Series: Best Practices

August 17, 2017

Christian Standard

Evaluate Wisely!

Six church human-resource leaders share their best practices for successfully lifting the lids that limit the capacity of staff members Leaders and employees have one thing in common when it comes to performance reviews. Both cringe at the thought of them! How do you view staff evaluations? Are they an annual chore filled with official forms and uncomfortable face-to-face meetings? Have you ever said, “Write your own review, and I”ll sign it”? Would you prefer the “no news is good news” approach? As a new ministry season begins and as the end of the year approaches, effective churches understand the

November 3, 2016

Michael C. Mack

November/December Ministry Ideas: Giving Tuesday

By Michael C. Mack You know about Thanksgiving and the special shopping days that have become associated with it, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now you can add another special day the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (November 29, 2016), a global day dedicated to giving back called Giving Tuesday. “It”™s a simple idea,” says the holiday”™s official website, www.givingtuesday.org. “Whether you come together with your family, your community, your company or your organization, find a way to give back.” Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 by 92nd Street Y (www.92y.org) in partnership with the United Nations Foundation and has engaged more

October 27, 2016

Michael C. Mack

The Pastor”™s Wife: 7 Discoveries She Wishes She Had Understood Sooner

By Michael C. Mack Christine Hoover has been a pastor”™s wife for 14 years and is author of The Church Planting Wife. She says when she and her husband, Kyle, started in ministry, she felt unprepared and afraid. After all, she says, “There is no training ground for ministry life for the pastor”™s wife, there is just the doing it.” If she could go back in time to the beginning of their ministry life together, she says on her blog at www.gracecoversme.com, she”™d tell that young girl these seven things: 1.  Humbly yet boldly accept the opportunity to influence others

October 22, 2016

Christian Standard

The Vitality of Apologetics in Our Ministries (Part 1 of 3)

Apologetics sounds like a term only seminary professors use or understand, yet the meaning is simpler and much more vital than most people realize. Apologetics is the field of study devoted to defending or reasoning for our faith. The Greek word apologia is used, for instance, in 1 Peter 3:15 and is translated “defense” or “answer” in English Bible versions. Over the next three months, David Holdcraft, regional director of Ratio Christi (ratiochristi.org) in Kentucky and longtime minister, will discuss the vitality of apologetics in ministry. This month: the connection between ministry and apologetics. ___ If we say ministry at its

October 20, 2016

Michael C. Mack

What Operating System Is Your Church Using?

By Michael C. Mack Chris Lagerlof is the executive catalyst at Mission Orange County (www.missionoc.org). In a Q&A with Exponential (www.exponential.org), “a growing community of leaders committed to accelerating the multiplication of healthy, reproducing faith communities,” Lagerlof talked about the biggest aha”™s he had while reading Becoming a Level 5 Multiplying Church by Todd Wilson and Dave Ferguson. He says he was moved by Chapter 1, “Rethinking Our Operating System.” He was especially struck by Wilson”™s words: Pause and reflect on the potential unintended consequences [of the prevailing operating systems, especially in megachurches]. We are called to make biblical disciples

October 13, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Seven Tips from Twitter on Facilitating a Group or Class

By Michael C. Mack Michael C. Mack (@michaelcmack) tweets “Small Group Leader TIPS of the Day” every weekday. Here are seven tips on facilitating a great group meeting: “¢Â  Don”™t be the small group answer man or woman. Let group members experience aha moments. “¢Â  Become comfortable answering questions with, “I don”™t know, but let”™s all find out this week.” “¢Â  As you study God”™s Word together, “remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” “¢Â  Try different approaches to Bible study (e.g., read various “I will” statements of God and discuss/apply).

September 22, 2016

Michael C. Mack

10 Business Books Every Ministry Leader Should Read

By Michael C. Mack We asked ministry leaders to tell us what book written primarily for business leaders they”™ve found helpful in their ministry leadership. “¢ The Contrarian”™s Guide to Leadership, by Steven B. Sample. “It helped me think past the clichés of leadership to practices that reflect what I think is a leader”™s honest self-evaluation before God.” “”Jon Weatherly, professor of New Testament, dean of the School of Bible and Theology at Johnson University, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Kissimmee, Florida “¢ The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business, by Patrick Lencioni. “So much good stuff about why

September 22, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Four Reasons Every Lead Pastor Should Lead a Small Group

By Michael C. Mack Lead pastors who lead a small group create a win-win dynamic. The pastors and the churches they lead both become healthier and grow as a result. Jim Egli, who has served as a senior pastor, associate pastor, missions pastor, and missionary says that regardless of his role, he has always led a group. He offers these four reasons: Small groups are at the heart of church health. Egli says a healthy church lives in authentic, Christ-centered, missional community, and a church that uses healthy groups””the focus being on the word healthy“”will increase its health, effectiveness, growth,

September 17, 2016

Michael C. Mack

How to Control Your E-mail Instead of Letting It Control You

By Michael C. Mack E-mail can be a productivity killer or, if used wisely, a productivity booster. Here are six tricks culled from LearnVest to make it the latter. Keep It Short. According to a 2015 user analysis from e-mail scheduler Boomerang, the messages most likely to get replies were in the range of 50 to 125 words. Productivity expert Chris Bailey, author of The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention and Energy, strategically keeps e-mails to three sentences or less. Anything substantially longer than that should be a phone conversation. ADDENDUM: Keep your e-mail signature short

September 9, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Care for Parents and Their Special-Needs Children

By Michael C. Mack Parents of children with special needs long for a break””just a few hours to do whatever they want. “At the same time,” says Bobbie Lynn Rider, “letting go of control and trusting someone else with your loved one can be difficult.” Rider””a blogger at www.graceandfortitude.com, a site that encourages and blesses mothers and caregivers of special-needs individuals””along with her husband, took their daughter to a parent”™s-day-out event at Karns Church of Christ in Knoxville, Tennessee, hosted by the church”™s “Forever His” ministry. About 90 volunteers made the event a success for the 25 or so special-needs

