Churches – Thursday is the NEW Sunday

March 17, 2011 in Church Culture, Church Staff with 0 Comments

Running out of space on Sundays? Don’t think a 3rd service on Sunday is an option? Don’t want to open up on Saturdays? Try a new way … like a few brave churches … and open up on Thursday night. Not only is Thursday a great day to have a new service … it can also work together with your service programming … and help you manage your growth.

Need empty seats at optimal times on Sundays? Ask your Sunday regular attendees to invest in your church by going to your new Thursday night service. Rock Bridge Community Church in Dalton, GA did just that … and their first Thursday service saw attendance over 500 people (they run about 2,500 on the weekends). Their Thursday service stuck and provides them with options for growth & flexibility.

Thursday services enable your church to:

  • Help Sunday volunteers have a place for worship on Thursdays.
  • Helps your Lead Pastor “practice” on Thursday before Sunday.
  • Gives you options for filming Thursday message if your Lead Pastor is gone on Sunday.
  • Creates an environment for people who would never attend on Sunday.
  • Shows your community that you are interested in them by opening up seats on Sunday.
  • Can be a strong feeder for assimilation environments (e.g. Next, Starting Point, & etc).
  • Gives your regular attendees an option to attend either Thursday or Sunday. Your attendees who are traveling business people will appreciate this.

One more thing … Thursday nights aren’t “TV Night” any more. DVRs and TIVO manage people’s watching habits nowadays. People will come to your church on Thursday nights for worship.

 

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How Established Churches Keep Growing

March 16, 2011 in Church Culture with 0 Comments

Recently we had the opportunity to hear Andy Stanley talk about The Church … with his big CHURCH series. Part 7 in big CHURCH was amazing.

If there has ever been a church (or pastor) that could just sit back & take it easy … it could be North Point Community Church and Andy Stanley. Yet, as you’ll see in Part 7 (watch it here) … now is no time to stop, sit back, and just relax with our successes.

Here’s our takeaway for established churches … who could take it easy.

  1. Be bold with your invitations (investing & inviting) … personal evangelism must continue.
  2. Be bold in your volunteering … volunteering crushes consumerism and reorients the heart.
  3. Be bold with your giving … no chump change but rather regular, percentage givers.
  4. Be bold with your prayers … pray like the first-century Church, praying bold. Be mindful of the prayers you pray.

BE BOLD! 

Ask yourself … What is my obligation as a Christian in this century?


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5 Dumb Things Church Planters Might Do

March 14, 2011 in Churchplanting with 2 Comments

At MAG … we love church planters, especially their “heart”. In a lot of ways, they are the spiritual entrepreneurs … risking it all … with no money … trying to make a significant difference for Jesus … with the passion God placed in them. We love their energy and willingness to be bold. But, despite that energy and passion … they can make really dumb decision(s) in the first couple of years … that could hold them back. Here’s our list of five.
  1. You tried to do it alone. Don’t assume you can create an army right out of the gate. Be wise and save up money/capital before your launch so you can hire people/organizations that will help you “power” your ministry … such as bookkeeping/payroll, virtual executive assistants, & etc. Don’t just assume you have to suffer through this early on. You can save for this sort of work … before you begin your 1st service. We have plenty of examples of pastor(s) who did just this.
  2. You thought the reward(s) would be bigger than you received. Sure, you want some jewels in your crown … but you really want to see some freakin’ results here on earth with your effort. We get that. However, don’t get derailed because your “reward” was smaller or not yet fully present like you had in your mind during your pre-launch days.
  3. Your goal was unclear … or worse … you had no definable goal. What’s the win? Did you find something to actually measure? Without definable goals the game is over before it begins. This is true for businesses … and churches.
  4. You underestimated how hard it would be to plant your church. No one said it would be easy. Before you start … make sure you (and your family) can survive. The worst church planters begin and then quit at the first sign of real pain. By doing that … they show everyone how little their God is.
  5. You didn’t own your goal. You made the assumption that God was with you … but you failed to see your part in the effort. Working hard for the Lord does pay off. If God filled your heart to plant … you must, without looking back, 100% OWN it. Partnering with the Lord doesn’t necessarily mean … hiding behind Him.

We love church planters … we hate broken dreams. We are here to help your church if you need it.

