| | | | | | | | | | | | PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Last fall, I counted down the days to the big MacBook Pro reveal, but now here I sit, typing away on my 5-year-old laptop.
While boasting of making the laptop millimeters thinner and ounces lighter, they loaded it with an old processor, and a battery so inconsistent that Consumer Reports withheld their recommendation of the model for the first time ever.
At the beginning of 2017, FastCo Design writer Mark Wilson put into words what many Apple fans are feeling: Dear Apple, please fix boring problems this year. Stop trying to dazzle us. Just give us old-school great design that works. As we begin new seasons in our ministries, we dream big dreams. We encourage our churches to be creative and think outside of the box. We launch new programs, start new groups, or re-brand our services.
But what if we find ourselves in the same boat as Apple-casting big visions while neglecting the things that matter? Here are some boring problems you can and should fix:
1. Clean Up Your Website and Online Presence
There is nothing less sexy than reading every sentence on your own website, Facebook page, and your church's page on the denominational website (like UMC's Find-A-Church). But there is also nothing more frustrating for a visitor than showing up at the wrong time for a service.
And there is nothing more disappointing than someone who would have connected with your church choosing not to visit because your website is inward-focused or your Facebook page looks dead.
Cement this statement in your brain: Your website is for visitors, not members. Make sure someone who has never been to your church can quickly and easily find every piece of information they need to feel comfortable about visiting. This includes information about where to park and where families with children should go.
Read more from Dan Wunderlich »
Dan Wunderlich is a United Methodist pastor and creator of Defining Grace, where this article first appeared. He also hosts the Art of the Sermon podcast, a podcast that serves preachers, teachers and other communicators of the Gospel. You can connect with him at dan@defininggrace.com.
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| IDEAS THAT IMPACT: FAITHFUL MANAGEMENT
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| Managers in congregations need to pay close attention to the systemic inputs of people, facilities, and money that generate the kind of ministry outputs that God calls on congregations to produce. To that end, here are six key practices for effective congregational management. Read more from John Wimberly » |
Committee work is often cumbersome and tedious, and yet, some committees are able to accomplish a great deal -- managing existing programs, generating and evaluating new ideas, and making it possible for their parent body to make decisions more wisely. How do they do that? Dan Hotchkiss offers an explanation.
Read more » |
Perhaps negative impressions of committee meetings have less to do with inherent weaknesses or failures of group work per se than they do with specific dysfunctional group practices and behaviors. Here are eight simple guidelines that can go a long way to help people be more effective in how they lead meetings.
Read more from Tom Kirkpatrick » |
The Business of the Church: The Uncomfortable Truth that Faithful Ministry Requires Effective Management by John Wimberly, Jr.
Pastors are called to be not only leaders with vision, but also managers of congregational systems, says John Wimberly in The Business of the Church. Drawing on his thirty-six years in ordained ministry, Wimberly weaves the realities of congregational dynamics and faith-centered purpose together with practical, proven approaches to business management.
A student and friend of Rabbi Friedman, Wimberly builds on Friedman's systems theory as he helps readers avoid common pitfalls and put into practice effective techniques of congregational management.
The book begins with a foundational discussion of how a systems approach helps congregational managers identify areas of dysfunction and effective solutions. Managing the critical 'inputs' of people, facilities, and finances has a direct bearing on the desired 'outputs' of proclamation, pastoral care, and mission. A strategic plan, through which a congregation sets its goals and identifies and prioritizes resources, is an essential management tool for both pastors and lay leaders.
The author's conversational writing style and many real-life examples make a seemingly complicated, mysterious topic for some an engaging and easily applicable read.
Learn more and order the book » |
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