Was His Service Poor?

Most of us claim to be pretty good tippers. Certainly there are bad tippers, but it seems very few actually admit to being one. After all, most tend to realize that stinginess reflects poorly on one’s character. So what do you tip when the service is really bad? I mean really bad such as when […]

6 Thoughts for Pastors on Personal Finances

Because a pastor’s finances can be different from another person’s finances, I have often asked older and wiser pastors for counsel on managing personal finances. According to the apostle Paul, managing the home is no small matter for a pastor, and this includes our personal stewardship. “If anyone does not know how to manage his […]

5 Emphases to Help You Go from Hating Capital Campaigns to Loving Them

The following is a guest post by Todd McMichen. Todd serves as the Chief Campaign officer for Auxano. Auxano helps churches navigate the challenges of growth with vision and mission clarity.  Coming right out of seminary I found my way onto the staff of some amazing churches. We grew rapidly, constantly added services, purchased land, and […]

A Simple Exercise for Organizational Stewardship

If you lead a ministry, department, or organization, you have likely been entrusted with the financial stewardship for your area of responsibility. You carry the burden both to execute the mission faithfully and to manage the financial resources wisely. And while the resources are merely tools to fulfill the mission your team has embraced, they […]

The Burden of Earning

As the movie Saving Private Ryan reaches its climax, some of us preachers sit on the edge of our seats looking for an epic illustration. The film seems to be leading to a great comparison of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Private Ryan (Matt Damon) has been pursued just as Christ pursues us and has been […]

Budgeting Blunders

As we move into October, many churches are in the midst of budgeting. There are some common budgeting blunders that plague many ministries, and these blunders are often associated with well-meaning individuals who unintentionally bring some bad budgeting practices to the table. Let me introduce you to Calculator Charlie, Sneaky Steve, and Sandbagging Sally. Calculator […]