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Church World Trends – Part 2

April 4, 2012 in Church Culture, Church Design & Architecture, Church Facilities, Church Staff, Leadership with 3 Comments

Yesterday … I started Part 1 on what I am seeing in Church World. If you missed it … click here.

It’s happening in a church near you.

Churches of all sizes are changing … and here’s what I am seeing:

  1. Churches of 6,500+ in attendance are getting smaller … not by losing people … but intentionally, by choice. They are developing spaces and asking questions like: “how do we become more intimate?” and “can we design smaller/alternative venues with less seats?”
  2. I’m not seeing as many 3,000+ in attendance churches talking about merging/acquiring right now. Don’t get me wrong – some are … but a lot of churches in this segment are getting their house in order … by thinking critically about systems, processes, and people. They are refining their strategy on “stickiness” and how to really measure life change. They are going deeper vs. wider.
  3. There’s a long, steady race right now … for churches who have recently started or about to start … to get to a core mass of somewhere around 600 to 800 people. Why? Is it about sustainability. Sustaining into the next decade with resources, dollars, space, & people with enough margin to grow and be the Church of the next decade.
  4. Huge mega-churches with an attractional model are starting to partner with other smaller, effective churches in their community … acting as a “gateway” or portal to deeper thinking, spiritual growth, & etc. They are realizing that they have influence that is seasonal and can be a great conduit to other local churches who will develop them deeper.
  5. People are getting fatter. The average size width of a church chair has gone from 18″ to 22″. Churches NEED to teach & model healthy living in more practical ways.

What do you think? Think I got it wrong? Am I right? What are you seeing? Would love your comments.

Bryan

 

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Church World Trends – Part 1

April 3, 2012 in Church Culture, Church Design & Architecture, Church Facilities, Church Staff, Leadership with 8 Comments

I keep a running list of what I am seeing in church world … and from time to time … the list gets long enough for me to post. So, for the next 2 days … I will give you some of my observations.

  1. Old is cool. The Boomers are about to pound the doors of the church wide open. Get ready. This will impact programming, volunteering, mentoring, and legacy giving. Don’t expect Boomers to sit quietly on the sidelines any longer.
  2. New church locations will be more agile … renting more and buying less. The “ownership” model of developing one asset as big as you can … is slowly fading and giving way to 12 year leases … that enable churches to be agile for the Kingdom.
  3. Age and color will blur. I am seeing this big-time already. More & more churches are creating environments where people of all colors are welcome. It’s not a black thing. It’s not a white thing. It isn’t Hispanic either. Church leaders are leading in this area to make it one church of many colors. And, you’ll start to see a comeback of churches developing meaningful environments and programming where the young & old can connect as well.
  4. Seminaries need more classes on leadership, buying stuff, delegating well, organizational development. Sure, they need to know the Bible really well … but, seminaries have got to start focusing on the “real world” in church that happens too. Developing a great pastor is more than just knowing the Bible and how to preach. They need to also be taught … how to lead.

Tomorrow, I will toss out more trends of what I am seeing. Stay tuned … and feel free to leave your comments. Would love your feedback.

Bryan

 

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Top 7 Church Planting Challenges

March 22, 2012 in Church Facilities, Churchplanting, MAG Relationships with 3 Comments

This is a Guest Post by Kendra Malloy of Portable Church Industries. She is a friend of mine. She’s cool. She’s authentic. More church leaders need to know her. Kendra is a gifted leader with a bent towards the creative. She has been involved with everything from company concept to philosophy; from logo design to website design; from advertising to copy; from project management to writing. She’s like a church general practitioner. She is works with church planters & pastors at both the project management and marketing level. Follow Kendra on Twitter.

Reecently, Lifeway Research published a study that revealed the Top Seven Issues most church planters face in their ministry.

  1. Leadership development and reproducing culture
  2. Financial self-sufficiency and viability
  3. Team development and volunteer mobilization
  4. Systems, processes and cultures
  5. Vision casting and avoiding mission drift
  6. Evangelism and discipleship
  7. Spiritual, physical and mental health of planter and family

I’ve worked with hundreds of church planters in my tenure at Portable Church Industries, and I found the study to be quite accurate. I am proud to work for a company who prioritizes Systems & Process, who exists to help churches mobilize and empower volunteers, thus helping to alleviate the challenges a Church Planter faces.

