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Tithing reduced in tough times? Yes and no
The Bulletin Share    
For many people, the money they to contribute to their churches is a regular part of their budgets. Job losses and reductions in income have forced some members of local congregations to reduce how much they give their churches through individual gifts or by tithing -- the practice of giving 10 percent
of one's income to the church -- and some local churches have cut their budgets in response. At other churches, large gifts from a few people or increased membership have buoyed their finances. More
'Tis the tax season
Your Church
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Congress enacted several tax laws in prior years containing provisions that will apply in 2009. This article provides a round-up of some key changes to be aware of as your church moves into tax preparation season.
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Quick answers to some giving questions
Baptist Press
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Churches are still thinking about end-of-the-year giving campaigns. Ben Stroup is a marketing coordinator in LifeWay Christian Resources' Christian Stores division, but he calls himself the "chief broker of opportunity" because he helps pastors change the conversation from "What do we have to cut to survive?" to "What does God want us to do next?" Stroup sat down with Baptist Press to answer a few questions related to giving in churches and some of the trends he saw in
2009.
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Report tallies more than 1,200 crimes involving U.S. churches in 2009
Associated Baptist Press
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More than 1,200 crimes were committed against Christian churches and ministries in 2009, according to an
unofficial tally by a firm that specializes in church security. The Christian Security Network report found 1,237 total incidents targeting churches in all 50 states, including 12 homicides, 38 other violent incidents and $24 million in estimated property loss. "It is disheartening to see all these incidents and loss of life in churches in 2009 and even sadder because we know 2010 isn't going to be any different unless the status quo changes," said Jeff Hawkins, executive director of the
Christian Security Network. The Cincinnati-based company provides services to make Christian churches and organizations more secure.
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Spiritual growth and relationship building are a key part of the small groups experience, and church leaders need an effective way to keep the ministry organized. For practical advice on improving communication at every ministry level download the ACS Technologies ministry guide Planning For Big Success with Small Groups. more
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Jesse Jackson launches campaign to get banks to lend to churches
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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The Rev. Jesse Jackson met with black pastors from around New Jersey last week, calling on them to support a
campaign to pressure the nation’s largest banks to help churches, homeowners and students refinance their debts. Jackson, during a luncheon meeting at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., spoke specifically to the issue of churches in foreclosure, acknowledging the plight of the Rev. Albert Rowe, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Paterson, N.J., which is in foreclosure proceedings, in debt to a lender for $3.3 million. Jackson said there are thousands of churches in
foreclosure, like Calvary, across the country and 200 in the Atlanta metro area alone, he said.
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Church giving: Top 10 New Year's Resolutions to make giving go up in a down economy
Church Central
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Here's a proven 10 step approach to help inspire greater generosity and increase giving for churches by bestselling generosity author, Dr. Brian Kluth.
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Sometimes it's easy for
things to slip through the cracks. GuideOne Insurance has developed Keeping Your Church Safe to walk you through many of the more common risks a church faces. Whether it is church building security, nursery safety, transportation safety or an annual building inspection, this guide will be a resource you use again and again. Download
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From simple scheduling tools for small churches to powerful systems for entire campuses, the "EMS" line from Dean Evans & Associates has a product to meet your needs and budget: EMS Lite, EMS Professional, EMS Enterprise and EMS Master Calendar. Learn why more than 1,400 churches rely on EMS.
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The culture of youth ministry
Youth Worker
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Obsessed with cool. Trendy. Impulsive. Self-focused. Caught up in the moment. Probably sounds like a description of
some of the kids in your youth group. This is an article about us--those of us in the youth ministry culture, those of us who work with teenagers--and how we seem to be sliding into an adolescent approach to our faith and mission. Look at our must-read books, listen to our conversations, go to our seminars and measure our values. Even a quick survey of the current youth ministry culture tells the story: We're not just working with teenagers; we're starting to think like them.
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When the high road
hurts
Ministry Today Magazine
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"Pastor, we've decided to move on." These are some of the most difficult words that you, as a ministry leader, will ever hear--especially when they come from people you have lived, laughed and dreamed with. It's painful when we hear that people no longer want to be a part of our ministries. It's additionally painful when they leave and don't take the time to tell us why
they’re leaving, where they're going, or what we could possibly do to repair any damage in the relationship.
