Good and Flustered Servants

Articles on Church management and chicken soup for the soul's of clergy, lay leaders, and church professionals.

By James Perra

Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices - Blogs - Top 10 Resolutions for Church Leaders in 2015
ecfvp.org - Brendon Hunter
Top Ten Resolutions for Church Leaders in 2015 ECF Vital Practices, after taking a look back at the questions you asked us, has pulled together a top …
20 Leadership Lessons to Learn Sooner Rather Than Later
themuse.com - Inc.
It all started in 2001. My role as a leader in business had reached a pivotal point. I was managing about 50 people in three large teams, just a …
Mean people suck. But that’s not why millennials dropped the church.
thegospelside.com - by Matt Marino
Do you hear that sucking sound? It’s the sound of young adults walking out the back door so fast that you can feel the breeze from the pulpit way …
This Problem And Difficulty For Pastors May Surprise You
ministrybestpractices.com
When you think of a pastor's ministry challenges a lot of issues perhaps come to mind. Perhaps you think of: Dealing with difficult …
Is Your Church Hurting Singles?
churchleaders.com - Justin Lathrop
In each of our churches, we have ministries and activities that cater to a specific group within the congregation. It makes sense to provide these …
4 Obstacles Pastors Face in Setting Boundaries
charlesstone.com - by Charles Stone
Henry Cloud and John Townsend wrote the wildly popular book, Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of your Life. Dr. Cloud also …
What Should a Minister Be Good At?
congregationalconsulting.org - Sarai Rice
And even if the list of things to be good at were to include all the other usual subjects taught in seminary—Greek, Hebrew, Old Testament, New …
Jobs are Over: The Future is Income Generation: Part 2
linkedin.com
Fast forward to today: The lines between education, career, and retirement are all blurred to morphed with overlapping fields of learn, leverage, and …
Top 5 Churches That Use Social Media Best
christianpost.com - Alex Murashko
Being successful online is not easy, says Biola University's director of innovation, Dave Bourgeois. When it comes to churches, having at least a …
7 Helpful Skills for Pastors Leading Growing Churches
ronedmondson.com - By Ron Edmondson
I came close to titling these “essential” skills, but I knew that was unfair. God can and does work through all different types of people. But, He …
How To Stand In Front Of A Room Full Of People And Tell A Stellar Story
Fast Company - By Jane Porter
Whether it’s a board room or a banquet hall, speaking to an audience can be intimidating. Beyond imagining everyone in their underwear, how can you get past the stage fright to tell a riveting story? happened
Nine Ways a Pastor Can Lead a Church to Become More Evangelistic -
thomrainer.com
The influence of a pastor in a local congregation is powerful. Like a parent who can influence but not ultimately determine the path of his or her …
Eleven of the Most Common Mistakes Churches Make
thomrainer.com
I was recently in Arkansas speaking with a pastor who is a daily reader of this blog. He expressed gratitude for all the free content, but then he …
Seven Problems with an Activity-Driven Church -
thomrainer.com
Many churches are busy, probably too busy. Church calendars fill quickly with a myriad of programs and activities. While no individual activity may …
Six Major Issues Regarding the Digital Church -
thomrainer.com
A point of clarity is in order. In this article I am referring to “the digital church” in a very specific way. I am not referring to the many uses of …
7 Things Churches No Longer Do (But Should)
sojo.net - Stephen Mattson
Our changing cultural values continually affect our spiritual lives and often shape our church experiences. Today’s churches aren’t immune from …
Perception Is Reality
sojo.net - Evan Dolive
We have entire television channels and radio stations dedicated to the propagation of one particular way of thinking. Some people like this channel …
Run Your Home Network Like a Coffee Shop for Easier Guest Access and Family-Friendly Browsing
Lifehacker - Kevin Purdy
Want to open up your Wi-Fi network to easier access for visitors, block the web's nasty stuff from young eyes, and maybe regain some bandwidth, too? …
Success is Overrated
relevantmagazine.com - Tyler Ward
If we were all to close our eyes and think of the word “success,” it’s likely many of us would come back with a tragically low amount of innovation …
Fourteen Sentences That Brought Joy to Pastors -
thomrainer.com
I just received a letter from a delightful lady. She was a member of a church where I was ordained in the ministry. What I remember most about her …
11 Things I Learned from Pastors’ Wives -
thomrainer.com
Several months ago, I wrote a post about pastors’ wives. The responses and comments were numerous and incredible. One of the greatest blessings about …
Church Branding: What you WILL get or what you WON'T get?
hackingchristianity.net
On a recent visit home to Oklahoma, my dad and I went to a grocery store that catered more towards natural foods for organic, crunchy people. We were …
Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices - Blogs - Attitude Adjustment
ecfvp.org - Erin Weber-Johnson
The Power of Community in Fundraising – it is NOT about the Money! In previous blogs, I wrote about how fundraising is ministry. (If you missed them, …