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3 tips to make church accounting easier
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityIf you work in the church accounting office, allow me to congratulate you on surviving the craziness that is January. You reconciled the month and year-end books for 2015, prepared tax-deductible donation receipts and made sure everything was in-order for 2016's accounting.
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Every sentence needs editing — Here’s how
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityBarriers are obstacles that keep people from gaining access to something. With churches, for example, that can be receiving information. Our ministries are rich with information that needs to connect with our congregations and communities. Therefore, we need to eliminate all barriers that obstruct important information.
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Can’t live with documentation, can’t live without it
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityNothing excites a room full of church staff members like announcing the idea to document their job responsibilities, right? Typing several pages of notes detailing how to reconcile the church bank accounts, enter new members into the database, or how to set up kids' check-in each week is a thrilling time for all.
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Find a simple way to say something complex
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityI was talking with someone recently, and it felt like I needed to draw a flow chart in order to understand his conversation. He gave me so much detail that I got lost in it. We run into those people; they can answer a simple question with a complex discussion. I feel like interrupting by asking if they can bottom-line it please! If I'm in a hurry, I quickly realize I shouldn't have asked the question to that person at all.
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How to protect volunteers from themselves
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityThe volunteer of our dreams is always on time, willing to do whatever task is required, has a great attitude, encourages those around him/her and attracts more people to serve. I'm guessing not all of your current volunteers fit into this category, but you probably have a few with at least some of these qualities.
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Is your church merry about Christmas?
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityCulturally, Christmas is getting a bad rap (or is that wrap?). Companies are trying to secularize the holy day by promoting materialism and jolliness instead of any religious affiliation. It seems the only time the church is mentioned in news stories is to talk about how we're complaining that the world is making this a "holiday" rather than our special "Christmas."
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Should we care about excellence in church?
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityWe've all had moments where we wanted to "phone it in" and call it good enough. It's been a hectic week, you're short on manpower (again), and whatever zest for ministry you had at the start of the week has waned out of sheer exhaustion. It happens to the best of us.
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4 sermon tips to help pastors communicate better
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityI'm not a minister or a pastor. However, I am a communications person. All communicators aren't pastors, and sadly, all pastors aren't effective communicators. I'm not talking about your church, of course. I'm talking about the leader in charge of the church down the road.
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Church leaders: What to do when what you’re doing isn’t good
Deborah Ike Religious Community"The thing that you do is not good." Ouch. That's what Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, said to him after seeing him serving God's people all day (Exodus 18:17). How is that not good? Moses stated, "I make known the statutes of God and His laws." That seems like a noble, Godly, worthwhile effort, right? Well, apparently his father-in-law had a different take on things (and I doubt this was comparable to a holiday season spat with your in-laws).
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7 crucial church communication New Year preparation tips
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityWeeks? We're down to a few days. The New Year is around the corner and, unfortunately, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas distract us. After the flurry of work, or even during it, you need to focus on 2016. It's going to be your best church communication year ever!
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