After reading this list, I feel more than blessed to be a part of this company, doing what I’m doing. One of my favorite stories on how were able to help a church plant rise from some of these challenges two years after they launched  is here. Great joy is associated with helping churches like Living Hope Church.

QUESTION: of the Top 7 issues … which one are you struggling the most with?

If you want to know how we can help you alleviate some of these frustrations, connect with me – I’d love to help. You can read the rest of the Lifeway Research Study here. Pay special attention to the last two paragraphs.

Paul did not include the topic of warfare at the end of his letter to the Ephesians because it was a last minute thought. He wanted everything he had been inspired to say to be seen through the lenses of spiritual warfare.

When looking at the 7 Top Issues church planters face, they point to a need for spiritual battle: ‘Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens’ (Eph. 6:10-12 HCSB).”

 

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The Power of Audits

March 21, 2012 in Church Bookkeeping, Church Culture, Church Facilities, Leadership, Pastors & Church Leaders with 0 Comments

 

I was almost sure of it.

Now … I am sure of it.

Churches (the leaders) who KNOW their financial reports well … and do audits on a regular basis … see the benefits in 3 ways:

  1. Churches who know where the money is … have the ability to cast vision with confidence.
  2. Churches who complete audits … make better and more informed decisions.
  3. Organizations with audited financial statements have interest rates nearly three-quarters lower than organizations that do not. Source – Journal of Accounting Research.

Sure … there is a cost to do an audit. But, there is a cost for not doing them as well. Higher interest rates being one … and a BIG cost at that!

Audited reports enable leaders to know that the money is fully accounted for. It’s an objective measurement from a third-party’s perspective. It is needed.

QUESTION: when is the last time your organization did an audit?

Bryan

 

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Babies & Toddlers in Worship?

February 20, 2012 in Church Culture, Church Design & Architecture, Other Stuff with 26 Comments

Interested in your opinion today … like always.

What do you think about the image above? Reasonable to hand this out if you are a certain type of church? Too much of a request?

Should babies & toddlers stay in a worship (big church) environment to be with the family … OR … would they potentially distract from a person who may be a first-time visitor (or, recently started attending) and on the cusp of deciding to have a personal relationship with Jesus? Or, what if you were a first-time visitor with a baby … and were handed one of these cards … would you come back?

Terrible idea? Great idea? What are your comments?

Bryan

 

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How Churches REALLY Get Loans

January 17, 2012 in Church Construction, Church Design & Architecture, Church Facilities, Church Finance with 4 Comments

In 2007, money came fast and easy to a lot of churches. However, with the Great Recession the money dried up ... forcing churches to work much harder for funding.

Below is a short guide on how churches today REALLY get funded.

1)  Capital Campaign / Generosity Coaching - find a really good firm that can help you do this. This area is a tough one for most church leaders ... because they admittedly are not the best at asking for money ... and developing a culture in their church for generosity to prosper. This is also a significant area where a good firm can help you cast vision around cash.

2)  Quality Brokers - here's the deal ... sometimes you need a person who hunt down the best deal(s) for your church's paper ... when your "credit" is less than perfect as a church. A lot of banks in the US simply freak out with churches who don't have deep pockets, are non-denominational or community based, and are not tied to a wealthy denomination. That's where a broker can come in and assist you.

3)  Church-Focused Banks - there are very good banks out there with people who are top-notch. If you are a church with a solid history, growing attendance, and positive cash flow ... a traditional bank that focuses on church loans may be a great thing for your church. If they feel like you are a good fit for their portfolio of loans ... they will hunt you down. When they don't believe you are a good fit ... no one will call you or knock on your door. In that case ... call a broker.

4)  Being Realistic About What You Will Get - churches, in general ... are awful at this. If your annual income as a church is $400,000 per year .... don't assume you can get a loan to build a $10,000,000 facility. It will not happen. Why is this so important? Because if you cast vision on a building you cannot afford (or get a loan for) ... you are going to kill momentum in your church AND people will likely think your leadership team's mind is stupid.

5)  The Power of Cash Flow - cash flow matters ... especially if it is positive! This is a great way to show a bank/lender that you are responsible with your money as an organization. Essentially ... you spend less than you take in. Novel thought! Banks look at your cash flow detail ... and can tell how you spend your money. Among other things ... they look at this ... to make sure you will have enough to pay your monthly commitments AND pay their fancy new mortgage.

