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The biggest names are not always the best choices when it comes to a successful grant application. Look locally and talk to the people who know your community and what works in your context.
Representatives of Park Street UMC consider options for the church property in Belmont, North Carolina, at a design charrette, which is a process in which stakeholders gather to map solutions to complex problems. Photo courtesy of Wesley CDC
Leaders of a community development corporation believe that even struggling congregations can survive and thrive if members take stock of their assets and put them to use as resources for their communities.
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Having a strategy to guide decisions about where and how to spend time and money creates transparency, builds trust and provides a framework for the desired result, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
Photo illustration by Jessamyn Rubio
We published more than 120 original stories in 2019, from articles by journalists to essays by pastors and scholars to interviews with thinkers and activists. Here are 10 standouts we hope you’ll find inspiring and thought provoking.
Carol Edwards, second from left, whose mother was one of the people whose medical debt was forgiven by a coalition of Chicago churches, worships at Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago. At far left is Monica Brown Moss, first lady of Trinity UCC. Photo by Dawn R. Stephens, Trinity UCC
By fundraising and buying the medical debt of strangers, a group of Chicago congregations and the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt bring relief during the holiday season.
Unsplash / Chu Tai
Planning for the future is not primarily about trimming costs or adding a bit of revenue. A strategic sustainability plan involves regularly revisiting foundational questions about your program’s purpose and impact.
What interests could you pursue that would help you reconnect with who you were as a person before you became a pastor? Unsplash / ViktorForgacs
The future of ministry is multivocational. How can we imagine a model of multivocational ministry that is less about simply making ends meet and more about pursuing passions and engaging creativity?
Steven and Harriet Gaither, a retired couple who benefited from one of Eastern Star Church's programs, stand in front of their first home. Photo courtesy of Eastern Star Church
Eastern Star Church is helping bring hope to the 46218 ZIP code in Indianapolis through housing initiatives, social services, a grocery store, financial coaching and more.
It is logical to think that water will fix or bring health to dry land. But the conditions of the water and the land determine whether it will bring nourishment or ruin. Unsplash / Red Charlie
Before submitting a grant proposal, consider whether it is the right grant for the right organization at the right time, writes Leadership Education’s managing director of grants.
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Breaking the taboo about money talk can be fruitful for congregations, a new study shows. The more congregations talk about money, the more likely they are to see a corresponding increase in giving, according to the National Study of Congregations’ Economic Practices.
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