mission in the world through the local church. At Midwestern Seminary: they train leaders ‘For The Church.’

Visit them online at MBTS.edu and start your ministry training today.

Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Who Moved My Pulpit?

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast

Autopsy of a Financially Deceased Church

Seven Core Productivity Apps for Pastors and Church Leaders

By Jonathan Howe

I bought a new iPhone for my wife this weekend. While in the process, I noticed how few apps she had on her phone. Mine on the other hand is packed full of apps I use quite often and others I may have used just once.

Even though she has several dozen fewer apps on her phone than I do, my wife and I still use a core set of apps for many of the same functions. My guess is that many of you do as well because we all use our smart phones for similar purposes unless you work in a highly specialized industry.

So for those who are in ministry and ministry related jobs, what are the core productivity apps? A Bible app seems like an obvious start, but what next? Here are seven suggestions:

Evernote . This is really the perfect app for ministry—or any line of work. You can store sermon notes, track mileage for hospital visits, create to do lists, and so much more. Even after their recent price changes, the functionality and cross-platform syncing make Evernote a must-have.
Wunderlist . You can use this app to track to-do lists for a team, personal to-do lists, and much more. There are other list apps and even some that are specifically for project management. If you need something more robust than Wunderlist, check out Basecamp or Trello.
Tweetbot . This is my preferred app for Twitter. It may not be a free app, but it is worth every penny. No ads, no promoted tweets, no tweets out of chronological order, and customizable tabs, Multi-account functionality is also excellent in this app if you manage your church’s account along with your personal account.
Facebook Pages . I manage a few dozen Facebook Pages, so a dedicated app is quite helpful. I realize you can manage the pages in the regular Facebook app, but having the Pages app makes it easier to stay on task without worrying about my personal content on Facebook.
Buffer . There are several good social media scheduling apps out there. Hootsuite and Sprout Social are two of the best. But I prefer Buffer for my phone for two main reasons: I’m not distracted by other content while using it and it gives analytics in the app. Very few apps provide analytics in the app. Many reserve that function for desktop sites. So I give the nod to Buffer simply for the accessibility of my social media stats.
Speaky . This may be an unfamiliar app to many of you, but I find it immensely helpful. Have you ever wished you could listen to an article instead of having to read it? Basically with the Speaky app, you can turn articles from blogs or news sites into a mini podcast of sorts. It’s not always perfect (abbreviations and acronyms are often hilariously butchered), but Speaky allows you to consume written content audibly.
Key Ring . This is likely another unfamiliar app, but I guarantee you’ll love it. At one time, I had a key ring with a dozen or so “loyalty tags” or “membership tags” on it. Now I just have keys because I converted all of those tags into digital versions in the Key Ring app. I never have to fumble with my keys to find the right tag. It’s right in the app on my phone. It saves me time, and if I’m in my wife’s car with her keys, I still have all my tags and info.

These are just seven apps I use to help with productivity. What would you add to the list?

Jonathan Howe serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at LifeWay Christian Resources, the host and producer of Rainer on Leadership and SBC This Week. Jonathan writes weekly at ThomRainer.com on topics ranging from social media to websites and church communications. Connect with Jonathan on Twitter at @Jonathan_Howe.

Four Differences between Programs and Ministry Solutions

I admit I got it wrong.

For many years, I listened to some church leaders say that their churches are not program-driven. I assumed they meant that they no longer used resources from Christian publishers, particularly denominational publishers.

But then I saw some non-program church leaders using the same resources as churches that were program-centered. I realized then that the definition of programmatic was not necessarily tied to the resources used. Instead I began to see four distinctive differences between what I now called programs and ministry solutions.

Programs assume churches are all in similar contexts; ministry solutions do not. For decades you could tell if you walked into a church of my denomination, Southern Baptist, just by looking at its schedule. Sunday school preceded worship on Sunday morning. Church training took place on Sunday night. And Wednesday nights were for missions, prayer and, above all, food. Most of these churches were using the same materials. So if a Southern Baptist church was started in Pennsylvania, the members made certain it looked like a Southern Baptist church in Georgia. Context did not matter. Those churches tended to attract only transplants from the South.
Programs assume a top-down authority; ministry solutions are congregationally evaluated. I was recently in a struggling church of my denomination. One of the lay leaders in the church wanted to know when the denomination was going to provide the program to fix his church. Indeed there was a day in many contexts where the denomination by default decided the ministries for a church. More effective churches today evaluate ministry solutions for their individual context and needs.
Programs are considered a magic bullet; ministry solutions are seen as resources. In another situation, I was told that the problem with the member’s church was that the denomination was not making the church evangelistic. And though there are myriads of ministry solutions and resources for evangelism inside and outside his denomination, he was waiting on that one program that would solve his church’s evangelistic woes. It will be a long wait.
Programs are not missional; ministry solutions are. In order for a ministry solution to have a missional impact, it must be able to be used in the context of the community where the church serves. A program is perceived to be a “plug-and-play” approach. A ministry solution is used by leaders who ask how it can be best applied in the ministry’s context.

