What does a financially healthy church look like? While all churches are different and serving in unique contexts, here are some best practices.
Repeating your weekend message isn’t necessarily repeating as much as it is reaching.
Strategy can be a clarifying factor for your church. It’s the bridge between vision and execution, and it’s where you answer the important “how” questions of church leadership.
When you’re working with your team to create or update your purpose statement, it helps to have examples on hand to inspire you. Here are twenty-two great purpose statements from churches around the world.
There are practical ways you can use your purpose statement that will remind your congregation, community, and internal team why you exist.
We have a few best practices and suggestions for how to lead a congregation in a time of grief.
How do you know a person is flourishing? What factors play into it?
The most effective staff evaluations go below the surface. They include discussions about alignment and uncover deeper insights that help your church’s leadership understand who your team members are and where they fit in. They help you pastor your team and monitor their progress in a customized way that makes the most sense for their role.
As a pastor or church leader, this should resonate with you and challenge you. Instead of coming down from the mountain like Moses and attempting to vision-cast your way toward momentum, focus on building a team of leaders who are committed to figuring out the answers to important questions.
If you’re planning to acknowledge Mother’s Day and Father’s Day at your church, here are a few ideas to consider.
Feelings of exhaustion can lead to burnout which can have rippling detrimental effects personally and organizationally. Here are some things pastors can do right now to breathe fresh life into your team.
Barna recently hosted a “State of the Church” event aimed at helping church leaders in specific cities understand what people think of the church in general. The stats are informative, and they should give you insights into your local ministry context. But more than that, they should inspire action.
It’s been said that a pastor’s spiritual life is directly related to church growth, that as the pastor’s spiritual health goes, so goes their church. We couldn’t agree more. A pastor’s own spiritual health is crucial to effectively leading others in their faith journey – we can’t lead others spiritually higher than where we ourselves stand.
In this post, I’m going to share with you three overlooked ways you can lead parents to disciple their children.
In this post, I’m going to share with you 6 steps you can take to launch a college ministry, build relationships with students, and make new disciples.
In this post, I’m going to lay out tactics you can use to inspire more volunteers to join your children’s ministry today, as well as different ways you can prepare volunteers to serve tomorrow.
Should your church start livestreaming your services, Bible studies, or events? Well, it depends…
There are two more holidays that present unique opportunities for churches: Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
Many pastors want to reach more people in the community and see their church’s weekly attendance numbers grow, but are unknowingly standing in their own way. Here are 6 ways pastors can be the ones hurting their church’s growth.
As we work with hundreds of churches across every state and multiple countries, here are some of the bigger internal obstacles we are seeing churches face. Focus on removing these four growth barriers.
Here are some best practices on how you can actually use Church Fuel.
Here are three ways you can use Church Fuel as a staff member.
Church growth is up to God because the church belongs to Him. But he chooses to use us in the process, giving us the opportunity to be great stewards.
Each book will provoke you toward new actions, fresh strategy, and create a solid ground to stand upon as you lead your church in the new year.
Now is a great time to plan your next church staff retreat, so as you put together the agenda, here are five things to include.
As you look to make a new financial plan or church budget for next year, here are thirteen practical tips.
Bobby Williams, Lead Pastor at Ridge Church and Church Fuel Ministry Coach, joins Michael & Meagan to discuss what it looks like to move their Membership Class to an online platform.
To bring everything into perspective and help you plan the right things at the right time, we wanted to give you four plans to have for Christmas.
Church staff share many frustrations that are either unique to this season or made worse by this season. And they’re sharing very little of it with their leaders. So, we looked into what they’re saying. We talked to them and noted the changes they say would help them perform their roles more effectively.
The people in your care need you to pastor them, not just lead them.
To respond to this very important question from the people in your community, you need to reach into the business world for a tool that’s proving effective in helping businesses engage customers. You need a one-liner.
We need to make sure that our messages, ministries, and programs truly connect with the needs of our community. We don’t just need to know our mission—we need to know our mission field. We don’t just need to run our programs—we need to understand the people who need them.
Church volunteers probably won’t say this stuff out loud because they don’t want to complain about their church or cause any problems. But you, as a pastor, should know what they are thinking.
Ignore the signs, and your team will go from tired to burned out to gone. But jump in with practical solutions and you can build team morale, team momentum, and lead your church into the next season of ministry with a new sense of purpose.
You want to launch a second worship service, and you know that is easier said than done. In this post, I’m going to share some helpful guidelines and tips, including: 2 reasons to add a new worship service; 5 common mistakes to avoid when launching a new worship service; and How to launch a new worship service
In this post, we’re sharing 9 social media post ideas for churches to engage the culture around you. Safe for Instagram and Twitter feeds alike, these crafty ideas make engaging your church community on social media fun and effective.
Many churches are encouraging staff members to work from home. While there are some challenges, it’s a good thing. Let’s talk about some ways to make it work for you.
