High Court Ruling Jeopardizes Church Properties

In late June, the high court ruled in Kelo v. City of New London that cities could take private property for development if it meant benefits for the community as a whole. Last week the Supreme Court denied a petition filed on behalf of residents of New London to reconsider its original 5-4 ruling.

Steven Anderson of the Institute for Justice contends that the refusal to rehear the case carries an ominous message. "It makes crystal clear that the federal government is going to provide no protection for the property rights of home and small business owners around the country," he says.

And according to Anderson, that message also includes churches and other organizations such as VFW facilities, American Legions, Moose Lodges -- all of which he says are "particularly at risk because they don't provide any tax revenue for the government."

Anderson explains his reasoning: "According to the Supreme Court, the mere possibility that property can make more money as something else" -- which he notes is invariably the case for churches -- "is the only justification the government needs to take it away and give it to a private developer."

Critics of the high court's decision point out it would not be difficult to make the case that taxes from prime real estate owned by churches could produce much more revenue for services from which the entire community might benefit.

According to Anderson, it will be up to the state legislatures to defend private property because the Supreme Court has made it clear the government will not. In the meantime, the Institute's Castle Coalition has launched a "Hands Off My Home" campaign to provide an avenue through which individual homeowners as well as small-business owners who feel threatened by government-forced takings can funnel their opposition efforts in the direction of state lawmakers. (Source: Agapepress)

An Online Resource For Pastors

Kairos Journal is an online resource for pastors to help them in their sermon preparation. Pastors use the journal by entering either a biblical reference or a current topic of interest into the Kairos Journal search engine. In response to the search request, the website provides pastors with a series of one-page articles with valuable information and insights from key Christian leaders.

The Six Stories You Need to Know How to Tell

According to the International Storytelling Center, there are six stories you need to learn how to tell: who I am stories, why I am here stories, my vision story, teaching stories, values in action stories, and "I know what you are thinking" stories. The article, by author Annette Simmons, may help you when you think about sermon illustrations.

New Research Exploring Faith in America’s Largest Markets Produces Surprises

Godless Hollywood? Lost Angeles? Bible Belt? Texas: God’s Country? These and many other stereotypes that blend faith and geography are put to the test thanks to statistics in a new report from The Barna Group, a research and media development organization located in southern California. Based on a nationally representative base of interviews with more than 24,000 adults, the report examines 28 faith factors among people in the 86 largest metropolitan areas and 27 most populous states. The results confirm some of the existing faith-and-geography perceptions while discrediting others, and show that the mobility of America’s population is producing significant changes related to location and faith.

Seven percent of the adult population of the U.S. is evangelical. Those 15 million adults are not equally distributed across the country, but the report shows that their distribution forms a different pattern than many political and demographic analysts have suggested.

Read the complete article on Evangelicals In America from the Barna Group.

Ministries Find Inner City Fertile Ground for Growth

For nearly 15 years, Ted Gandy has led "Here's Life Inner City," an urban resource ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ that works with more than a thousand partner churches nationwide. The national director of HLIC says many large, evangelical churches moved to the suburbs in the 1970s and 1980s -- but he says that is now changing.

"It's really about Isaiah 58," Gandy explains. "There, God is chastising His people for going through all the religious activity that God had laid out, and yet they were ignoring the poor. At one point, God says through Isaiah, 'You turn away from your own flesh and blood.' And He's talking about our natural human tendency to move away from the poor."

It is the objective of HLIC to equip churches so they can reach those living below the poverty line in inner cities. According to Gandy, many of the fastest growing churches in large cities are in urban areas.

He explains that as a community begins to change, the people who live there often have a tendency to feel like they need to move out "somewhere else," to a growing community. "There's all that type of thinking [within churches] -- that our fastest growth will come by being in a newly developing area," Gandy says.

But he believes the exact opposite is true. "If you look here in New York," he says, "the largest and newest churches are right in center city" -- the central business district of New York City.

Here's Life Inner City serves in 18 cities with a staff of nearly 200. Under Gandy's leadership since 1991, the ministry has expanded to include cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Louisville, Milwaukee, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Seattle.

Small Groups Give Every Member Personal Care And Attention

How do you maintain that “small church” feeling of fellowship as your church grows? This is one of the biggest fears members have about growth. The answer is two words: affinity groups. Affinity groups can provide the personal care and attention every member deserves, no matter how big your church becomes.

Develop a network of small groups in your church, built around different purposes, interests, age groups, geography, or anything else. To be honest, it really doesn’t matter what rationale you use to start your new groups. Just keep starting them. It is unlikely that many new members will join existing small groups. Read the complere article by Rick Warren.

Coaching from the Sideline

Instead of providing answers to problems, this mentoring strategy guides people to devise their own plays.
by Chad Hall

Carlos called me in a panic. His ministry was suffocating him and his mind was filled with thoughts of leaving. He'd waited until late afternoon to call, and I had thoughts of getting home to mow the lawn. I did not have time to let him cry on my shoulder (or in my ear, as the phone would have it). So I put forth the blunt question I reserve for need-seekers: "Why are you calling me?"

The truth was he was looking for a job connection. I considered hanging up. But rather than send him away empty-handed, I offered to coach him through the situation. I'd recently completed a certification process for coaching, and I figured I could practice my new skills on Carlos with little risk of botching it. After all, he was already prepared to leave the ministry. How much worse could I make it?