Today I fully agree with those leaders who do not want their churches to be program-driven, particularly in the four ways programs are noted above.

It’s not about the resources. It’s about the way churches use resources.

Resources can and should be helpful. But if church leaders expect any one resource to be the answer to all or most of the needs of the church, they will be sorely disappointed.

Only one resource is perfect.

It’s called the Bible.

10 Keys to Reaching Unchurched People at Christmas – Rainer on Leadership #275

Podcast Episode #273

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Christmas is right around the corner for churches, so today we discuss 10 ways your church can better reach those in your community this Christmas.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

Christmastime evokes feelings of tradition values that even secularists experience.
Nearly seven out of ten churches will have a Christmas Eve service this year.
Nearly two-thirds of churches will have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services this year.
Christmas Eve is a time to go traditional with the service: candles, carols, etc.
Be sure to use your church Facebook page to promote all that’s going on at your church during Christmas.
Set your Christmas Eve service times to work for the majority of your congregation and community.
Attendees expect candles at the Christmas Eve service.
Christmas services should be all-hands-on-deck for church staff.

The 10 Christmas keys we discussed are:

Christmas Eve is the time when the unchurched are most receptive to attending church.
Traditions are key: traditional hymns and carols, candlelight with Silent Night, etc.
The service should be brief, 30-minutes max.
Begin promotion the first week in December.
Maximize your church Facebook page
Have a very simple registration card: first name, email, guest or member, prayer request. Ask everyone to complete it.
Combine Invite Your One with Christmas Eve services
Prepare for multiple services in most churches, at the very least for greater attendance.
Informal is usually the best approach.
Plan for staff to have time off post-Christmas.


Episode Sponsors

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Find out more at mbts.edu/mdiv.

Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped hundreds of churches just like yours find their church staff and are uniquely geared to help you discern who God is calling to lead your church.

Find out more about Vanderbloemen Search Group by visiting WeStaffTheChurch.com.

Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Who Moved My Pulpit?

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast

Five Ways for Churches to Utilize Facebook This Christmas
Candles and Candle Holders
Invite Your One

The Camel Video…Again

Six Surprises about Church Staff Salaries and Budgets

The new research on church staff salaries and budgets is amazing.

I have been poring over the data of the study recently released by Leadership Network and Vanderbloemen Search Group. It is rich with helpful information.

As I read the study, I looked for surprises or changes in patterns from what I have been seeing in recent years. And though the data I’ve collected in the past may not compare perfectly with the research of this latest study, the contrasts are, at the very least, instructional and interesting.

Here are six of those surprises or changes:

Growing churches pay their pastors and staff slightly less than declining churches. At first glance, this information seems surprising. But growing churches often reach new Christians who have not established healthy giving patterns. Other growing churches may be more likely to reach younger families with lower incomes.
Only two percent of the churches’ budgets are funded outside congregational giving. Some churches receive funds from leasing facilities, from schools that are in the church’s building, or from investments and endowments. But, in reality, those sources of income are very small compared to congregational giving.
One third of the churches increased the outsourcing of staff over the past five years. As I have noted in other articles, outsourcing is a major trend in churches. Leaders are increasingly becoming aware that many typical employee functions are not part of the core that makes a church unique. Here are some of the more common church staff outsourcing I have found with an example of each:

Administrative assistants/secretaries (EAHelp)
Bookkeepers/financial assistants (MAG Bookkeeping)
Web support/webmasters (Render)
Ongoing writing and publications (Ellipsis)


Overall church staffing costs have declined to 49 percent of the budget. To be clear, the number of 49% comes from the Leadership Network/Vanderbloemen Search Group research. I am comparing that to my own earlier data that shows church staffing costs to be 54% of budget. It would appear that overall church staffing costs are declining. I would surmise that much of that decline is coming from efficiencies gained from outsourcing.
The attendance-to-staff ratio is 76:1. For every 76 persons in average worship attendance, churches have the equivalent of one full-time staff person. Those numbers count all staff, including pastors, assistants, custodians, and others. It does not include school staff if the church has or sponsors a school.
About 81 percent of churches limit visibility of specific salaries to a board, a subcommittee, or senior staff. This perspective seems to be a major shift from the days of all church members pouring over every dollar given to every staff person for salaries, benefits, and expense reimbursements.