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Church kicks off year by reading aloud entire Bible
Daily Globe
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Central Assembly of God in
Superior, Wis., is ringing in the New Year with a marathon Bible-reading session. Over three days, members will read the entire Bible aloud from the pulpit into a live microphone. The “Take Up the Sword” event is more of a relay than a marathon. Reading is nonstop, 24 hours a day. Members, one at a time, read in one-hour shifts. Some couples split the time equally, sharing passages. The experience encompasses generations, from 20-year-old readers to those in their 80s.
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Serves churches throughout the United States, since 1971,
by designing quality Facilities to meet their ministry needs
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Can megachurches bridge the
racial divide?
TIME Magazine
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In some churches, the racial divide is beginning to erode, and it is fading fastest in one of American religion's most conservative precincts: Evangelical Christianity. According to Michael Emerson, a specialist on race and faith at Rice University, the proportion of American churches
with 20 percent or more minority participation has languished at about 7.5 percent for the past nine years. But among Evangelical churches with attendance of 1,000 people or more, the slice has more than quadrupled, from 6 percent in 1998 to 25 percent in 2007.
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Small blessings: Microchurches growing trend in nation
WCF Courier
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Microchurches have been around since New Testament days but have become more popular in the past decade. Though the groups differ widely in their practices, the majority serve less than 100 members, typically don't own the building where they meet, often practice nondenominational evangelism and intentionally offer believers a worship atmosphere unlike that of established churches. Many of the groups wish to remain small and will
plant a new congregation if numbers grow too large. "People are yearning for a more intimate type of fellowship that they, in many cases, did not find in the very large church," said Carol Childress, founder of FrameWorks, a church consulting firm based in Texas. "In the course of one generation, as a culture here in the United States, we made a 180-degree turn - from valuing strong individuals to searching for a sense of community."
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Helps eradicate the worlds five most crucial daily emergencies; food, water, education, healthcare and child safety. Let us be your mission stewards. See www.worldemergencyrelief.org.
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Why Internet campuses are making us reconsider our assumptions about ministry
Leadership Journal
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Recently a number of churches have made the leap beyond multi-site and satellite campuses. They have
launched internet campuses, making every living room, dorm room, or coffeehouse with wi-fi an extension of the church. The trend started in 2007 with a handful of churches and has grown to dozens of congregations today. Some are large and highly visible churches, such as North Point Church near Atlanta, while others are small, but the momentum will likely lead to the launch of hundreds of virtual churches in the years ahead.
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Involvement in ministry keeps children in church
Church Executive Magazine
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Does it seem like the boys and girls in your ministry walk in each week, sit down and wait to be entertained? Do they think of church as something to check off their list as another thing they have to endure just because their parent or guardian said
so? Imagine what it would be like to have the children involved in the ministry. Actually "being" the church instead of church "being done" to them? First you need to understand why it is critical to reach kids at an early age. Then, work on changing the trend of losing them at an alarming rate.You may need to make adjustments in the way you lead and minister. Are they worth it to you? Will you make the sacrifice to keep children coming to church?
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PC Magazine and our customers agree that SurePayroll is the best payroll service for small businesses, and churches. Click here for a personalized price quote. MORE |
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Ministry launches effort to plant prayer rooms across all U.S. colleges
The Christian Post
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An
international prayer ministry will start to work this year on setting up prayer rooms on all U.S. college and university campuses. On Jan. 1, U.K.-based ministry 24-7 Prayer launched its Campus America initiative with the aim to establish prayer rooms on the 2,614 college and universities in the United States in hopes of seeing a year of unbroken prayer on America’s campuses. The 24-7 prayer model calls for local Christians to organize and commit to praying in one-hour shifts all through
the night and day.
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As we walk into the new decade many organizations including churches are evaluating
their effectiveness. The last two years have been extremely difficult for most non-profits organizations; the ways of the past are no longer. Ministries have to see themselves as customer service oriented vehicles that reach deep into the communities that they serve... MORE |
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Louisiana prison gives inmates chance to earn ministry degree
The Associated Press via USA Today
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At the Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola., God has been finding men regularly. So far about 150
of them have earned Bachelor of Arts degrees from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and another 100 are on track to graduate. "It was an idea that just grew and has kept on growing," said Norris C. Grubbs, the seminary professor that oversees the Angola program. "It's not easy. They're taking the same program our students at the seminary take: 126 hours and the requirements for passing are the same."
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