Archives For Resources

Church Event Planning Without the Stress (free slideshow training)

Kent Shaffer —  March 4, 2013

With the rise of megachurches and attractional ministry models, an increasing number of U.S. churches use big events to disciple their congregations and reach new people. As with any ministry model, it comes with its strengths and weaknesses.

THE PROS: Church events can be a great opportunity for fellowship that deepens the relationships within the church. Events can reach new people in the community, particularly those who might have an aversion to weekend church services. And events often provide a low-commitment opportunity for idle church members to test the waters by volunteering and, hopefully, become active members of the congregation.

THE CONS: Of course, anyone who has ever planned a church event knows they can be expensive. They can use time, money, and manpower needed for more valuable ministry. And worst of all, too many church events keep the congregants so busy that they lack the time needed to live out the Great Commission through relationships with nonbelievers.

So what’s a church to do?

Ask yourself, “Does this event help or hurt God’s will for our church according to how we’ve been guided by God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s leading?”

If God wants you to do it, do it.

If not, don’t.

And if it’s unclear, then judge the need for the event by (1) your church’s purpose, values, and mission, (2) the available budget, (3) the expected success, and (4) the New Testament’s example.

How to do church event planning without the stress.

ACTIVE Faith assembled a team of four seasoned church event planners, so that you can learn from their wisdom how to balance priorities, eliminate stress, promote the event, and stay within budget. A few highlights include:

Ask God to show you what He wants the end result to be for the attendees and revisit that “end” regularly to make sure you’re still on track.

Be flexible but not a push-over. You will never be able to please everyone, and you risk losing control if you try.

Enlist a diverse planning team. Specifically, surround yourself with people gifted in areas you are weak.

Click to view the full slideshow on church event planning.

Special thanks to ACTIVE Faith for supporting Church Relevance by sponsoring this post.
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How to Maximize Church Volunteers (free ebook)

Kent Shaffer —  January 30, 2013

As a community of believers grows, its needs new leaders raised up to handle the increased ministry needs. This is true for churches that handle growth by multiplying into new locations and for churches that keep their growth in one location.

It is the story of Acts 6:1-7. The early church was a time of growth where 5,000 men could find Christ from just one sermon (Acts 4:4). Yet we see in chapter 6, that the Greek-speaking Jewish widows became lost in the bustle of growth and were neglected. Seven men of good reputation and spiritual maturity were chosen to meet that need.

Unfortunately, raising up volunteers isn’t easy. It’s hard work. And to have Acts 6 quality volunteers takes a culture well-equipped at discipleship and cultivating spiritual maturity long before being appointed to serve.

ACTIVE Faith is offering a free ebook on “How to Maximize Church Volunteers”. It is a great primer introducing best practices of modern churches for appointing, training, and supporting church volunteers. The more you grow, the more you need structure.

Volunteer Challenges Based on Church Size

The benefit of house churches (<25 people ideally) is they have no need for volunteers to run major equipment, maintain facilities, or manage ministry operations. What volunteer needs do exist tend to happen naturally, such as greeting newcomers and watching kids.

But as a church grows, even a house church, the need for volunteers and structure increases as the ease of relationships decreases.

For example, it is said that the quality of community intimacy declines after a house church exceeds 25 people. At this size, it is less likely for everyone to take part and more difficult to know each other deeply. At around 100-230 people, we experience Dunbar’s number – our cognitive limit of being able to know who everyone is and how they relate to each other. This is a medium-sized church (51-300) that still has some relational agility but still needs structure to meet all ministry needs and appoint believers according to their gifts.

Large churches (301-1,999) often undergo intense growing pains as they learn they can no longer know everyone. It is at this size and above that we more commonly see volunteer mistakes, such as:

  • not communicating volunteer opportunities
  • lack of clear leadership
  • lack of leadership training
  • lack of accountability
  • lack of volunteer appreciation
  • haphazardly appointing volunteers (lack of necessary spiritual maturity, abilities, etc.)

By the time a church grows to be a megachurch (2,000-9,999) or gigachurch (10,000+), they’ve usually figured out structure and now must work even harder at relationships and love. If left to itself, structure and management become cold and sterile. You can’t systematize love and relationships; trying just seems artificial and disingenuous. It is a weird tension because you need structure, but true love is sloppy. This is non-negotiable. It doesn’t matter how structured and high performance you are, if you don’t have love, it is in vain (1 Corinthians 13).

So each stage comes with its own challenges. Regardless of what size you’re at, download ACTIVE Faith’s free ebook and think through if there is anything that your church needs to change.

Download: How to Maximize Church Volunteers (PDF)

Special thanks to ACTIVE Faith for supporting Church Relevance by sponsoring this post.