How does this latest research compare to your church or to trends you are seeing in other congregations? Let me hear from you.

Pray for New Colony Baptist Church

Location: Billerica, Massachusetts

Pastor: Dr Phil Wilkes

Weekly Worship: 10:45 AM, Eastern

Fast Facts: New Colony is just one of two Evangelical churches in Billerica, a town of 40,000. The church seeks to engage its community through events like Trunk-or-Treat, Christmas programs, and Super Summer (a 4 week ministry in July to kids in Kindergarten-6th grade). Please pray for the follow-up from their recent Trunk-or-Treat event in which they had more than 200 people attend. Pray for families to be receptive as church members invite them to worship. Also pray for their efforts to offer a health screening at the elementary school next door to our church.

Website: NewColony.org

“Pray for . . .” is the Sunday blog series at ThomRainer.com. We encourage you to pray for these churches noted every Sunday. Please feel free to comment that you are praying as well.

If you would like to have your church featured in the “Pray for…” series, fill out this information form..

Notable Voices: November 5, 2016

5 Reasons Millennials Are Not Giving Your Church — Art Rainer

Millennials are generous. But their generosity doesn’t look like prior generations. They are not motivated to give in the same way that prior generations are motivated to give. The ways in which they give are not the same as prior generations.

 

What Does a Healthy Small Church Look Like? — Karl Vaters

Too much reliance on numbers can be like counting the brushstrokes on a Monet. Sometimes you need to step back and see the bigger picture. Enjoy the beauty. Gasp at the wonder. And remember that the most important things in life can’t be measured numerically. Including a healthy church.

 

Ten Suggestions for New Pastors — Barry York

Getting to know your new flock is essential to properly caring for them. Whether going to their home or having them to yours, simply being with them, asking questions, listening to them, and then praying with them will help you learn about the unique nature of this local congregation.

 

How Members of Rural Churches Can Engage Culture — Jay Sanders

Pastor, your small town might not have a homeless shelter. Your church might not have the resources to start a nonprofit to take care of the water crisis in some far away country. But if your town has a school, you can be sure that your town has pain. There are kids there who are hungry. There are kids there who are abandoned by their parents.

 

3 Truths You Should Remember, No Matter What You Do in the Voting Booth — Trevin Wax

Here are three truths about Christians and politics that are true today and will still be true after next week’s election—truths you should remember no matter what you do in the voting booth.

 

5 Small Podcast Tips That Make A Big Difference — Jeremy Smith

Having been doing a couple of different podcasts for the past three years, which includes being the host, editing everything, setting up and marketing, being a guest on someone else’s podcast, and listening to a ton of them, I’ve come to have a particular expectation of what is in a podcast. I’ll be very transparent in that I do not do this for a living, these are just tips I have identified myself that are now glaringly obvious.

 

How to Handle Bad Church Guest Experiences – Rainer on Leadership #274

Podcast Episode #274

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play

Drawing from a recent post on bad church guest experiences, we discuss how churches can respond to or avoid some of these issues.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

Pastors typically do not hear about bad guest experiences because the guest simply does not return.
Any time you’re expecting big crowds, be sure to prepare your members and remind them to sacrifice for others.
Sometimes church members need confronting over the way they treat church guests.
Some of the most strategic greeters need to be in the worship center greeting those who are seated and waiting.
Be sure kids ministry volunteers follow procedures and know where all the kids in their care are.
The stand-and-greet-time can inadvertently train your members to think there’s only one time to be friendly at church.
You’ve got to follow up with all guests to know if there are issues with how they are treated when visiting your church.


Episode Sponsors

Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped hundreds of churches just like yours find their church staff and are uniquely geared to help you discern who God is calling to lead your church.

Find out more about Vanderbloemen Search Group by visiting WeStaffTheChurch.com.

Midwestern Seminary, one of the fastest growing seminaries in North America, exists to train leaders For The Church. The local church is God’s “Plan A” for the proclamation of the gospel, and there is no Plan B. And this is Midwestern’s vision and heartbeat—equipping pastors and other ministry leaders who are called to expand God’s mission in the world through the local church. At Midwestern Seminary: they train leaders ‘For The Church.’

Visit them online at MBTS.edu and start your ministry training today.

Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Who Moved My Pulpit?

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast

I Am a Church Member
Galactic Starveyors VBS
Ministry Grid Greeter Training

Five Social Media Practices to Avoid and How to Guard Against Them

By Jonathan Howe

In days of yore, we followed current events through newspapers, radio, and television. In our current digital landscape, those industries look to social media for the latest information—and so do we. Social media is ubiquitous in our culture. We use it; our employers use it; our parents use it; our kids use it.

