How Church of the Highlands Gets 33% of their Attenders to Volunteer
In the process of creating Volunteer Rocket, we talked to seven churches who were doing a great job gaining, training and retaining volunteers. Here’s a profile of Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama. Church of the Highlands began in 2001 with pastor Chris Hodges and a small group of people committed to launching a…
Read MoreSend This Email to Everyone Who Has Given Money to Your Church This Year
The text below is an email you can send to every one who has donated money to your church in 2013. Just change the bullet points, run a report of all of your donors this year, and hit send. Subject: Here’s what we’ve done with the money you’ve given Jimmy, Pastor John here. I just…
Read MoreHere is the Best Thing You Can Send Donors
Yesterday, I told you about the power of hand-written thank you notes. If you missed it, you can read it here. We KNOW personal thank you notes work. That’s why we created this ONE-OF-A-KIND product called What Happens When You Give. It’s a 39-page, full-color booklet that walks a donor through what happens after they…
Read MoreHow to Turn a Simple THANK YOU into a Lasting Impact
Over the last few years, I’ve moved my banking online and tried to go paperless in my home. But there’s still a drawer in my office filled with old-school papers. I’ll never throw them out, because I really value them. It’s a stack of hand-written thank you notes received over the years from people I’ve…
Read MoreThree Documents Every Church Needs
There’s a lot of significance to the number three in the Bible. Of course, there’s the trinity. Jesus rose on the third day. And they say Peter, James and John were the three closest disciples. There are three primary colors, three holes in a bowling ball, and Huey, Louie and Dewey will always be my…
Read MoreWhy are Pastors Scared to Take Up an Easter Offering?
Churches are usually scared to take up an Easter Offering because of the amount of people who will be attending the church for the first time. Pastors tell me that they have a fear of scaring off newcomers. In every church where a pastor has pressed through this fear and held an Easter Offering anyway,…
Read MoreWhy Are Pastors Scared to Take an Offering on Easter?
Churches are usually scared to take up an Easter Offering because of the amount of people who will be attending the church for the first time. Pastors tell me that they have a fear of scaring off newcomers. In every church where a pastor has pressed through this fear and held an Easter Offering anyway,…
Read MoreWhat Happens When an Atheist Starts Tithing
Check out this story. True Hope Church recently challenged their congregation to tithe for 90 days, and used resources from Giving Rocket as fuel. Through a tithe challenge, this Giving Rocket church is helping someone find his way back to God. A tithe challenge kit – complete with graphics, video and all the communication –…
Read MoreThree Things That Will Kill a New Church
Depending on what study you read, anywhere from 50-80% of new churches close their doors within the first five years. And while 4,000 new churches are started every year, about 3,800 other churches close their doors. As I reflect back on my own five-year journey as a church planter and pastor, here are three reasons…
Read MoreThe Lonely Preacher
Preachers are often lonely. In fact, as we’ve talked with hundreds of pastors, we’ve found a common denominator that isn’t being talked about in too many circles. 1. Most preachers prepare alone. How do you prepare to preach? Do you take 1 day? Do you scramble on Saturdays? Do you study every day? There are…
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