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

"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

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

I recently received a piece of church direct mail piece in my mailbox (which I get happy about). However, then I looked at what this church had sent out and my joy dissipated.  What was wrong with the mailing? Plenty. But I'll highlight 5 issues:  1. It wasn't in English (even though I speak Spanish fluently, English is still my first language) 2. There were 5 dates on this postcard (it was letting me know the title of every week of the series and the date they would be taught). Instead, give me the big picture of the series, write … Read More

With the 3rd quarter almost over, now is a great time to prepare to send out a giving statement to everyone who has given to your church in 2010. This way is anyone is "behind" in their giving, they see that in their statement and get caught up.  Also, it's a great time to update the on what's going on and give them a sneak peak into this year's Christmas offering.  We send out giving statements every quarter and not only do we see an increase in giving every time we mail out statements, it's also a great opportunity to … Read More