Nona Jones is recognized as one of the world’s foremost expert on building The Kingdom through social technology and motivating thousands of church leaders each year to reimagine social media as a strategic tool for ministry.
Nona Jones is recognized as one of the world’s foremost expert on building The Kingdom through social technology and motivating thousands of church leaders each year to reimagine social media as a strategic tool for ministry.
Nona Jones is recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts on building The Kingdom through social technology and motivating thousands of church leaders each year to reimagine social media as a strategic tool for ministry.
In this post, I’m going to share six ways you can equip millennials to have more faith conversations. Use these tips to create a custom evangelism training plan for your church.
Just as a sports team trains, practices skills, and receives instruction and encouragement from a coach to improve, a church’s leadership team must do the same. But what does that really look like? Where do you even begin, and what skills are important?
Before getting into the nitty-gritty, let me save you some heartache and lay out the four common mistakes to avoid when searching for a new pastor.
In this post, we’re going to cover working with difficult people in three different groups: Church staff, Church leaders, and Church members
As a pastor, you’ll always be in a position to provide care. But as you aim to tend to the needs of your church, you’ll need to focus on building a congregational care ministry.
We want to push you a little bit to lean into the numbers a little more than what may feel natural.
We interviewed Kyle, the Director of the Experience Team at Crossroads, the group that creates everything from videos to music to articles to apps to weekend services.
As a church leader, if you hire someone to do a job, then you need to not only hold that person accountable, but you should aim to serve that person to become the best he or she can be.
To help you assess whether your church website is serving a purpose and not collecting dust, here are five things your site should accomplish—today.
In this post, we’re going to share with you three ways you can leverage what you already have to create multiple streams of income.
While technology is a necessary bridge between a church and its members, most churches struggle to make smart tech-buying decisions that don’t just help connect members in the short term, but help the church fulfill its long-term mission.
I’m going to share with you four alternatives to a printed church bulletin. But first, there are three things you should consider before trashing your bulletin.
When you feel stuck or run into a problem, you don’t have anyone outside of your church to turn to for advice.
To help you serve your church, love your family, and not lose your mind or soul in the process, here are 10 tips to help you find a good rhythm in your life and ministry.
In this post, I’m going to cover: How to prepare for important conversations and 7 types of critical conversations.
There are two really simple ideas your church should focus on to reach and retain students and there are many different ways your church can implement these two principles in your student ministry.
If you’ve ever been to a conference or even to a child’s birthday party, you know that not all giveaways are useful. But when Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA decided to do a giveaway, they made sure it had purpose.
If your church is behind budget, don’t lose hope. There are many practical things you can do to get your church’s budget back on track.
Even though social media platforms are vying for your attention, you don’t have to feel overwhelmed by their constant demands. There’s a way your church—even if it’s “small”—can effectively engage your congregation and reach new people without breaking down in the process.
In Ephesians 5:15-17, Paul encourages believers to walk wisely and make the best use of time in days that are particularly evil. Let’s apply that principle to our schedule, our calendar, and the very churches we lead.
In this post, I’m going to share six ways you can build a healthy church culture, how to recognize the signs of an unhealthy church culture, and one thing you must do if you need to fix an unhealthy culture.
Let’s talk about one way you can infuse peace into your church.
Mentoring isn’t something reserved for “church members” or “new” pastors, and it’s not something church leaders should avoid.
The way you build relationships will have a ripple effect throughout your church.
I’d like to share three warning signs of a hurting student ministry.
Here are 5 ways to improve your weekend services…and each one is completely free to implement!
An insanely practical PDF to help you plan every week with purpose. The Pastor’s Planner is a resource to help you prioritize the most important actions, keep you focused on the most important people, and help you remember what’s coming soon. With one page for each week, it will help you stay focused on what (and who) matters most.
The church does have a responsibility to let its people know what is going on and get them on board with different things happening within it. Most of us don’t particularly care too much about the announcements.
It’s not just about raising money or good stewardship. It’s about prayerful and thankful appreciation of those who support the church.
Here are a few things to help us with engaging people and encouraging them to explore the local church.
Over the years, there are a few things I have learned to do that have helped me navigate those seasons of dryness and the overwhelming feeling of giving up.
It could be anything from personal character traits to people’s preconceptions of pastors that causes them to show a lack of respect, but either way, we’re here with some basic advice that will help everyone from your congregation to others you’re partnering with to take you more seriously.
The best time to start planning your sermon series for the next year is now.
The end of the year is a time for endings and beginnings. A time to reflect and plan for the coming year. As you approach 2018, let’s look at seven things that you should be thinking about putting on your church calendar.
Waiting on God isn’t the same thing as not doing anything…. It’s quite the opposite.
In this post, I’m going to cover: 5 unsurprising reasons why you’ll lose people; The 2 most common reasons why people will leave your church; 4 pillars of building Christian community; and 4 key next steps you must provide visitors.