He responded to my invitation to coach him with a question of his own: "What's coaching?" Follow this link to finish this article.

Chad Hall is founding pastor of Connection Church in Hickory, North Carolina, and an executive coach. Another one of Chad's web sites is Cool Churches that provides resources for churches on the edge.

Get The Word Out About Your Church—FREE

The best things in life are free. We know that’s true. And the best marketing is also free. Many people are surprised when they learn how easy it is to start marketing better right away—for free.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to do good marketing. But you do need to get active!

1. Pick a target audience
The greatest problems today with ministry marketing come when churches don't select a target audience. You can't afford to market to everyone in your community—imagine what it would cost to send a letter to everyone in your city! You need to match your gifts and calling to the specific people God wants you to reach.

ACTION POINT: Sit down with the leaders of your ministries and identify who it is specifically you are trying to reach. Who is your target audience? Write down characteristics and demographics.

2. Choose themes that are benefit-oriented
Take the time to make your sermon titles and headlines on brochures and newsletters more benefit-oriented. The reality is, people usually only notice what will benefit them in some way. For example, imagine a church is having a ministry retreat for men. Usually, the announcement will say something like this:

Men's retreat this weekend. Cost $40.

Meet at the church at 8 a.m. Saturday morning.

While the information is factually accurate, and will help a person who is already coming arrive at the right time, it won't give them a reason to come. What if the retreat for men were advertised this way?

Learn Six Easy Ways to Improve Your Marriage

Men's retreat this weekend. Cost $40.

Meet at the church at 8 a.m. Saturday morning.

This is a benefit-oriented theme that is very attractive and powerfully draws people's attention because it speaks to a specific need. Who wouldn't want to improve their marriage? Many more would notice the publicity and make plans to come!

ACTION POINT: Take an old bulletin or newsletter and rewrite it, not just with the facts, but in terms of the benefit to the people who are reading the announcements. You will see the difference!

3. Use well-trained greeters
When people visit a church, especially for the first time, they want information. They want to know where the service is, where the children meet, where the restrooms are, etc. If you will train your greeters to provide that information, people will see your ministry as being helpful and concerned about them.

Consider finding a special way to identify your greeters. Give them a badge or a vest or something that singles them out as a person who is there to represent the church. Learn as much as you can about how to help your greeters become excellent at what they do.

ACTION POINT: Begin a greeter ministry if your church doesn't have one. And if you do, make sure the greeters are trained.

4. Rethink
One church leader was having trouble attracting people to a ministry for children and mothers called "Mother's Day Out." It seems the people in the area weren't familiar with the term. The church leaders did some rethinking and changed the name of the program to "The Day Camp for Children." The people the church wanted to reach were better able to understand what a day camp for children was! Consequently, the people in the neighborhood became more responsive to the ministry and the church was able to help more children and their mothers than ever before.

ACTION POINT: Think about the different ministries and services your church provides and perhaps takes for granted. Rethink how you may be able to offer those or change those so they'll be more attractive to the people you're trying to reach.

5. Have a follow-up plan
We know follow-up is hard work and it often takes away from other things ministers feel are important. So, many times, churches let ministry activities keep them so busy through the course of the week that they forget to follow up with the people who come to those activities.
The situation is so bad that most churches have lost touch with more than half the people who have made contact with their ministries. Don't let this happen in your church! Every ministry endeavor should be planned with the follow up in mind. Make sure that each person who visits your church receives follow up within 36 hours. Have a plan to keep contacting them for several weeks after their visit.

ACTION POINT: Take the names of the people who have visited for the last four weeks and follow them up—give them a call, a visit, or send them a note or an e-mail to make sure they have been contacted in some way.

Copyright © 2005 by Chris Forbes & Robert DeVargas. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted from: "25 FREE Marketing Tools You Can Use Right Now!" available for download by following this link.

Ministry Marketing Coach™ founder Chris Forbes has been in the ministry since 1989, serving all over the world. He developed the Ministry Marketing Coach™ Seminar Surprisingly Simple concepts while serving in real ministry situations while working as an international missionary, strategy leader, media strategist, and marketplace researcher. Chris has a passion for developing and implementing ways to use media in the work of the ministry. He has a vision for helping your church or ministry share the Good News in ways that get attention and invite response from the people you want to reach.

Thom S. Rainer Recommended To Trustees As LifeWay Christian Resources' President-Elect

The presidential search committee of LifeWay Christian Resources’ board of trustees today recommended that Thom S. Rainer become the Southern Baptist entity’s next president after James T. Draper Jr. retires Feb. 1.

Rainer is dean of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth in Louisville, Ky.

LifeWay’s board of trustees will vote on the recommendation during its Sept. 12-13 meeting in Nashville. If approved, Rainer would become LifeWay’s president-elect and begin Oct. 17 to work alongside Draper to ensure a smooth transition, according to search committee chairman Rick Evans. Follow this link to read the complete article.

Ten Things Churches Can Learn From Secular Nonprofits

As a Certified Volunteer Administrator, Nancy A. Gaston has seen congregations from many traditions deal with the same issues, challenges, and problems regarding lay mobilization. In response, she has developed a top-10 list of things churches can—and should—learn from secular programs about involving volunteers. To view this list click here.