Articles for tag: Capital Campaigns

Special Church Report Part 2: Large and Medium Churches

By Kent Fillinger This month, the focus is on large churches (average worship attendance of 500 to 999) and medium churches (250 to 499 weekly) from our annual church survey. If you missed the May issue on megachurches and emerging megachurches, you can read it online to get caught up. Next month, I’ll conclude this series with a report on small churches (averaging 100 to 249 weekly) and very small churches (fewer than 100) and share the first-ever recorded data on these two church sizes. Here are some stats and stories that show the major themes that emerged for large

June 4, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Should We Build It? Will They Come?

By Mark A. Taylor We wanted experience from church leaders who have led their congregations to build. We were able to spend an hour with four who brought insight and a couple of warnings for any congregation considering a building campaign:Â Gene Appel, senior pastor with Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, California;Â Gary Johnson, lead servant with The Creek in Indianapolis, Indiana;Â Darrel Land, senior minister with Redemption Christian Church in Jasper, Indiana; andÂ David Vaughan, senior minister with Whitewater Crossing Christian Church in Cleves, Ohio. Here are excerpts from that conversation. Tell us about your last building project. Appel:

May 5, 2017

Christian Standard

Questions Worth Asking (2016 Megachurch & Statistics Report)

By Kent E. Fillinger Leading a church is a complex undertaking. The challenges can seem to mount more quickly than answers or resources become available. However, asking good questions is helpful. And asking the right questions as a leader is a game changer. One question I always ask is, “What can we learn from our annual survey data to apply to life and ministry?” Here are some important findings from key survey questions, and I”ve included some application questions for you and your team to discuss. One of this year”s survey questions was, “What questions or issues is your church

July 3, 2016

Christian Standard

Stewardship & Generosity

Worship””Filling the AbyssÂ

By Tim Harlow Financial campaigns are good because they remind us where to look for the help everyone is seeking. Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century French philosopher and mathematician, is often quoted as saying there is a “God-shaped vacuum” inside of us. That”s a preacher”s abbreviation of the following paragraph: What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help

May 7, 2014

Christian Standard

Megachurches Break New Ground

By Kent Fillinger The annual survey of attendance and trends in the fellowship of Christian churches and churches of Christ always yields interesting facts, but our study for calendar year 2013 also identified three notable “firsts”: “¢ For the first time, three churches averaged more than 20,000 in weekly worship attendance. Joining Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, and Central Christian Church, Henderson, Nevada, both of which surpassed 20,000 for the third consecutive year, was Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, Arizona. “¢ For the first time in the 18-year history of this list, Southeast Christian did not have the highest

September 8, 2012

Alan Ahlgrim

Stewardship & Generosity Preaching

Giving Up!

After a recession, costly litigation, and declining church momentum, Alan Ahlgrim shares how Rocky Mountain Christian Church navigated financial hardship and discovered lasting lessons about generosity, stewardship, and trusting God's provision.

September 7, 2012

E.G Jay Link

STEWARDSHIP: What Have We Done to This Word?

Biblical stewardship is about far more than giving money. E. G. "Jay" Link explains why recognizing God's ownership of everything can transform personal decisions, church leadership, and everyday Christian living.

July 25, 2012

Brian Jones

Mission & Evangelism

Is Your Church Bloated?

Brian Jones explains why Christ's Church of the Valley committed to conversion growth instead of transfer growth—and candidly explores the rewards, challenges, and personal costs of building a church around new converts.

May 2, 2011

Stewardship & Generosity Money & Debt

Is the Church in a Recession?

Kent E. Fillinger examines church giving, staffing, spending, debt, and outreach trends among surveyed Christian churches and churches of Christ following the Great Recession.

September 10, 2010

LARGE-SIZED CHURCHES: Hope on the Road Less Traveled

Twin Oaks Christian Church in Woodhaven, Michigan, has seen rapid growth through baptisms, relocation, perseverance, and a united eldership committed to welcoming people with truth and grace.

April 19, 2009

Stewardship & Generosity Money & Debt

churches sustain ministry in a shrinking economy

Megachurches: Sustaining Ministry in a Shrinking Economy

Kent E. Fillinger offers practical guidance for churches navigating a shrinking economy through better budgeting, generous stewardship, Acts 4 community, and clear communication rooted in hope.

March 22, 2009

Darrel Rowland

Hard Times for Healthy Churches

Churches across the country are facing uneven financial pressures during the recession, especially around giving, building campaigns, debt, and the hard stewardship decisions required of leaders.

May 11, 2008

Sam E. Stone

Second Thoughts About Mission Giving

Sam E. Stone calls churches to rethink missionary support with consistency, fairness, and care for both foreign evangelism and the ministries that sustain Christian service.

May 7, 2006

Alan Ahlgrim

It’s Faith Raising, Not Just Fund Raising

Capital campaigns can strain a congregation—or strengthen it. Alan Ahlgrim shares hard-won lessons on vision, broad involvement, wise counsel, sustained follow-through, and confident faith that God is at work.

May 7, 2006

Jeffrey J. Knowles

First Things First

A call for “compromise on compromise”: before churches fund new construction or renovation, the author proposes giving the first 51 percent of capital dollars to missions or benevolence—linking spending to belief while seeking unity.

August 28, 2005

Steve Bond