Leaders are keepers of culture.  They know that great team cultures require deliberate effort. Teams will work better with one another, they’ll go above and beyond the call of duty, they’ll invest themselves personally, and they’ll own their wins and their losses more honestly when they are a part of a healthy environment.

Taking time to visit other churches in your area or across the country is a great way to grow in your leadership. I love seeing a church in action and I always come away with pages of notes about things I want to do differently or consider for my church. Whether it’s a small church or a “brand-name mega church,” many leaders use these visits as a chance to grow and learn.

Editor's Note:  This entire article is satire.   The views here are not really the views of the author, nor are the the views of Churchteams.   This article is intended to educate by using irony and sarcasm in exposing and promoting the advantages of online giving in conjunction with traditional giving.  Please enjoy this fun article as no offense is intended.

At the core of your ministry is a pile of information about people. Registration data from special events, check-in data from your kids ministry and donor data from first-time givers are all examples of information that can give you insights on how to serve your community better. Having a robust church management system that can take care of and leverage all that data is vitally important for growing churches today. In fact, leading churches spend a tremendous amount of time, effort and energy on using their data wisely.

Do you need a directory look up with less information/access than a full member profile - maybe even for some staff?

Earlier this week we released a new searchable directory.  Here's what it looks like:

I love science fiction.  I watch sci-fi movies, read sci-fi books and even watch the Sify Channel.  For the record, I hate that name.  They should have stuck with “Sci-Fi Channel”. But anyway, I love how science fiction often becomes science fact.  Jules Vern wrote about going to the moon and later it became a reality.  Captain Kirk made calls to the Enterprise using a flip phone and in the first decade of the 21^stcentury everyone was making calls on them!  Captain Jen Luc Picard used a digital tablet back in the 1980s and today university students all over the globe are taking class notes on them.

I know. I know.  The title of this article sounds offensive. Before you judge me too harshly, please hear me out. First, I’ve been guilty of uttering most of these things at some point in my life. I’m not pointing these phrases out with a crooked finger saying, “You’re bad!” I’m writing from the perspective of one who is growing in these areas myself. Second, let me explain exactly what I mean.

Some of us have a difficult time accepting the reality that God loves us unconditionally. Often, because of traumatic experiences in our childhoods or our more recent pasts, we have a hard time imagining that anyone—God included— could possibly value us. We ask ourselves, Why should God want to be with me? Just look at how messed up I am. Or we may think, I haven’t been able to rely on anyone in my life. At one time or another, they’ve all let me down. Why would God be any different?

A well-planned interview for a new leader at your church is a critical part of the hiring process. Rather than “winging it” or asking the “same old, same old” questions, take time to plan the interview. It’s important to get a clear picture of the candidate in these three areas:

I hear a lot of pastors debate the need for a quality experience at the expense of connecting and growing the vast majority of their congregations and their communities into their group system. I also hear the reverse of this, which is, in order to embrace a large quantity of groups, then quality must somehow be sacrificed. 

We approach ministry as if we have all the time in the world. Somehow we think our people will live forever, and so will the people our people need to reach for Christ. But let’s be honest, we don’t have the luxury of time. 

The apostle Paul didn’t have the luxury of time either. Reviewing his journeys in the book of Acts, Paul never spent more than 6-18 months in any one location, yet in his quest to spread the gospel throughout the known world and to reach Spain, he put leaders in place everywhere he planted a church and then gave them the crash course on ministry. We would call this “quick and dirty” before we would call it “quality.” Paul gave them their marching orders and then basically instructed them, “Do the best you can. The Holy Spirit will guide you. If you run into trouble, then send me a letter.” Then, Paul was off to the next place. 

In living with the tension between the quality and quantity of ministry, I want you to consider these words from Peter Drucker on the Profession of Management: 

In today’s world every church has data management needs. Managing church data doesn’t sound profound or spiritual, but it’s necessary. That’s why Church Management Software (ChMS or CMS for short) systems are wildly popular resources for church leaders. Since the 1980s entrepreneurs have been making software specifically designed for managing churches. As time has marched on and technology has progressed the abilities of ChMS systems has dramatically improved.  As a result there are better services and products available for church management than ever before.  If you are in the market for a ChMS, you will most likely want a system that includes the following much-in-demand features:

Leadership Network has once again released a study that church leaders should consume to understand the dynamics of leading today. This study is all on large Canadian churches and what we learn from them. It points out things these churches have done well, which caused them to grow and reach a younger audience. Even if your church isn’t considered large, you can still take some tips from the Leadership Network’s study to help in growing your own ministry.