Tag: Planning

Payroll and Budget Changes for 2024

While churches continue to face pressure to raise wages and spend more on staffing in general, results from our 2023 State of Church Compensation survey indicate that the job market is beginning to calm down and stabilize. For example, even though 8 in 10 congregations anticipate they will spend more on salaries and overall payroll in the coming year, the number of churches looking to increase their staff size continues to grow.

The data from this year’s State of Church Compensation Survey is divided into two sections: 2023 changes and anticipated 2024 changes.

2023 Changes

In last year’s survey, we reported that “around 40% of churches appear to be targeting an increase of 4-5% in their 2023 budget for salaries, benefits, total payroll, and a cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA). Another 20% of congregations are planning for a slightly higher increase in the 5-7% range.”

As the chart below visualizes, our prediction was very accurate. The only signficant difference was that churches increased spending on salaries by about 0.8% more than predicted, which led to a corresponding increase in total payroll spending. If you dig into the data, this overall increase in spending was driven both by churches making fewer cuts than they anticipated and by some churches spending slightly more than they anticipated.

EXPAND GRAPH

Overall, 8 out of 10 churches made changes to their payroll (either negative or positive) in 2023. Of these churches, 82% increased wages, 32% increased benefits, and 74% increased overall payroll spending. While responses varied between churches, the overall median increase for salaries, benefits, and overall payroll was 4.875%, 4%, and 5% respectively.

EXPAND GRAPH

In 2023, only 16% of churches reported decreasing their staff on purpose and only 11% reported decreasing their overall payroll spending. The vast majority of churches (74-77%) surveyed indicated that they increased the amount of money they spent on salaries/wages and overall payroll. Comparing these percentages to last year’s predictions, it is clear that churches simply made fewer cuts to staff and salaries than they predicted. We believe this is because they simply couldn’t afford to lose staff (replacing personnel right now is far more expensive than retaining them).

EXPAND GRAPH

Slightly fewer churches offered bonuses or gift cards in 2023 (63%) than in 2022 (66%), and of those that offered bonuses fewer still offered them in lieu of permanent salary/wage increases (18% in 2023 versus 22% in 2022).

Data gathered on hiring over the course of the pandemic lines up perfectly with figures gathered last year through our surveys on the State of Church Compensation and The Impact of COVID-19 on the American Church.

As the pandemic officially ended and churches found their “new normal,” the number of churches hiring has increased from 22% to 37.3%. At the same time, the number of churches looking to decrease or maintain their staff size has shrunk from 22% to 16.4% and from 56% to 46.2% respectively. In short, more churches are looking to hire and fewer are planning on letting staff go

EXPAND GRAPH

One way that churches offset some of the salary/wage increases in light of inflation in 2022, was by cutting or decreasing staff hours. This year’s survey indicates that around 75% of churches decreased the total number of hours worked by staff between 2022 and 2023.

The prevailing reasons that churches cited for cuts included decreasing giving/income (53%), often as a result of decreased attendance (22%), a purposeful or natural decrease in the size of their staff (26%), changes to benefits and/or ministry spending (5-7%), and pressure from increased facility or utilities costs (2%). Many churches noted the decrease in staff hours or paid staff was the result of voluntary attrition—staff left for other better paying jobs, retired, stepped down, or cut back their own hours becase they took on a second job (became bivocational).

This trend in 2023 mirrors feedback in last year’s survey that much of the decrease in staffing expenses was due to voluntary changes (turnover, positions left unfilled, and/or an increase in bivocational work).

EXPAND GRAPH

Of the 35% of churches that increased the amount they spent on benefits between 2022 and 2023, 28% spent more on retirement matching and 54% spent more on health/dental insurance for staff. Less than 6% of churches were able to decrease the amount of money they spent on benefits in their 2023 budget.

EXPAND GRAPH

2024 Changes

As churches look to 2024, 72% of churches anticipate they will increase spending on salaries/wages, 35% anticipate they will spend more on benefits, and 70% anticipate they will spend more overall on payroll. At the same time, 74% of churches plan on keeping staff hours the same, while 60% plan to maintain the same number of employees.