August 15, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Icebreaker Questions for Your First Small Group Meeting

By Michael C. Mack Many new small groups and classes are beginning this time of year. Jim Egli, author, along with Vicki and Melissa Egli, of 333 Amazing Icebreaker Questions, says when he launches a new group, he likes to ask seven questions that also cast vision and outline expectations for the group: “¢ Where did you go to school for the first grade? “¢ Whom were you closest to when you were 10 years old? “¢ What is something you are very good at? “¢ When did God become more than a word to you? “¢ Besides your coming

August 1, 2016

Christian Standard

September Ministry Idea

By Michael C. Mack September 16: Stepfamily Day. According to the Stepfamily Foundation (www.stepfamily.org), “the majority of families have shifted from the original biologically bonded mother, father and child. We are now a nation in which the majority of families are divorced. Most go on to remarry or form living together relationships.” According to a recent Stepfamily Foundation survey of 2,000 web questionnaires, 75 percent of stepfamilies complain of “not having access to resources as a stepfamily.” Work together with family ministries, counselors, and stepfamilies/blended families in your church to develop more resources to meet their needs.

July 31, 2016

Michael C. Mack

5 Steps for Getting Your Group or Class to Invite New People

By Michael C. Mack How do you get members to invite people to their groups? Here are five specific principles you can use to help the people in your group or class, even the shyest ones, extend invitations: 1. The leader must go first! Don”™t go to your group with the ideas below until you have personally done these things yourself. As a leader, you are an example, a model, for those entrusted to you (1 Peter 5:3). 2. Don”™t do anything else until you”™ve spent time with God. Every strategy you use, every word you say, everything you do

July 1, 2016

Michael C. Mack

July Ministry Ideas

By Michael C. Mack Cheer Up the Lonely Day””July 11: This day “is an opportunity to make a lonely person happy,” says HolidayInsights.com. Plan to visit the people in your community who have few friends or loved ones or who see people infrequently. Examples include people who are elderly, shut-in, in nursing homes, or imprisoned. “When you visit, bring happy things to talk about,” say the writers of Holiday Insights. “Keep the conversation upbeat and lively. When you leave, give a big hug and let them know you enjoyed the stay.” National Hot Dog Day””July 23: Every dog gets its day,

July 1, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Watching for Signs of Church Health

By Michael C. Mack The principles doctors use to diagnose health in our physical bodies are similar to those we can use in our congregations. Certain characteristics in the life of a church tell us that the church is healthy and thriving. A void of these characteristics would tell us the church needs attention and treatment. Let”™s examine a couple of church health issues that are always important. The Unity of the Congregation: The unity of a church is critical to its health. Disunity within the body brings division, strife, and risk the church won”™t fulfill its mission. If points

June 3, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Getting a Jump on the Summer Slump

By Michael C. Mack Don”™t simply accept the habitual warm-weather wane in church attendance and activities. Instead, find creative ways to minister this summer in ways maybe not possible the rest of the year. Here are just a few starter ideas. “¢ Make this a “Block Party Summer.” Encourage individuals and small groups to conduct neighborhood events to help neighbors get to know one another and have fun together. Use it as a simple opportunity for God to work through relationships to reach people where you live. “¢ Go outdoors with worship. This one may seem risky with potential inclement

May 31, 2016

Michael C. Mack

June Ministry Ideas

By Michael C. Mack Father”™s Day is Sunday, June 19: Leverage this special day to resource dads for their ministries to their families. Or announce the start of a new ministry with dads in mind. One such ministry resource is Manhood Journey (see article in this section). Summer Solstice is Monday, June 20: This is the first day of summer. (Interesting fact: on this day the sun does not set at the North Pole.) Plan outdoor serving activities in your community to celebrate the beginning of summer and take full advantage of the longest day of the year. Forgiveness Day is Sunday,

May 21, 2016

Michael C. Mack

How Will You Adapt to the Decline in Senior Adult Ministries?

By Michael C. Mack Studies point to a steep decline in senior adult ministries in churches. “As the large baby boomer generation moves into their older years,” says Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay, “they will resist any suggestion that they are senior adults, no matter how senior they may be.” Churches must be prepared to adapt to this new reality. If they continue to minister to senior adults as they always have, says Rainer, they are headed for failure. In February we asked Best Practices readers, both in print and in our Facebook group (www.facebook.com/BestMinistryPractices), “What are you

May 20, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Three Options to Save an Endangered Church from Extinction

By Michael C. Mack A cultural and economic storm threatens many small and midsize churches. “Unless we respond to this coming tsunami,” says Karl Vaters, pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Fountain Valley, California, “churches like mine will soon be as rare as printed newspapers, landline phones, and brick-and-mortar bookstores.” Especially churches in large metropolitan areas with a mortgage and a pastor”™s salary to pay, will start to disappear over the next couple of decades, says Vaters in the fall 2015 issue of Leadership Journal. Cornerstone has experienced a turnaround in attendance, number of volunteers, and ministry over the past

May 5, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Reconnect, Reignite, and Resurrect Marriages

By Michael C. Mack “Marriage should be honored by all” (Hebrews 13:4). May is National Date Your Mate Month. Use this month strategically to promote and support strong marriages. The possibilities for your plans are as bountiful as your imagination and an Internet search on Christian marriage ministry ideas! For example, offer a special marriage workshop, providing a meal, music, and child care. Or provide free child care at the church building so couples can plan their own romantic date night. North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, offers quarterly date nights called MarriedLife. The purpose is to “help people

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