 

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Growth Through Acquisition

March 10, 2011 in Church Design & Architecture, Church Facilities, Churchplanting with 0 Comments

 

As I work alongside churches around the US … I see this delimma increasing for many fast-paced, growing churches. They are booming with attendance, but their income (and debt for some) impact their ability to plan for the future and deal with specific ministry pain points. Here’s the concern … they think it is facility related.

Why this may be true to some extent … how a church deals with growth … isn’t always a facility issue. What if your lack of space in your youth or kids areas … or in your worship space … could be addressed in a whole different way?

According to my friend Jim Tomberlin at MultiSite Solutions … every week, over five million people attend one of the 3,000 multi-campuses across North America. Multisite has become the “new normal” for healthy, growing, outreach-oriented churches of any size. The multisite movement began as a band-aid to megachurches that were out of room or limited by zoning restrictions. It quickly evolved into a growth strategy for healthy churches of all sizes and is increasingly becoming a revitalization strategy for older churches. It also is driving a new kind of church merger that is more mission and strategy-driven than survival-oriented.

It’s not cool to say that your church is acquiring another church. Merger just sounds more pleasant. However, make no mistake … acquistion is a viable startegy for a church to open up seats at optimal times … for those who want to attend your church.

If you are looking for good resources on going multisite, merging, or acquistion … here are some additional resources for you:

  1. FREE eBook on Tips for Going MultiSite by Jim Tomberlin
  2. MultiSite Blog by MultiSite Solutions
  3. The Multi-Site Church Revolution: Being One Church in Many Locations
  4. A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip: Exploring the New Normal
  5. Multi-Site Churches: Guidance for the Movement’s Next Generation
  6. Spin-Off Churches: How One Church Successfully Plants Another

 

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MAG Executive Assistants … a Real Life Example

March 8, 2011 in Virtual / Executive Assistant with 1 Comment

 

CHURCH LEADERS … watch this video to see a real life example of how a MAG EA could be working for you & your church …

Founder of BenStroup.com … Ben Stroup (a MAG Client) is a ghostwriter and collaborator who helps individuals and organizations execute a content strategy with consistency and substances that creates a conversation with an intended audience for the purpose of moving them to some specific behavior or response. It’s not about winning literary rewards but achieving measurable results. Ben specializes in digital media, marketing communications, and traditional books and print media.

We are grateful for Ben … and the work he does. We’re also very proud of his MAG EA (Vicki) … she does a great job … and we’re honored to have her as part of the MAG team!

Want to know more about our MAG EA services? Ready for your own MAG EA? Contact MAG today and raise the level of your game with administration with one of our virtual MAG EAs!

 

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Why the Balance Sheet is Important to a Church

March 7, 2011 in Church Bookkeeping, Church Finance with 0 Comments

The Balance Sheet is a “photograph” of your church’s money in balance.

The Balance Sheet (sometimes referred to as a Statement of Financial Position) represents a moment in time for your church … for the financial position as a legal entity. Your Balance Sheet (a photograph) needs to be compared to other photograph(s) to provide you and your leadership meaningful info/data on your church’s financial position. 

The Balance Sheet tells you what you own (Assets) … what you owe (Liabilities) … and difference between the two (Net Assets). 

Here’s a really simple formula … when reviewing your Balance Sheet: 

ASSETS   =   LIABILITIES   +   NET ASSETS 

Don’t confuse Net Assets with Assets. One way to understand Net Assets is to compare it to your paycheck.  You have gross pay less taxes and other deductions … which equals your net pay (aka Take Home Pay). Net Assets are kind of like your church’s take home pay. 

As you can see with the formula above … the Balance Sheet has two sides. Both sides must be in “balance” and equal … that’s why it is often called a Balance Sheet.

Why is this important to you as a Church Leader? 

Knowing where you really are with your church’s money gives you confidence. If you have confidence in your church’s financial position and know it intimately, you can cast vision with greater clarity and your attendees will respond … because they trust you … to KNOW … and manage … your church’s financial position. 

Still doesn’t make sense? No worries. We offer outsourced bookkeeping for churches … through MAG Bookkeeping. Contact us if you want us to help you with your books/payroll. We’d love to serve your church in this capacity.

 

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Radio Interview (Bryan Miles) with Laurie Beth Jones

March 2, 2011 in Church Culture, Church Outsourcing, MAG News with 0 Comments


On Monday, February 28, 2011 … Bryan Miles (COO & Co-Founder) of MAG … was interviewed by Laurie Beth Jones (Best Selling Author … and Speaker) … on her radio show. Here’s the 15 minute interview (audio only) … covering several topics including Church Outsourcing, Church Trends, and Challenges Facing the Church today in the US.