In Leadership, Resources
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HCSB Study Bible by Holman Bible Publishers

Kent Shaffer —  January 17, 2013

hcsb study bible 1

If you aren’t familiar with Holman Bible Publishers, they have their own Bible translation called Holman Christian Standard Bible. It is designed to convey a sense of the original text with as much clarity as possible.

This scholarly approach combined with about 15,000 of study notes makes the HCSB Study Bible (hardback) a fresh experience for those who love to go deep in their Bible reading.

HCSB Study Bible

HCSB Study Bible

HCSB Study Bible

Holman Christian Standard Bible is a 2003 translation created by a team of 100 international, interdenominational scholars and proofreaders working to achieve “optimal equivalence” – a good balance between formal equivalence (literal, “word-for-word”, etc.) and functional equivalence (“thought-for-thought”).

John 3:16
For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before our[a] God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

The Scripture text is a nice 9-point black type with the study notes set at 7.5 point. Some study Bibles cram too much on each page for the sake of saving space, but this layout has a breathability that I wish more Bibles would imitate. Part of this is because 50% of each page is devoted to Scripture, and part of it is simply good typesetting for readability.

HCSB Study Bible

HCSB Study Bible

Personally, I’m not a fan of hardback Bible covers. They are far less comfortable to hold than leather covers and feel more suitable for desk reading (at least when over 2 inches thick).

The binding seems sturdy enough except where it connects with the spine using a few glued pages. It may hold up, but I’ve had several short lifespans with Bibles crafted this way.

HCSB Study Bible

HCSB Study Bible

However, the study features are well worth it. Features include 15,000 study notes, 290 word studies, 141 photographs, 62 timelines, 59 maps, 24 articles, 16 illustrations/reconstructions, 15 charts, and more. It be good.

While the hardback HCSB Study Bible is a good Bible, its value lies in its study tools, so buy yourself a leather version of it.

Translation: Holman Christian Standard Bible
Publisher: Holman Bible Publishers (2010)
ISBN: 978-1586405069
Language: English
Cost: $49.99

Cover: Jacketed Hardcover
Pages: 2,336 pages
Type: 9-point black text
Dimensions: 9.2″ x 7.2″ x 2.3″
Special Features: 15,000 study notes, 290 word studies, 141 photographs, 62 timelines, 59 maps, 24 articles, 16 illustrations/reconstructions, 15 charts, and more

This post features a complimentary review copy and Amazon links.

In Resources
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Church Communications Coaching by Sayge Resources

Kent Shaffer —  January 15, 2013

Surprisingly, there is a lack of affordable church communications training materials. Yes, there are consultants and coaching programs available if you have a hearty enough budget. And yes, there are plenty of books and blogs discussing the principles of church communications. But there is a great need for low-cost solutions that teach you how to put the principles into step-by-step practice.

At least until now…

Recognizing the need for communications coaching that any church can afford, Tim Peters, a church consultant and former church communications director, created Sayge Resources.

Sayge Resources is an affordable, 12-month coaching plan that teaches church leaders how to excel at 12 key areas of church communications. It is a simple yet big idea that I’ve heard many wish for in recent years. Each month, Sayge Resources sends you a coaching video, comprehensive ebook, hands-on application tools, and access to a private online community.

Tim passionately admonishes that church communications matter because what the church communicates matters. It is more than logos and websites. Churches are responsible for how they communicate the gospel, build community, and shepherd people along their spiritual journey.

12 Keys Areas of Sayge Resources

  1. Vision Clarity
    Stay focused on the mission and vision of your church. You must know who you are as a church and where you are going.
  2. Brand Standards
    Brand Standards articulate the mission, values, strategy, and vision of your church as well as keep consistency with your logo, tagline, fonts, color choice, email signatures, phone messages and more.
  3. Communication Strategy
    Understand your audience and then identify the best way of communicating to them. Strategy helps you determine what, when and how you will communicate.
  4. Project Systems
    Systems implement the vision and strategy. The systems that you set in place allow the day-to-day operations to run smoothly.
  5. Social Media
    Using social media extends the influence of your church and can even be used to reach the lost.
  6. Web Essentials
    Your website is more than just information. It is the first impression of your church for an increasing number of visitors.
  7. Guest Experience
    First-time guests come with expectations. Meeting or surpassing these expectations increases the chance they’ll come back and hear more of God’s Word.
  8. Audience Connection
    To connect to your audience, you must understand who they are and how they take in information.
  9. Creative Leadership
    Understanding how to lead creative people and facilitate a creative meeting is important. Equally important is knowing how to interact with leaders above you who lack creativity.
  10. External Marketing
    Churches can learn to communicate in a unique and inviting way and with a long-term strategy.
  11. Storytelling Principles
    Stories move people. Effective storytelling is always more effective than just an announcement.
  12. Volunteer Mobilization
    Your church has a wealth of creative people. Learning to recruit, train, and mobilize them will take you to the next level.