EXPAND GRAPH

If true, this would indicates a course correction may be occuring in terms of hiring and staff expansion. Many of the churches that sought to hire and re-hire staff that left, resigned, or retired during the height of the pandemic are not filling those positions. As these positions continue to be filled, we hope that the job market will stabilize even further.

EXPAND GRAPH

In 2023, churches are much more aligned on a cost of living adjustment of around 3%. Slightly less than half (44%) of churches plan on applying a COLA of between 3 and 3.5% for their 2024 budgets. Around 20% are targeting a lower COLA of between 1.5 and 2.5%, while 19% are considering a higher COLA of between 3.5 and 4.5%.

EXPAND GRAPH

The median anticipated increase among the 385 churches that responded is 3.5% for salaries, 4% for benefits, and 4% for total payroll. The average projected increases are slightly higher at 3.9% for salaries, 4.58% for benefits, and 4.5% total payroll.

Based on this data, and armed with the knowledge that not every church was able to increase salaries last year due to inflation, we anticipate a 3.75% increase in spending on salaries, a 4.25% increase in benefit spending, and an overall 4.25% increase in total payroll.

Watch this year’s State of Church Compensation webinar to learn more about anticipated changes and pressures for churches as we prepare to move from 2023 to 2024.

Article written by: ChurchSalary.com

Article taken from here.

MinistryJobs.com/blog

Designating a Housing Allowance for 2024

The housing allowance is the most important tax benefit available to ministers.

But many ministers do not take full advantage of it because they (or their tax adviser or church board) are not familiar with the rules.

What can church leaders do to help? Consider the following guidance.

Designating a housing allowance for ministers in church-owned parsonages

Ministers who live in a church-provided parsonage or manse can exclude from their income for federal income tax reporting purposes (1) the fair rental value of the parsonage, and (2) the portion of their compensation designated in advance by the church as a “parsonage allowance”—to the extent that it is used to pay for parsonage-related expenses such as utilities, repairs, and furnishings and does not exceed the fair rental value of the home (furnished, plus utilities).

Recommendation. If your pastor lives in a church-provided parsonage or manse, and incurs any out-of-pocket expenses living there (for example, for utilities or furnishings), then have the church designate a portion of the pastor’s 2024 compensation as a “parsonage allowance.” This should be done in December 2023 so that it will be effective for all of 2024. Parsonage allowances cannot be designated retroactively.

Example. Your youth pastor lives in a church-provided parsonage. He is expected to pay his utilities and provide his furniture. His compensation for 2024 will be $35,000. In its December 2023 meeting, the church board designates $3,000 of this amount as a “parsonage allowance.” The youth pastor has parsonage expenses of at least $3,000 in 2024 (for utilities and furnishings). At the end of the year, the church treasurer issues the youth pastor a W-2 reporting only $32,000 as church compensation. The parsonage allowance is not taxable (assuming that it was used for parsonage expenses) for income tax reporting purposes.

Designating a housing allowance for ministers who own their home

Many ministers own their homes. The portion of their compensation that is designated in advance by the church as a “housing allowance” is not subject to income tax to the extent it is used for housing expenses and does not exceed the home’s annual fair rental value (furnished, plus utilities).

Recommendation. If your pastor owns a home, have the church designate a portion of the pastor’s 2024 compensation as a housing allowance. This action should be taken in December 2023 so that it will be effective for all of 2024. Housing allowances cannot be designated retroactively.

Tip. Use the form in “Sample Housing Allowance Resolution for Pastors.”

Key question. Who should designate the housing allowance? In most churches, it will be the governing board. But this is not always the case. Some church boards delegate this authority (and other compensation decisions) to a personnel or compensation committee. In other churches, the membership approves all compensation decisions at the annual business meeting. Whichever method your church uses, be sure that the allowance is designated in advance, and that the action is in writing.

