Sustainability

Navigating financial dependency: Does your ministry have a sponsor, and what does that mean?

Maintaining a successful relationship with a significant funder requires being clear about intentions and understanding how to negotiate priorities, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.

By David L. Odom Executive director, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity

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A church offers training in faith and finance

Kingdom Fellowship AME Church helps its members thrive through financial literacy classes that help build economic stability and faithful generosity.

By Leslie Quander Wooldridge Journalist

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Stained glass, steeples and financial sustainability

An effort to preserve Black churches is entering its next cycle under the direction of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.

By Cynthia R. Greenlee Journalist

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Mark Elsdon: The church is not broke

Yes, the church is in decline in some ways -- but religious institutions control billions of dollars of assets. What if we invested that money in mission?

Dave Odom: What does financial sustainability mean in the midst of inequity?

How we measure the investment in organizations can shortchange commitments that different racial, ethnic and cultural communities make to their ministries, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.

By David L. Odom Executive director, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity

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Will the church financially survive the COVID-19 pandemic?

Twelve Christian leaders share their thoughts on how the coronavirus pandemic might affect the financial health and sustainability of American churches.

By Ken Garfield Journalist

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Dave Odom: How do I make my program sustainable?

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.

By David L. Odom Executive director, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity

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Nathan Kirkpatrick: Tangier Island, the church and living on the edge

Tangier Island is losing up to 16 feet of coastline every year and will be uninhabitable within 50 years. How many congregations find themselves similarly watching the sea rise, and why aren’t we doing more for them?

By Nathan Kirkpatrick Principal, Saison Consulting, LLC

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A downtown church forges a new path when it decides to tear down two decaying buildings

The 146-year-old Baptist congregation hopes a smaller footprint will allow the church to redefine its mission and identity while saving its historic sanctuary.