To start your year of church communications coaching, visit SaygeResources.com.

Special thanks to Sayge Resources for supporting Church Relevance by sponsoring this post.
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Open Church Launches with Free Resources

Kent Shaffer —  January 10, 2013

After laying groundwork for over 2 years, OpenChurch.com has now officially launched!

We’ve already added free training materials by Granger Community Church including a Communications Manual, Guest Services Manual, and a Performing Arts Volunteer Orientation Packet.

We’ll be adding free church graphics by an assortment of contributors in the weeks to come and hopefully more training materials, curriculum, and ebooks in the months to come.

Why did it take so long to launch?

Everything took much longer than expected, but God refined us in the process. We wanted to launch in 2011 but didn’t until 2013. These are the lessons learned.

  • We had terrific advisors and made the mistake of focusing on their advice more than God’s voice. There is certainly a time and place for man’s pragmatism and expertise, but without God and his timing, man’s strength is futile.
  • We planned to launch large and hit the ground running. To reference Proverbs 24:27, we built the barn before planting for the harvest. Part of this was a sense of noble urgency to resource the Kingdom. Part of it was overconfidence (I was unaware of this). Part of it was pride in wanting something that impressed man, won their approval, and made me look good (I was in denial of this).
  • We were overconfident about fundraising. We said, “Look at our rolodex! Look at our advisors!”, and then nothing happened. Instead we had to self-fund over 90% of the first 2 years with funds that God providentially provided. Three times God has rescued us and providentially met our needs.
  • We were overconfident about web development. We said, “We’ve built social networks! We’ve sold startups!”, but after 6 months of development, the original site was unusable for our needs. The day after our developer left, a new premium WordPress theme was released for $59 that pioneered new features that we could rework to meet our basic needs.
  • We were humbled.
  • We learned how to better hear God’s voice.
  • We learned to give God the credit for all things good.
  • We learned how to trust God and His sovereign providence.
  • We learned that obedience is more important than looking good.
  • We retooled our logistics to cut costs by 72% and streamline our process.
  • I simplified my family’s lifestyle in order to be more agile for the Kingdom.

Your support is still appreciated.

If God continues to bless it, the ad revenue from Church Relevance should be enough in 2013 to cover my living expenses so that I can focus full-time on Open Church. However, we still have hosting and operating expenses as well as long-term goals. This is made possible by generous donations from people like you.

Your donations help us provide more free resources. Click here to donate.

Moving forward.

We still plan to build out a large network of volunteers and follow our initial blueprint. With our new, leaner operating model, it will take much longer to develop these long-term goals. A larger operating budget definitely makes it easier to scale to these goals, but right now we are focusing are being obedient in the small things. Small but swift steps lead to momentum.

In these early stages, we’re going to prioritize downloadable resources over articles since free resources are more scarce than ideas in God’s Kingdom.

Prayers are appreciated.

 

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ESV TruTone Thinline Bible by Crossway Publishing

Kent Shaffer —  January 3, 2013

Crossway ESV Thinline

While large Bibles can pack in some incredible resources and study aids, they aren’t always practical for taking with you on the go. For mobility, I love thinline Bibles, and Crossway Publishing offers an incredibly affordable yet well-built TruTone thinline ESV Bible that is less than 1 inch thick.

Crossway ESV Thinline

Crossway ESV Thinline

Crossway ESV Thinline

The English Standard Version (ESV) is a 2001 revision of the Revised Standard Version. Its goal is to be a highly accurate translation that is more easily read than the King James Version.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

James 1:27
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

The words are set in 8.2-point black type with the words of Christ in red and a double column layout. As with most compact Bibles, the text does crowd the margins, which when combined with the type size can make reading more challenging for older eyes.

Crossway ESV Thinline

Crossway ESV Thinline

The cover is TruTone, a polyurethane-based imitation leather. While TruTone is a disappointing contrast compared to the genuine goatskin leather of premium Bibles, keep in mind this is a $30 Bible not a $150 one. It looks beautiful but is rather stiff and feels like a soapy film when touched.

The pages have gold-gilded edges and a brown ribbon marker. But the real craftmanship value in this Bible is its durable Smyth-sewn binding and lifetime guarantee.

Crossway ESV Thinline

Crossway ESV Thinline

Special features include a 12,000 reference concordance and full-color maps. If your looking for a low-cost, agile Bible that adds quality where it counts, this ESV thinline is a good option to consider.

