Church Debt and Your Congregation: Stepping into an Inspiring Future
Something changed in the American psyche after 2008. Not unlike what happened to the generation who survived The Great Depression. In the wake of 2008’s housing market crash, many people understandably became debt averse. Helpful leaders in the financial sector coined catchy phrases and practices to guide people out of and away from debt. Dave Ramsey says, “Debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice.” To help exert self-control, some people even put their credit cards in the freezer. Symbolically, they “freeze” their excess [...]
Strategic Church Communication for Defining Moments of Your Church’s Life
There are times in life when you only get one shot. How you approach these moments can build momentum and position you for success. But if you approach the opportunity flippantly, you may waste valuable resources, add frustration to your life, and create work that could have been avoided. Defining moments in your church’s life don’t come around often. Momentum gets diluted if you aren’t deliberate in how you approach them. Vision gets clouded. There is a better way forward. Church communication matters. Pastors – you can give your people the clarity they need to follow the direction you’re setting. [...]
Church First Impressions: 5 Simple, Useful Tips for Pastors to Create Lasting Guest Impact | Church Answers
15 minutes…. That’s all the time you have to make a solid first impression. Long before the pastor ever steps behind the pulpit, people have decided if they’ll be back. This is a generous amount of time compared to how quickly people decide about other aspects impacting your church. Of course, each of these snap judgments can be overcome. But why start from a deficit? What if you could make an excellent first impression – online, in the parking lot, from your greeters, with your interior design – that set you up for success? Church first impressions matter. You may [...]
5 Construction Communication Mistakes Your Church Cannot Afford to Make
How do people know when it’s time for students to return to school? It’s hard to miss, isn’t it? Schools send out all kinds of communication. Parents and legal guardians have their inboxes, mailboxes, and social media feeds flooded with information and invitations. Stores rearrange their displays so you’re tempted to buy #2 pencils whether you need them or not! If you live in America during the fall, it’s nearly impossible to miss the “back to school” season. This happens annually. Intentionally. For a targeted period of time. How effective would “back to school” sales be if they ran year-round? [...]
Overcoming Challenges in Committee-Driven Church Building Projects
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This ancient wisdom from Africa rings true across the centuries and across the ocean. Sometimes, efficiency isn’t what’s needed. Community is. After all, the first - and only - thing God said that was not good in His creation was man being alone. We were designed to engage in life together. That’s why the team at Catalyst Construction believes that church buildings are best constructed when churches adopt a team-based approach to their projects. However, committee-led church building projects are not without their challenges. It [...]
7 Steps to Cast a Compelling Vision for Church Construction
If your church ceased to exist, would anyone notice? Most pastors enter the ministry out of a devoted love for God, a sweet desire to bless His people, and a drive to adorn all creation with God’s beauty. Why is it, then, that phrases like this are all too familiar: “I only hear from the church when they want money.” “I like Jesus, but not the church.” What if your congregation could write a better story for your community? Do you have the necessary courage and faith to lead your people to follow Jesus to bless your community? Pastor – [...]
4 Costly Mistakes in Your New Construction Project and Expansions
Over the last several years, I have met with a handful of clients who have realized well into the due diligence phase that the vision they set out to achieve for their new construction project or expansion project would not happen. I was brought in to help set up a new course to raise the project from the ashes before the entire vision was either put on hold or canceled altogether. By closely assessing the situation, I uncovered an unsettling reality that the project was stalling out. Unfortunately, this is a situation I have seen far too many times in [...]
Challenges Around Funding a Church-School Construction Project
Kicking off funding for a church-school project is never easy. At Catalyst, we’ve seen firsthand how challenging it can be for these entities to find the right path to fundraising. Often, churches and schools fall for the same mistakes repeatedly. We sat down with Eric Hamsho, Generosity Strategist and Campaign Specialist, to highlight some of these challenges and find alternative solutions. We explored some of the most common challenges around funding a church-school project and laid out tips and strategies to complete a successful fundraising campaign. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the way people contribute to fundraising calls? Surprisingly, [...]
3 Great Ways To Get Your Congregation Engaged With Your Next Church Construction Project
In Chapter 12 of the first letter from Paul to the Corinthians, the Holy Spirit of God speaks through his prophet about the myriad spiritual gifts that He has given His people in order for them to perform tasks and produce fruit that please and glorify Him and which edifies His Church and His coming Kingdom. The quintessence of this chapter is God’s desire for His people to amalgamate these varied gifts, talents, and abilities that He has given to us in collaboration with each other toward the production of great things. For your congregation, your next church construction project [...]
Part Two: Mission Control – Navigating Our Churches Through the Uncharted Waters of a Pandemic
This blog article is part 2 in a 3-part series on the post-covid Church in America In the first blog article in this series, we introduced the issue of our churches in America in the grip of the covid pandemic and how church leaders have been managing their ministries thus far. During the last several months of 2021, the nation began to feel as though things were starting to ease up. State and federal restrictions were easing, the covid “numbers” were declining, the curve was flattening. And in our churches, people were, very gradually, beginning to make their way back [...]