Over the past year, I’ve written a great deal about how you and your church can use social media most effectively. I’ve also shared insight into the common mistakes that are made. Today, I turn to practices to avoid altogether as well as helpful ways to keep from falling into their traps.

While these may seem to be general in nature, the application of these guidelines for pastors and church leaders can make a difference in how effectively you shepherd and minister to those under your care. The simple act of adjusting how you engage others online can dramatically alter your ministry effectiveness.

Over posting. This most often manifests itself when someone comments on everything everyone else posts. They are the person who comments on all your pictures or replies to all your tweets. It’s good to be engaged with your network of friends online, but it’s also helpful to know the limits for engagement. The simple solution is to reply only when you are adding value to something that’s already been said. If you’re just agreeing, a simple like or favorite will suffice. There’s no need to comment on everything. Simply be more selective in how much you interact.
Sharing bad information. Of these five items, this is the most frustrating to me. As leaders in our churches, we are seen as trusted providers of truth. By sharing false information, bad stats, or fake news, our credibility is harmed and trust in us is lost. A solution here is to always verify what you’re sharing before you share it. And, as the old adage goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Humble bragging. This may be an unfamiliar term to some, but it was so prevalent online a few years back, even the New York Times devoted some ink to its rise. The humble brag usually has good intentions but often rubs readers the wrong way. An innocent tweet about “being tired after speaking at four conferences across the country this week” may be honest, but to some, it could be read as “look how important I am.” To avoid this, just consider the potential message your tweets or Facebook updates may be sending.
Pastoralizing everything. This is often referred to as a “Jesus juke”—a term popularized (and possibly coined) by Jon Acuff. Turning everything you see or say online into a sermonette, Bible reference, or spiritual encouragement might seem like a good idea, but it often just comes off as forced and insincere. There are times for spiritual commentary, but when someone comments on his/her excitement over a sports team winning a game, that’s probably not the best time to quote Hebrews. Pastoral comments are most effective in pastoral moments.
Polarizing politics. As this election (finally) comes to a close, I’ve heard from more than a few pastors and congregants who are relieved. This has been one of the most divisive election cycles in recent memory, and much of that division has been sown over social media. It’s good to remember there are Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and probably a few Libertarians in your pews. We could all use a little more Ephesians 4:29 online—myself included.

Do you find yourself falling into these traps? How do you guard against them online?

Jonathan Howe serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at LifeWay Christian Resources, the host and producer of Rainer on Leadership and SBC This Week. Jonathan writes weekly at ThomRainer.com on topics ranging from social media to websites and church communications. Connect with Jonathan on Twitter at @Jonathan_Howe.

The Two Most Common Practices in Healthy Churches

Churches are too busy.

Church members are too busy.

We have created cultures of activity in many of our churches instead of cultures of transformational discipleship. There are so many important facets of church life to emphasize. Where should we put our greatest emphases?

Without diminishing other ministries and activities in churches, I want to share with you the two most common practices in healthy churches. I understand that “healthy” can have a subjective nature to it. And I understand that correlation is not the same as causation.

But, after looking at tens of thousands of churches over the past several years, I would be negligent if I did not note these two common practices in the healthiest of the churches. These practices showed up again and again.

The church strongly encourages its members to read the Bible daily. Brad Waggoner, in his excellent book, The Shape of Faith to Come , provides excellent research toward this reality. When Christians read their Bibles every day, they are more likely to evangelize, minister to the community, pray, give to the church, and be a unifying force in the congregation. The healthy churches do not simply say members should read their Bibles, they are highly intentional and strategic about helping the members toward that end. It is not a one-and-done emphasis. It is a part of the DNA of the church, and the emphasis and encouragement is redundant and persistent.
The church has an incredibly strong emphasis on groups. Choose the name that best fits your context: community groups, Sunday school, life groups, small groups, home groups, or others. Drop out rates are five times higher for those in worship only versus those who also are involved in a group (Note: That statistic is dated, but I have at least anecdotal confidence it is still fairly accurate.). Groups provide three incredible dynamics for members: they increase stickiness or assimilation; they provide community; and they are instruments of accountability.

At the risk of being redundant, let me be very clear. It is not the mere existence of groups or emphases on Bible daily reading that are the differentiating factors in healthy churches. Rather, it is the reality that church leaders are strategic about these two vital areas and determined to move all members to these two important habits.

Would your church members say these two areas are key emphases in your church? If so, you are likely in a healthy church or a church that is moving toward health.

Let me hear from you.