Designation a housing allowance for ministers who rent a home

Many ministers rent their homes. The Apostle Paul did for a brief time during his ministry. Acts 28:30 states that “for two whole years, Paul stayed there in his own rented house.” Perhaps your minister is renting a home or apartment. If so, you should understand that the portion of your minister’s compensation that is designated in advance by the church as a housing or rental allowance is not subject to income tax to the extent that it is used for rental expenses and does not exceed the fair rental value of the home (furnished, plus utilities). See the above recommendations and tips for ministers who own their homes.

Determining the amount of the allowance

How does your church determine the appropriate amount for a parsonage, housing, or rental allowance? A common practice is for churches to provide their pastor with an “estimated expense form” prior to the end of the year. The pastor estimates likely expenses for the following year on this form, and returns it to the board or other body that designates housing allowances. The allowance is based on the pastor’s estimated expenses.

Tip. Sample expense forms are reproduced at the end of chapter 6 in the annual Church & Clergy Tax Guide. There are separate forms for computing parsonage allowances, housing allowances, and rental allowances. This is a simple and convenient way for your church to designate an appropriate allowance.

Tip. Your church should not be too conservative in designating a housing allowance. The pastor cannot exclude from taxable income an amount more than the church-designated allowance. So, your church may want to designate an allowance in excess of a pastor’s estimated housing expenses for the new year.

Tax reporting

Most churches reduce the pastor’s W-2 by the amount the church designated as a housing allowance. But remember that the allowance is not necessarily nontaxable for income tax reporting purposes. For ministers who own or rent their home, the allowance is nontaxable only to the extent that it does not exceed actual housing expenses or the annual rental value of the home (furnished, plus utilities). It is the minister’s responsibility to report any excess housing allowance as taxable income on his or her tax return.

IRS Publication 517 states:

You must include in gross income the amount of any [housing, rental, or parsonage] allowance that is more than the smallest of

Your reasonable salary,
The fair rental value of the home plus utilities, or
The amount actually used to provide a home.

Include this amount in the total on Form 1040, line 1. On the dotted line next to line 1, enter “Excess allowance” and the amount.

Example. At the end of 2023, a church board determined that Pastor T’s compensation for 2024 would be $50,000. It designated $20,000 of this amount as a housing allowance. At the end of the year the church treasurer issues Pastor T a W-2 that reports taxable income of $30,000 (salary less housing allowance). However, Pastor T only has $17,000 of housing expenses in 2024. As a result, taxable income is understated on his W-2 by $3,000. It is Pastor T’s responsibility to report this $3,000 as additional income on line 7a of Form 1040.

Church treasurers should be sure that their pastor is aware of this reporting responsibility. Many pastors erroneously assume that they can reduce their taxable income by the full amount of the church-designated housing allowance. This will be true only if the allowance is less than the pastor’s actual housing expenses and the annual rental value of the home (including utilities).

Amending the housing allowance

What if the housing allowance designated for your pastor turns out to be too low? For example, the pastor has to pay for unanticipated home repairs, or begins to prepay part of the home mortgage loan. Can the church amend the pastor’s housing allowance? Yes it can, but note that the amendment only operates prospectively—from the date of the amendment forward.

For detailed information on the parsonages and housing allowances, see chapter 6 in the annual Church & Clergy Tax Guide.

Article written by: Richard R. Hammar, Attorney, CPA

Article taken from here.

MinistryJobs.com/blog

Say No To These Things In 2024

Most leaders feel overwhelmed, overworked, and overcommitted.

But strategic leaders spend 80% of their time doing the things that produce 80% of their results. That’s what helps you thrive and operate at your best.

One way to do that is categorical decision-making: Making one decision that eliminates dozens or hundreds of other decisions. It eliminates groups of people or things that are no longer serving you from your calendar and your life.

For example, this is one kind of categorical decision you can make: Eliminate particular kinds of meetings. For example, stop doing breakfast meetings, lunch meetings, meetings over one hour, evening meetings, or weekend meetings.

It becomes so much easier to eliminate overwhelm when you have categories that you simply say ‘no’ to. As a result, you avoid all the mental floundering— time and energy—involved in thinking about whether you should say yes or no.

When you decide what you won’t do, it frees up time and energy to fulfill your purpose. Case closed. Move on.

