August 8, 2018
Leading Ideas from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
9 Questions to Assess Your Church’s Financial Health
Lovett H. Weems Jr. says paying attention to various indices of your congregation’s financial health is a key practice in remaining economically viable and sustaining vital ministry. He offers nine questions to help focus attention on important considerations related to your church’s long-term financial sustainability. Read more now: https://www.churchleadership.com/leading-ideas/9-questions-to-assess-your-churchs-financial-health?id=li20180815
5 Steps for Putting Good Ideas into Action
Missouri Pastor Jim Hoffman discusses how a five-step process for evaluating and testing possible new initiatives can help churches develop and implement ideas in a more thorough and systematic manner. Read more now: https://www.churchleadership.com/leading-ideas/5-steps-for-putting-good-ideas-into-action?id=li20180815
The Right Question
“Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.”
Psychologist Gary Klein uses the concept of “premortem” to analyze a potential new endeavor. While “postmortems” begin after death, a “premortem” assumes the worst for the new undertaking. People are asked to imagine that it is a year from now and the project was a total fiasco. It failed miserably. Then they discuss this question:
* Why did it fail?
Want more Right Questions? Read “Right Questions for Church Leaders” at https://www.churchleadership.com/books/right-questions-for-church-leaders/
Learn to Protect, Sustain and Grow Your Church’s Money
Managing church finances requires skill, dedication, and know-how, but also the heart of a steward. “Protect, Sustain, Grow: Best Practices for Handling Your Church’s Money” provides practical advice, best practices, and resources for pastors, finance committee members, church treasurers, financial secretaries, and bookkeepers — all those charged with the sacred trust of protecting, sustaining, and growing the resources God has entrusted to your church. Learn more and watch an introductory video: https://www.churchleadership.com/product/protect-sustain-grow-best-practices-for-handling-your-churchs-money?id=li20180815
Support the Lewis Center
Leading Ideas is made possible by contributions to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership from readers like you. Thank you.
Donate now: https://www.churchleadership.com/support-the-lewis-center?id=leadingideas
How Do New People See Your Church?
We asked church members in several states to attend nearby churches as visitors and report on their findings. Many reflected on the difficulty churches have in viewing things from the perspective of persons new to their church. The challenge is to think of everything from arrival to departure — signage, hospitality, bulletins, and more — from the vantage point of someone who has never been to your church before. Read now and download free: https://www.churchleadership.com/to-the-point/to-the-point-how-do-new-people-see-your-church?id=li20180815
Quotable Leadership
“It is dangerous to pretend that we know more than we do about how the future will turn out.” — Gary Hamel and Jim Scholes
Adult Education Study: “Serious Answers to Hard Questions”
In this thought-provoking video-based congregational study, leading theologians address ten issues that are obstacles to faith for many both in and outside of the church. Topics include the existence of evil, the relationship between science and religion, the sins of the church, and more. Serious Questions to Hard Answers is an outstanding introductorylevel study that appeals to a very wide audience and is ideal for your congregation’s small groups, adult Bible studies, and Sunday School classes. Learn more now: https://www.churchleadership.com/product/serious-answers-hard-questions?id=li20180815