Feed Editor 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST The NACBA Weekly Update provides industry-specific news and information to leaders in the church administration professional. Delivered weekly, the publication keeps professionals abreast of topics that impact the daily operation of their churches. http://www.multibriefs.com/briefs/nacba/nacbaupdate.xml en 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/y9qwtcv 1 In a recession, one of the first things to go is charitable giving, and these days, it's hurting a lot of churches. Now, some local churches are stepping out in faith - using creative ideas to climb out of debt and encourage people to give tithes and offerings. WTVM, an ABC affiliate in Georgia, takes a closer look in a special report, "Church Cash Crunch." 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/yag3bcn 2 On a hot South Texas summer morning, parents and children stream into the Children’s Center at San Antonio’s Trinity Baptist Church for Sunday School. Visitors are greeted warmly, and children are directed to their classrooms: downstairs for the youngest, upstairs for older children. Today’s lesson is from Exodus. It’s a typical Sunday-morning routine at churches around the country. What makes this scene unique is the Children’s Center itself: More than just a building, the center has become what Senior Pastor Les Hollon calls “a canvas to tell the stories of Scripture and hope.” Throughout the center, bright murals -- some three stories high -- tell the traditional stories in an innovative way. 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/y9676no 3 Eight years after President George W. Bush unveiled his faith-based initiative, the involvement of religious organizations in government-sponsored social services continues to draw broad public support, according to the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. At the same time, many Americans continue to express concerns about the blurring of the lines between church and state. 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST ##CLICKTAG##2036&&&http://tinyurl.com/ykgwk2p 4 There may be no other feature of American life that contains as much bias toward extroversion as leadership. Since our leaders epitomize our cultural values, it is no surprise that Americans want their leaders to be extroverts. Psychologist and author Marti Olsen Laney cites a study that was repeated three times with the same findings: when asked if they would prefer their ideal leaders to be introverted or extroverted, both introverts and extroverts chose an extrovert as "their ideal self and ideal leader." 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/ygbnauh 5 As youth pastors, we don't often think about how to get parents in the doors; for the most part, most parents already are there. However, we cannot forget the few who have little or no involvement. Family ministry includes them. 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/y9c6556 6 It’s easy to get caught up in a sacred cow syndrome. It’s easy to get caught up in doing something just a little different and a little better than the year before. It’s easy to go with the flow. It’s easy to do something simply because you’ve budgeted for it. It’s easy to keep doing retreats. But have you been able to measure their effectiveness over the past several months? Have you noticed it getting a little harder to fill the roster each year? Have you had a fluke or two? Have you wondered if they were worth all the trouble? Have you asked students why they are coming? 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/yc87qnv 7 In recent years many congregations have opted for worship spaces that resemble shopping malls. They have neutralized sacred space to avoid intimidating unchurched people. Abandoning stained glass, baptisteries, and Communion tables, they have sought to make people comfortable with familiar theater-like settings. A desire to contextualize the gospel within the local culture is a good thing, but it can cause people to assume the church is a commercial venture. 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/ydzzhre 8 As church leaders, we’re rarely taught to understand the variances between different people and cultures. Unfortunately, the average pastor is more strapped with keeping the ship afloat than devoting time to understanding who is and who isn’t in his church. This load eats away at one of a pastor’s strongest assets for meeting people where they are--exposure. Like Paul, the more you are exposed to different patterns of living, the more you’re able to get a clearer vision of what you’re dealing with. 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/yclgfud 9 In the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, don't forget to take the opportunity to show appreciation to your Sunday School leaders. Make a list and check it twice! Here are a few ideas for saying thank you to those faithful folks who lead and teach in your classes week in and week out all year long. 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/yg64js2 10 With the multi-site church revolution in full swing across America, much attention is paid to video venues, program development and community outreach. An equal or greater amount of attention, however, should be paid to the digital communications strategy. Whether or not your church is offering its own live video streaming or “Internet Campus” experience, running a Web site for multiple locations is a much different challenge than that of a single-site church. 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/y8cqgmn 11 Say the words, “small church” and stereotypes like “struggling,” “out-of-date,” “backward” and “scattered” come to mind. However, there is a silent explosion happening on the Internet among small church pastors and denominational leaders. A search on Google reveals 52 million hits just on the phrase “small church.” “Small church pastor” and “small church ministry” produce 18 million and 10 million hits respectively. There is even a hashtag on Twitter for small church discussions, #smallchurch. So what's happening? The simplest answer is that the stereotypes are being challenged. 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/y9u6lre 12 Rev. Din Tolbert recently looked out from the altar at some 250 young people, the congregation of a remarkable youth ministry called Shekinah. The congregation’s members, a total of about 750, from toddlers to collegians, have an entire church building of their own. With a minimum of adult supervision, the young people of Shekinah serve as their own ushers, musicians, choir members, prayer leaders, officers and, some of the time, preachers. They donate, collect and tabulate the weekly tithes and offerings, and the gleanings from baby-sitting shifts and after-school jobs come to about $1,000 a week. 20 Nov 2009 08:17:34 CST http://tinyurl.com/ybf8n4e 13