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4 surprising revelations from church focus groups
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityI travel around the U.S. talking to demographic church groups to better understand what's happening in a specific local church — successes, failures and themes to help the church communicate more effectively to reach deeper into their community.
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Are you ready for what’s next?
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityVision is a popular subject among church leaders. What’s the vision for your church? How do you communicate your vision to staff, volunteers and the congregation? Vision is important, however, we also need to talk (and do something) about how to make the vision a reality.
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3 essential branding tips for church growth
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityPeople who follow after Christ are far from a majority in this world. We find ourselves struggling in a community that has little concept of who we are as a church. Most think it's a closed group of unintelligent "sheep" who are overwhelmed with rules that have no benefit other than satisfying a fictitious, controlling deity.
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3 questions for a team health check
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityWhether you lead a team of staff members or volunteers, you're relying on them to bring their best to the table. However, they can't give their best if they're exhausted or frustrated by an overflowing to-do list. Here are three questions to ask your team for a quick health check.
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Church communications on a tight budget
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityYou're headed into late spring and summer, which often reduces church attendance — and therefore, offerings. Meanwhile every church is talking about doing church communications better to engage their congregations and invite their community. But how do you improve everything on the small budget you've been given?
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Shaping events to inspire donations
Jim Alvarez Association ManagementNonprofit organizations face a constant challenge of funding. From homelessness and hunger to education and the arts to conservation and animals, as well as youth, health and faith-based, most nonprofits search for ways to combat declining governmental funding, an aging donor base, an often overburdened small staff and limited volunteers.
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What if every Sunday was Easter Sunday?
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityOne helicopter, lots of Easter eggs and an event that went viral in the community. That combination didn't turn out so well Sunday for a church in Plano, Texas. What was planned to be a fun event for the community went awry when a crowd of about 10,000 people couldn't be controlled.
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New ways churches can interact with live video
Carol Brown Religious CommunityRecently, an app called Periscope caught my attention. I know — big deal — another app in a world exploding with apps. But what got me interested in it is how churches can possibly use it. Periscope lets you to broadcast live video from your mobile device so you can share experiences through live video. Why is that important? Churches have hard-copy materials with information and even pictures that can give information about events, meetings and other important things, but they can't share the actual experience.
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Get your community’s attention
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityI travel a lot for my job helping churches communicate better. Walking through airport terminals, I'm struck by the amount of busy people. All of them with places to go — they're on a mission! People moving in various directions almost colliding into each other. Stores and kiosks with glittery things encompass the hustle trying to get people to engage with them. Dozens of messages (retail, informative and security) drone constantly as everyone walks from gate to gate.
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Are you connected with fellow church business administrators?
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityWe all intuitively know we need other believers to help us mature spiritually, hold us accountable and provide encouragement. The same concept applies to our professional efforts. We need the insights, wisdom and more from others who work in similar roles.
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