It can be intimidating to figure out how you are going to meet a larger financial goal, so we’ve highlighted four simple examples from other churches that are utilizing what they have and are making a difference in their community and in their churches.
At some point in the life of your church, there may be a time when you’ll need to raise a significant amount of money above and beyond your church’s annual budget. To do this, you’ll need to organize a capital campaign.
Every ministry in your church will naturally drift toward misalignment. In other words, your staff and ministries will eventually pursue their own purposes—not the mission of the church.
To maximize money and redeem time, there’s a growing trend among churches in hiring virtual help.
A few members of the Church Fuel team attended the That Church Conference this week, which is a communications and marketing conference specifically for churches.
Here are five shifts that leaders need to make in regard to how we talk about money in the church.
Write your specific personal growth goals at the top of the page and then focus your plans on HOW you will accomplish them.
How does your church communicate with married couples? If you’re like most churches, you have the occasional small group study or sermon message on marriage. But the rest of your efforts are probably put towards responding to couples in crisis—trying to help couples at the brink of divorce.
Church health first starts with the health of its leaders. So here are five simple ways you can begin to live a healthier lifestyle for yourself and the health of your church.
Here are a couple of steps to walk through when you think the answer to someone’s request may be a no from you.
There are a number of reasons for pastoral burnout and taking a look at a few of those reasons can help prevent it.
All this hard work will be a hamster-wheel effect without regularly finding physical and spiritual rest.
There are a number of traits and signals that indicate when someone is ready to take a step toward leadership. These 12 traits are often overlooked, but I guarantee you’ll find people on your team that has them.
If your church is serious about reaching new guests, particularly those who are not attending any other church, here are five things to consider to reach more people in your community.
When parents or guardians join a small group, the first thing they need to figure out is childcare. If you can take care of this concern for them, then you’re well on your way to creating a solid foundation.
We’ve come up with some simple ways you can begin making your church a PART of your community rather than your community coming to be a part of it as outsiders.
There are all kinds of different reasons people could decide to leave a church. Here are just five of them.
Get these three teams healthy and on board with the church’s mission and strategy, and you’re well on your way to a growing church.
What do you do when you know your church needs to change but the people in the church resist that change? What do you do when you believe the church should grow but the people in the church resist growth?
Here are a few ways to create healthy boundaries in your schedule to make sure your time is spent wisely.
It’s appropriate to say a special thank you to those who have funded the ministry in a big way.
You can’t make disciples without getting into financial stewardship. And you can’t lead a healthy and growing church without leading people into generosity. These two things go hand in hand. In more ways than one, the stakes are high.
No matter how well your church is organized, getting the right people together for a few days to focus a growth plan for the next year would be a good thing.
Whether it’s your staff, elder board, or another group of leaders, here three ways to develop together.
Despite all the things on your plate, here are some reasons why you should carve out time and create a strategy to develop leaders in your church.
Small groups are a great way to help people connect to the church and follow Jesus. They provide context for relationships, pastoral care, and Bible Study.
But they don’t always work.
If you’re struggling to recruit or develop leaders in your church, it’s time to look under the hood.
If you’re wrestling through the question of who to hire next, here’s some practical advice.
One of the greatest ways you can do this is by understanding your people and why it is they’re coming to church. After all, if you can identify why people are coming, you can be more intentional about responding to their needs.
I have the utmost respect for you, pastors, and because I do, I’m going to share just a few things your church members may be thinking about your sermons. Nothing to take too seriously, just something to think about.
How can you evaluate what’s working and find the best technology solution? Here are five key steps.
Here are some habits of pastors and leaders who are extremely effective in their ministry.
After working with more than a thousand churches over the last year, we do have some observations.
The longer I’ve been a pastor, the more I’ve noticed that there are some things I think us pastors should drop altogether from our sermons.
Working with so many different churches, we have noticed three core elements of growing churches and want to share them with you today.
Practical suggestions on working with your team to develop a mission or vision statement.
A business plan is a simple document that defines who you are, where you are, and where you believe God wants you to go in the next season of ministry.
You can head into the new year with a renewed sense of purpose. You can move forward with focus. It will take some intentionality and good leadership on your part, but you can create a plan that doesn’t just rely on hope.
Church Bylaws detail the vision, mission, governance, and operational activities that are established in a church’s articles. Here are some examples and templates for you to create your own.
If your staff meetings are not fun, or if you just want to improve them, here are some ways you can make your staff meetings more productive and all-around enjoyable.
Projects aren’t unique to churches. Companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations all have projects as well. After managing projects for companies and churches, I’ve identified seven key steps that can make your next project more successful and less stressful.
As you head into the Easter season, here are five practical (and hopefully, encouraging) tips to help you prepare your Easter message.
While hosting events has many benefits, events can also be costly – in money, time, and creating a strain on your team. If you don’t have a plan in place to decide which events to host in the upcoming year, you may end up promoting too many things at once.