To sing or not to sing … that is the question facing many congregations. But there is little question from the medical community, which warns that singing spread Covid-19 virus even when folks are wearing a mask. This 13-minute video from the Mennonite Music Foundation makes the case for no singing. (Photo: Osseous, Creative Commons)
For many people, the answer to unpaid bills and maxed-out credit cards is more money. Funny, but more money generally means only more bills. Living within your means is a longer-term solution and one that can provide peace and satisfaction. Learn this for yourself and teach others! Frugality Magazine explains the principles. (Photo: Varkle69, Creative […]
What’s the “common good” mean in our “me first culture”? Stewarding the Common Good is the theme of this month’s free Stewardship Toolkit from Rob Blezard, web editor for the Stewardship of Life Institute. It explores the theme in a newsletter article, Sunday bulletin snippets and links to web resources.
During the Sunday offering, are you asking your congregation to “give money” or are you inviting them to participate in what God is doing in the world? Sadly, most stewardship efforts fail to inspire generosity, but United Methodist Church has suggestions on how to change that. (Photo: Gayle Nicholson, Creative Commons)
Plastic is already a big problem in the world’s oceans, but it will triple in 20 years unless we take drastic action. That’s the conclusion of a study by the Pew Charitable Trust, which estimates 11 million metric tons of plastic is dumped into the oceans yearly. They spell out what we need to do. […]
When the pandemic hit several months ago, church leaders were immediately thrust in the position of being both generosity and digital experts overnight. How have churches responded? In lots of different ways, although some interesting patterns have emerged, says this article from LifeWay. (Photo: Eugene Zemlyanskiy, Creative Commons.)
Theory is great, but putting it into practice is even better. Here are eight steps you and your leadership team can follow to develop a written theology of stewardship to guide and grow your church’s culture of generosity. By Horizons Stewardship’s Joel Mikell, via Vanco. (Photo: Photo (c) Keren Tan, ShareAlike License)
Stretching is much like flossing. You know it’s good for your health, but for whatever reason, you may not always make time for it. Regular stretching becomes especially important as you age. Flexibility naturally declines over time, as muscles lose strength and tone, and ligaments and tendons get tighter. Harvard Medical School offers a simple […]
Not all gifts are helpful to receive. A gift acceptance policy can help when a church has to refuse a gift that either does not fit the needs of the congregation or would create a financial or legal liability. The Episcopal Diocese of Washington offers this sample policy. (Photo by Deklofenak, via Big Stock Photo.)
If the church wins the lottery, that’s luck. Other than that, most congregational paths to financial stability involve remaining prayerful, being faithful, acting smart and staying on top of things. Here are 12 best practices that can guide your way, from Grow a Healthy Church. (Photo by Lisafx, via Bigstock.com)