6)  Having a Mission/Vision that is REAL, Transferable, and Lasting - getting funded for a loan, if your church needs one ... is truly a matter of vision. It starts with vision and ends with vision. People will not follow you, tithe, or pay down your mortgage if they can't follow your vision for their church. Just blindly assuming people will be very excited to pay off a loan is just naive.

Navigating the waters of church funding can be rough. In my consulting with churches ... I've walked along scores of churches in their search of funding ... and #6 above is the key ... even in a down economy.

Think I missed anything about this topic? Want to ask me who I would call on to help your church? Feel free to leave comments or eMail me at bryan@milesadvisorygroup.com ... and I will do my best to help you.

Bryan

 

 

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Smoking the Vision Bong

September 20, 2011 in Church Construction, Church Design & Architecture with 0 Comments

A lot of churches I know … have one or two “Vision Casters” on their team/staff. These people are needed. They usually stink at details … but they see it before anyone else. They cast vision for next steps and the picture for what God has laid out for their organization.

But what about the rest of staff? Where do they go for inspiration?

What if there was a ROOM at your church … where people on your team could go … and just think, pray, dream, & create?

It doesn’t need to be a big space. In fact, 100 square feet is plenty. Put things in the room that would facilitate epic thinking/dreaming. A free-thinking space should have books, whiteboards, markers, crayons, chalkboards, toys, paper, post-it notes, scissors, comfy furniture, cool lighting, lava lamp … you get the point.

This isn’t an attempt to make your church offices look cool. This is an attempt to create a space for people on your team … to think freely about their ministry, themselves, and where God is leading them. A place where God may just show up & drop some serious vision on someone who may not be the Lead Pastor.


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Design Intervention

August 24, 2011 in Church Design & Architecture, MAG Relationships with 0 Comments

 

When it comes to church architecture … our churches need some design intervention.

My friend, Mel McGowan at Visioneering Studios … explains (video above) how urban “Design Intervention” has renewed the city Portland, OR and is embedding the seed of the Kingdom into communities around the world.

Re-engineering urban design is the highest priority for most city planners. Model cities like Portland, OR have been touted for an intentional design that naturally intersects citizens with commerce, recreation, and informal run-ins … it’s all part of what makes a community thrive. From the Garden of Eden to the City of Heaven … God uses place to shape our relational context with Him and others.

 

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3 Ways Churches Get Off Track with Vision

July 25, 2011 in Church Construction, Leadership, Pastors & Church Leaders with 0 Comments

I asked my good friend Richard Chancy (contact info below video) to do a short video today on WHY churches get off track with their vision … based on his experience(s) working around the US with some really great churches. Here are his thoughts in 3 minutes 13 seconds. Thanks RC!

If you would like to connect with Richard … here’s his contact info:

 

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These Actions are Unacceptable

July 7, 2011 in Church Construction, Church Design & Architecture with 0 Comments

We just received a letter from Franklin Graham, President of Samaritan’s Purse. You may have received the letter as well. Here’s the deal … there’s a great amount of intense fighting going on in Sudan along the border of between north and south Sudan, and the people of the Nuba Mountains are caught in the crossfire. Two churches that Samaritan’s Purse just built in the area have been destroyed.

Here’s a note from a pastor in the Nuba Mountains area:

“With grief today, I want to inform you that the new church is burned down. We have lost everything. The house where my staff lives was looted, and the offices were burned. Many people fled from town, but some stayed. There is no food or water for them. There are only soldiers all over the streets. We need prayer.”

Sure, they need prayer … but, they need money to rebuild too. If you even have $1 … please give it to Samaritan’s Purse … for the Rebuilding Effort in Sudan. By giving, you send a message that these actions are unacceptable. YOU send a message that your God is bigger than the cowards who burned down & destroyed churches. The local Church is a powerful thing. And, Sudan NEEDS a local church. Please consider giving.

This new outbreak of violence is coming at a critical time in Sudan’s history as the south prepares for their Independence on July 9, 2011. If the fighting continues to grow, it could quickly free-fall into another war.

Is your church in a building or renovating effort right now? Consider giving a percentage of your pledges to this effort. Parallel your church’s facility needs with our friends in Sudan.

Our hearts & prayers are with the people Sudan. And, hopefully your wallet too.

Bryan

 

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