On the heels of a global pandemic and amid its own multi-faceted schism, the Southern Baptist Convention is experiencing something few could have predicted: Financial gifts to the SBC for the 2021-2022 fiscal year are up — way up. The…
Acts 29 ups the ante by offering church planters $50,000 apiece
In yet another sign of how church networks are replacing denominational identity, the Acts 29 network announced Jan. 11 that it will provide up to $50,000 apiece for new churches started through its sponsorship. Leaders of Acts 29 insist it…
Cancel student loan debt for everyone
It’s not ideal or lifegiving for anyone to be forced to choose between buying groceries for their family or paying toward a student loan. As many prepare for 2022, we will again be faced with this predicament, because we have…
Trust in Jesus, except with wealth
By Seth Vopat When in doubt, turn to the Gospels. Uncertain where to go, trust in Jesus. The red letters — which is Christian language for words attributed to Jesus — will show you how to follow. Except for when…
“Show Me the Money” No Longer Works When Denominations Talk to Churches
Rather than a Jerry Maguire demand of “show me the money,” denominations often find themselves asking “where has all the money gone?” Depending on the denomination, funds to denominations began declining between 30 and 50 years ago. However, it took…
Why do we have all these church programs?
My colleagues hate it when I read, especially something that isn’t religious, theological or churchy! For instance, when I read Googled: The End of the World as We Know It I ended up in a conference in California, and we…
How to Kill a Church
A prefatory note: This brief story was written based on conversations I’ve had with ministers, laypeople and leaders, young and old, rich and poor, and those no longer visiting church. It was a cold, December day and though the Nativity scene was brightly…
Between faith and fear
Many recent conversations I have shared with friends and colleagues have reminded me of an important choice we make as human beings, as followers of Jesus, and as ministers of the gospel. It is a choice that we are confronted…
Rebalancing congregational finances for missional ministry
Your congregational budget has become a straitjacket. What do you do to rebalance your finances for missional ministry? You have at least two choices. One is to take an allocation approach and the other is to take an innovation approach….