On the following pages, you’ll find 42 Things You Can Say ‘No’ To In 2024. Combine a few of these, and you can easily free 100 hours next year; that’s over 4 days of freed up time.

Meetings

Breakfast meetings. They take up too much time. It’s never an hour.
Meetings longer than an hour. Set the default to 30 minutes for meetings.
Weekly meetings that should be bi-weekly.
Bi-weekly meetings that could be monthly.
Group meetings that don’t require your direct input.
Having too many direct reports. Streamline your direct reports to your top 3-4 team members.
Off-site meetings to save travel time.
Meetings over meals. Even lunch and dinner take up far more time than 30 minutes in the office.
“Pick your brain” meetings. These are often pointless.
“Let’s just get together” meetings with no defined purpose.
Outside meetings that you or your team didn’t call.
Meetings with no end time.
Meetings on certain days (i.e. I never do meetings on Tuesdays or Fridays).
Morning meetings. To protect your creative and thinking time, say no to meetings before noon.
Interruptions. When someone knocks on your office door and asks for some time, tell them you’re working on an important project and will see them later.

Energy Draines

It’s not just time that disappears when you make unstrategic decisions; it’s your energy. Some interactions may not take that much time, but they can drain your energy for hours or the rest of the day. When it comes to people, loving people doesn’t mean giving them unfiltered access to your life. Boundaries exist for a reason.

Avoiding hard decisions. It’s easy to avoid hard calls. But over time, it drains your energy and can even make you lose sleep. Just make the call.
Blame. It’s way too easy to blame others for everything that went wrong. Start accepting responsibility. You’ll save time and get better at what you do. Plus, you’ll be a better human.
Bad clients. Release bad clients. Keep the best. They pay on time and create very few challenges.
B Players. No more B players in 2024. An A player will outperform them 2x-10x, and you’ll stop losing sleep.
Trolls. The block function on the internet exists for a reason.
High drama people. Create clear boundaries around high drama types.
Energy-draining relationships. Set clear boundaries around relationships that take more energy than they give. Eliminate some, reduce the frequency of others, and always, always, always set clear boundaries.
Mindless or endless scrolling. Use the time limit function on various social apps to limit your time, or better yet, delete them from your phone, so you have to be intentional about spending time on them.
Social media arguments. Avoid engaging in any online debates that won’t have a beneficial outcome. Or better, avoid engaging in any online debates at all.
Comparison. Keep your head down. Do your best work. If you need to compete, compete against yourself.

Administrative Tedium

Last-minute requests. Turn down tasks or projects without adequate time for proper execution.
Unimportant email threads. Unsubscribe from all low-priority emails.
Long emails. When you get a long email (often with no paragraph breaks), don’t respond if that’s an option, or, alternatively, give a short, kind twosentence response.
Tasks you can delegate. If you have a team, release them to do their work.
Things that could be done by AI. AI is advancing every week. Take 15 minutes a day to figure out how you could better leverage it. This could save you and your team hours a day.

Personal Well-Being (or Lack of It)

Cheating sleep. It’s easy to think you’re crushing work because you’re cheating on sleep, but long term, you’re just crushing yourself.
Ignoring the signs of burnout. Take a break before you break.
Late-night work. If you can’t get it done during the day, it’s a sign you’ve taken on too much or could improve your efficiency.
Weekend work. See above.
Skipping exercise. Working out or even going for a walk will make you more productive, not less productive.
Junk food. Saying no to junk food will almost always give you more energy and avoid the carb crashes and sugar crashes that ruin productivity.

Miscellaneous

Hiring fast. Yes, you’re desperate, but a fast hire is rarely a great hire and it costs you far more in the long run.
Random texts or phone calls. Just because someone texts or calls doesn’t mean you need to answer right away. Put your phone on do not disturb, and get back to them later.
Too many personal commitments. Limit personal activities that don’t align with your larger life goals.
Endless research. Limit time gathering information and simply ship the work.
Overpromising. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Only commit to what you’re sure you can deliver.
Underdelivering. When you promise something, deliver more than they expect and better than they expect. Because you’ve eliminated so many distractions and other time-suckers, this won’t be difficult anymore.

