We all have worn, unhelpful tapes winding through our thoughts, and church leaders do as well. One tape they need to stop playing is we-all-need-to-be-together-in-one-place.
Like many church leaders, I have been grappling with the steady decline of mainline Protestant churches over the past 45 years and trying to determine what we can do about it.
A young adults minister recently presented a paper to her colleagues on how to understand and respond to Generation X, Generation Y, or, in her shorthand, “Generation XY.”
It’s tempting to give everyone a “stewardship break” this year. The Great Recession is still going on, jobs are tenuous, personal finances are tight. — not a good time to ask for money.
At age 16, Paul McCartney wrote a love song about two lovers growing old together. Eight years later, as his own father turned 64, McCartney included “When I’m 64” in the list for “Sgt. Pepper,” the Beatles’ 1967 album.
I don’t know a perfect formula for managing a church’s finances during a deep recession. Every situation is unique. But here are some tips for taking hold of the situation:
