It's season. What's here? Budgeting Season! That means most of the next 4-6 weeks will involve meetings, spreadsheets, and talk of the upcoming year. I thought some might be interested in our budgeting process: 1. Give everyone a Quickbooks prints out of what has been spent in their departments for 2010 to date and all of 2009. 2. Talk about the vision for the next year and where each ministry fits into that. 3. Give everyone 3 weeks to put together their 2011 budgets 4. During that time, I am working on a 2011 overall budget number with our Pastors … Read More
Sunday Stuff…
– Great day at Calvary! – I taught Judges 6:36-7:25 on Gideon. – I talked about Doing God's will versus wanting to know God's will – Got tons of positive feedback from the message – The band sounded great. Pastor Mark was out of town, but they didn't miss a beat. – We highlighted another missions organization as part of out "Missions and outreach' month – I love the fact that we're involved in so many community outreach projects that are expressing the love of God physically AND communicating the Gospel verbally as well. The 2 aren't mutually exclusive. – … Read More
Q and A: Tithe Challenge
Here's a question that I received recently: "Bob, I've tried the tithe challenge and people check off their box that they were taking the tithe challenge, but after 3 weeks the majority had dropped off. What's the problem?" Good News: This is a common problem. Bad News: This is a common problem. The churches that I have worked with one on one that experience this drop off usually experience it because their follow up system for those taking the tithe challenge isn't … well… good. I have long said this and will say it again, the key to the tithe challenge … Read More
Sunday Stuff… (Monday Edition)
– Great Sunday at Calvary! – I taught Judges 6 and we were introduced to the character of Gideon. – My topic was "How God Changes us" – I felt great about the message overall. People were really engaged. – Looking forward to teaching Judges 7-8 this Sunday! – This is the best the band has sounded since we moved to Miramar. – People are really excited about our DateNight event on October 29th. I'm looking forward to teaching with my wife Carey. Should be loads of fun! – Busy Monday. Trying to do 4 days worth of work in a … Read More
Your Evangelism is Only as Good as Your Follow Up
One of the things that has always impressed me about the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Harvest Crusades and Luis Palao ministries is their commitment to following up with those who make decisions to follow Jesus. They understand that evangelism must be connected to the local church. As church leaders, our role is to help new believers connect to the local church because that's where they are going to grow to maturity in Christ. How do we do that? 3 ways: 1. By creating a system that outlines the steps new believers should take 2. By making the process and each … Read More
Sunday Stuff…
– Great day at Calvary! – I team taught Judges 4-5 with Pastor Mark. – We talked about leadership and influence. – Lots of feedback from the message. – The message today was looooooong. That's what happens when you have 2 long winded preachers teaching together. – George Martinez did a great job leading worship. It's amazing what a great worship leader he's turned into! – We've called October "Missions and Outreach" month at Calvary. We've been highlighting several of the missionaries and organizations we support. Great feedback. – Don't expect people to know what you're involved in. You need … Read More
Q and A: Staff Compensation (Part 2)
"What about longevity in the organization? How important is that is determining compensation?" I believe longevity has great value, but what's of more value is the skills and leadership each individual brings to the table. But here's what's most important about staff when it comes to compensation: are they growing with the organization? Because some staff can help a church get to a certain level effectively, but without continued learning and growth the organization grows beyond their ability to lead or make an impact. So I'm always looking to see how staff are growing are developing themselves. Of course, as … Read More
Q and A: Staff Compensation
The issue of staff compensation is one that comes up in every coaching network I lead. There's no doubt it's a complex issue and there's no one size fits all answer. Having said that, there's 3 questions that should drive all staff compensation discussions: 1. What do you do? 2. How well do you do it? 3. What would it cost to replace you? As far as I'm concerned, these are the most important compensation questions. One of my philosophies is that not every job is a career. While a custodian is an important job for any church with a … Read More
Sunday Stuff…
– Great day at Calvary! – I taught Judges 3:12-31. – Ehud is one of my favorites characters in Judges. – I talked about the type of person God uses. – Lots of people took next steps – I have felt great about my messages over the last month. I pray it continues. – I'm not teaching this Sunday. Looking forward to taking care of other stuff in the office this week.
Why is Your Direct Mail Not Working?
One of the reasons churches get poor results in their direct mail is because they don't track their results. Here's the truth: if you aren't tracking your results, you have no idea if your direct mail is working or not. Butts in the seats is not the only way to see if your direct mail is working. While I would agree that someone attending your church is the end result we want, there are other factors involved. 1. Someone could get your direct mail and go to a confusing website and not attend 2. Someone could get your direct mail and … Read More