Translation: English Standard Version
Publisher: Crossway Publishing (2005)
ISBN: 978-1581347364
Language: English
Cost: $29.99

Cover: TruTone (brown/cordovan)
Binding: lifetime guarantee Smyth-sewn with 1 brown ribbon marker
Pages: 1,120 pages with gold-gilded edges
Type: 8.2-point black text with words of Christ in red
Dimensions: 9.1″ x 6″ x 1.4″
Special Features: 12,000 reference concordance, full-color maps

This post features a complimentary review copy and Amazon links.

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Clover Donations

Kent Shaffer —  December 27, 2012

Clover has become well-known for its affordable, user friendly church websites. And now they offer a great solution for mobile and online giving called Clover Donations.

Since launching this past summer, Clover Donations has already helped churches, ministries, and non-profits accept over $6 million in donations. For most churches and ministries, Clover Donations’ cost and functionality is hard to beat. Features include:

  • Complete control of the look and feel of all donation forms for your church or ministry’s tithes & offerings, event registration and more. Clover Donations offers an unlimited number of forms and funds for maximum flexibility.
  • Recurring giving.
  • Minimize fees by allowing donations via bank account transfers (just 29 cents no matter how large the donation using this method)!
  • Maximize accessibility by allowing donations via credit cards (including American Express if you like).
  • Responsive design intelligently molds the donation form to fit the assortment of browser screens (including mobile devices).
  • Donation reporting, donor management and transaction control.

Open Church, the nonprofit I’ve been working on, experimented with several options for online donations and found Clover Donations to (1) save us the most money while (2) simultaneously giving us sophisticated administrative features usually found in more expensive solutions.

For clarification, this is not comprehensive donor management software. It only serves those donations made through its donations gateway. However, this data is easily exported for use in more robust accounting solutions so that you track all offline and online donations.

For more information, visit CloverDonations.com.

Special thanks to Clover for supporting Church Relevance by sponsoring this post.
In Resources, Technology
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Checklist for Reaching Church Visitors (free download)

Kent Shaffer —  December 18, 2012

ACTIVE Faith has created a free downloadable checklist for reaching and keeping church visitors. It’s full of pragmatic advice for eliminating confusion and helping your guests quickly know the ins and outs of your church. Most importantly, it offers great steps to ensure your guests are engaged and welcomed in a friendly way.

Tools like this are incredibly valuable if you are mindful of a few things.

(1) Checklists like these are designed primarily for affluent, consumeristic cultures.

To clarify, all churches globally need friendliness and to excel at developing genuine relationships. However, not all churches cater to consumeristic cultures. The more affluent and intellectual a culture is, the more they trust in their own strength rather than God. In fact, the wealthier someone is, the more they tend to focus on themselves, their desires, and self-expression according to 2012 research by Paul Piff at UC Berkley. These people need Jesus, too.

This is more about socioeconomics and expectations than it is geography. There are wealthy congregations in Seoul and Nairobi that are prone to consumerism. And there a congregations reaching the working poor in the United States that could care less about what the parking lot looks like and how the nursery smells. The point is you can’t be all things to all people simultaneously, but you can be like Paul and become a servant to the niche culture you’re currently reaching (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

(2) You can’t systematize the work of the Holy Spirit, but you can increase the likelihood that someone will hear the Word of God, which is the source of our faith (Romans 10:17).

You should never dilute the gospel for fear of offense. At the same time, I think it is good within reason to create an environment that attracts people to come and hear. Consumeristic church visitors are looking for external things to meet their spiritual needs. They want church features and an experience that caters to their preferences. It can be a slippery slope that should be prayerfully navigated and only considered a strong foundation of gospel-centered doctrine and a healthy congregation that is pursing Christ.

(3) We fall short in being like Christ. Good ministry tools and resources can help us stay on course.

Outside of an encounter with the gospel, the greatest thing your church can do for visitors is have volunteers and a congregation that overflow with the joy of the Lord, selflessly love, serve well, and make themselves available to go deep relationally. It sounds wonderfully ideal because I think it wonderfully embodies being the hands and feet of Christ. Yet mankind always falls short of Christ’s standard, which is why I am grateful for God’s grace and for tools like this visitors checklist that nudge me in the right direction.

Research by Elmer Towns discovered that in a growing church the likelihood of an individual eventually becoming a part of that church is 15% for 1st time visitors, 38% for 2nd time visitors, and 70% for 3rd time visitors. But this isn’t about catering to first-time guests or third-time guests. It is about, hopefully, nurturing a culture in your church that takes one step closer to selflessly loving and serving the newest and oldest faces in your congregation.

Click here to download your free copy of ACTIVE Faith’s checklist for reaching and keeping church visitors.

Special thanks to ACTIVE Faith for supporting Church Relevance by sponsoring this post.

 

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