When I was growing up you didn’t get braces until your teeth had all come in. But today the approach is to do braces much younger, often at age 8 or so. That way they come in straight rather than trying to correct them later. Many churches equate stewardship with dentistry (getting our members to […]
January 24, 2011
There is no doubt that church committee work is cyclical and this is absolutely true for Stewardship Committees. After Labor Day they start to get organized, are busy in October and November, are done by Thanksgiving or so and are back to sleep before the Christmas decorations are put away. Afterall, there is really nothing […]
January 17, 2011
Last summer I had the chance to hear some of the most insightful leaders who are thinking about United Methodism. One of them was Reverend Gil Rendle. Rev. Rendle worked his career as a pastor and is now on the staff at the Texas Methodist Foundation. I hung on every word he said for his […]
January 10, 2011
Wow, what a great response to last week’s post about electronic giving! It was the most-read entry we’ve had in 12 weeks! One church member told me that his church does nearly all of its “transactions” with members electronically. These are things other than the offering, like registering for VBS. And the biggest fan is the […]
November 8, 2010
By now your fall stewardship campaign may be over, for others that time is still a month or so away. Whatever your timeline, keep in mind that the day after your commitment Sunday does not indicate the end of the campaign. There is still work to be done. I strongly urge you to contact each […]
October 25, 2010
The nice thing about the church is that no matter how incredibly boring the sermon may be, it’s still more exciting than reading the budget. Let’s change that. The budget, I mean, you’re on your own with the sermon. While a line item budget is a necessary tool for fiscal management it really tells a lousy […]
October 18, 2010
The good people in the Conference Communications Office asked me to contribute to the fall edition of Joining Hands Magazine. This issue deals with bridging the gap between generations and below are my thoughts. If you haven’t read it yet or don’t receive a subscription you can read it on-line. In response to the earthquake […]
October 11, 2010
Churches in Africa do things a bit differently. From what I understand the offering is a time for great joy, as congregants celebrate that they have something to contribute. In remote areas where food and water are a daily struggle, having a li’l something extra to share is truly something special. We don’t really do […]
October 4, 2010