Nurturing cheerful givers is more challenging than ever during an economic downturn. New research provides important insights that could boost the financial and spiritual health of congregations. Take our quiz to test your knowledge of church giving trends.
Scholarhip recipients gather at First Christian Church one Sunday each year to receive their checks and thank the congregation. Photo courtesy of First Christian Church
A small, rural Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) congregation in Iowa has given away more than $1 million in scholarships to the graduates of its local schools, regardless of whether they are members of the church or the denomination -- or even Christians.
We know an individual act of generosity when we see it. But what's required to foster a culture of generosity?
To enable growth, a leader needs to understand an institution’s “soul” and be willing to prune anything that doesn’t contribute to its thriving.
It’s tempting to scale back and do less in mission and ministry during a struggling economy like ours. But that would be a mistake.
Consumption screams scarcity, but Christ asks us to conceive a kingdom based on abundance.
The leaders of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra created a thriving organization in their community by re-imagining the traditional model. They offer lessons that could apply to any community organization.
Three and a half years after the beginning of the Great Recession, data are beginning to show the toll it has taken on congregations, says the executive director of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving.
Many congregations have endured staff cutbacks, salary freezes and deferred maintenance in response to the recession. But one budget area that may need to be increased, even in hard economic times, is programming, recent research suggests. Take our quiz to test your knowledge of the relationship between economics and congregational health.
Many congregations have less money coming in now than five years ago. But in the wake of a double-dip recession, can churches still create new ways to give the money they do have?
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