Radio Interview: (AUDIO ONLY) Laurie Beth Jones Interviews Bryan Miles from MAG about Church Outsourcing

Thanks to Laurie Beth Jones and her team … on giving MAG the opportunity to share more about our services to churches and for permission to re-post this radio interview. For more information on Laurie Beth Jones … please visit her website at: www.lauriebethjones.com.

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What’s the WIN? Lives Changed or Attendance?

February 28, 2011 in Church Culture with 0 Comments


What’s the WIN in your church?

Seriously, at the end of the day, when the dust you’ve kicked up settles … what the win in what you are doing at your church? [INSERT thought-through answer here.]

Many church leaders get wrapped around the axle on the numbers of the church (the metrics) rather than the life stories & the potential for change unfolding right in front of them. The Outreach Top 100 list consumes their mind versus the man in your church who lost his job, struggles with porn, and is in deep need of a quality conversation about Jesus.

Striving for results, especially with metrics/numbers, isn’t all bad. In fact, they often motivate church leaders, staff, and volunteers to achieve. The challenge … is creating an environment where BOTH life change and metrics are celebrated.

Some questions to consider:

  1. How do you measure success at your church besides attendance and giving?
  2. How does your church show life change on a consistent basis?
  3. How do attendees at your church KNOW that life change is taking place around them?
  4. What’s more motivating for attendees … a bunch of money given to the church OR a bunch of lives broken now restored by Jesus?
  5. If you ask your attendees … “What’s more important to your Pastor? Increased attendance or more lives changed?” How would they reply?

We are all guilty for evaluating the success of a church by the numbers posted … myself included. If you want a good, heart-level assessment of this issue … read Willow Creek’s book called Reveal Where Are You? It’s a brave book (4 years old now) … exposing this issue and helping churches navigate it.

We love new ideas on how to really measure the success of a church. Give us your thoughts & ideas on this topic.

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FREE Webinar! Automate the Important: Increase Your Giving Even in the Summer

February 25, 2011 in Church Bookkeeping, Church Culture, Church Finance, MAG News with 0 Comments

FREE Webinar on Thursday, 3/3/2011 at 1 PM EST.

Automate the Important: Increase Your Giving Even in the Summer

Hosted by Casey Graham of The Change Group & GivingRocket.com … and sponsored by Shannon Miles of MAG Bookkeeping, this free webinar will help your church grow in income … even during the summer!

People will leave your church this summer but their pocketbooks and wallets don’t need to leave with them. By automating the important, your church can see double-digit growth in giving by the end of the summer! Explore practical giving solutions that will move your church from chaos to consistent.

Register by completing this form below.

 

Contact Information – Webinar
First Name *
Last Name *
Church *
Role at Church *
eMail *
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How Secure is Your Church’s Bookkeeping?

February 22, 2011 in Church Bookkeeping, Church Finance, Information Technology with 0 Comments

I am shocked at how little churches ask us about our system(s) for data security and back-up plans for our MAG Bookkeeping services. I think I know why. They don’t have a plan … and don’t know to ask for it. The reality is … a volunteer bookkeeper will likely never worry about this like a paid provider. However, just because a church leverages volunteer efforts to maintain their books … it should not stop them from being wise, prudent protectors of the valuable data they possess. 

A church’s financial records contain important and often times confidential information that you can’t risk losing … or worse … falling into the wrong hands. As a Church Leader in your church … security should be of high, high concern when your bookkeeping or accounting records are on a single, personal computer. Worse yet, imagine if your church’s bank account information is on that machine and a hacker liquidates it.

Here are some basics … to make sure you are protecting your Church with your financial data:

  1. Get a Firewall … by buying software (for a single computer) and/or installing hardware (routers for networks with multiple computers).
  2. Purchase a Virus Scanner with regular updates.
  3. Password Protect your applications, documents, and spreadsheets.
  4. Back-up your Data! There’s no excuse for this one. There’s plenty of inexpensive ways to do this … real-time updates to a 3rd party, to CD, to a thumb/USB drive, or transfer back-up to someone else’s hard drive. Back-up once per week at a minimum.

When people give to your church … they assume … that you are taking these measures to protect them and thier info. They also assume you are being wise with your IT strategy to protect your church’s system(s). Are you doing what they assume?

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