Acting on even a few of these will free up dozens of hours a month. Act on all of them, and you might not even recognize yourself anymore. You’ll have more margin for your family, for your goals, and to pursue some new passions you never had time for before. Learning the power of categorical decision-making is a keystone to helping you live in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow.

Article written by: Carey Nieuwhof

Article taken from here.

MinistryJobs.com/blog

20 Bible Verses for the New Year

There’s no book that’s more hopeful than the Bible. For those of us that need fresh faith in the new year, there’s no better place to start than the Scriptures. Here are 20 Bible verses that can give us a renewed sense of hope, wonder, and faith in 2024.

The New Year is one of my favorite seasons of the year. It’s a time for fresh starts and new beginnings–a time to let go of what’s behind you, and press into hope for what lies ahead.

There’s no book that’s more hopeful than the Bible. For those of us that need fresh faith in the new year, there’s no better place to start than the Scriptures.

In the following article, we’ll take a look at 20 different Bible verses that can give us a renewed sense of hope, wonder, and faith in 2024.

What Does the Bible Say About the Start of a New Year?

In Jewish tradition, the start of the new year is traditionally celebrated in September or October during Rosh Hashanah (literally, “head of the year.”) Rosh Hashanah also marks the beginning of “The Days of Awe,” a 10-day period of “repentance and introspection.” The final day is Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. In Judaism, these are two of the most important holidays of the year.

Though we might celebrate the new year during a different month than in the Bible–and though most of us may not partake in Jewish traditions during this time–the new year can still serve as a significant time for followers of Christ.

That’s because the Bible is full of verses that encourage us to look ahead to the future with hope. Throughout Scripture, we are continually reminded to put our hope in God, let go of the past, and live with anticipation for the coming of Jesus.

20 Bible Verses for the New Year

Here are 20 Bible verses that can encourage you in the new year. Try reading through these carefully, asking the Lord for guidance, and praying through individual scripture passages to encourage you for the next 12 months.

Bible Verses About Letting Go of the Past & Looking to the Future

The Bible often encourages us to let go of what isn’t helpful and press on ahead to the future.

Isaiah 43:18-19

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Philippians 3:13-14

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 4:25-27

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Bible Verses About Hope for the Future

The Bible always, always encourages us to hope for the future.

Isaiah 65:17-19

See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.

I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 5:3-5

And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

1 Peter 5:10

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Ephesians 1:18-19

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Bible Verses About Strengthening Yourself for the Future

The Bible does not encourage a passive faith, but a faith that actively presses into the truth of Scripture and the strength of God.

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Timothy 1:7

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

Hebrews 12:12-13

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,”so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Bible Verses About What to Expect for the Future

Finally, the Bible tells us what to expect for the future as believers in Christ.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

James 1:12

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Getting Your New Year Off to a Good Start

The best way to start the new year is with Jesus. Take some time to reflect on the past year, ask God for specific Scriptures to believe for the new year, and meditate on His faithfulness and promises. Remember–January 1st can be a fresh start and an exciting new beginning.

Article written by: Kelsey Yarnell

Article taken from here.

MinistryJobs.com/blog

4 Ways to Win Between Christmas and New Year’s Day

In the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, consider these four ways to refresh from a hectic ministry year.

Every job has its perks. Netflix doesn’t track vacation hours. Facebook has nap pods. Ben & Jerry’s rewards its employees with three pints of ice cream every day. And if you’re a ministry leader, most likely you get the week off between Christmas and New Year’s Day. (Hey, we’re not drawing comparisons here, just stating facts!)

The weeks leading up to Christmas can be some of the most joyful and impactful of our ministry careers. We often get a front-row seat to the radical generosity of our faith communities. We hear and celebrate stories of life change. On the other hand, these weeks are also some of the toughest on our minds, bodies, and families. After all the planning meetings, shopping, decorating, video shoots, rehearsals and services are finally complete, the seven days between Christmas and New Years are a welcome reprieve from the hustle. And while you may immediately begin to feel the urgency of the Spring calendar around the corner, remember that this week offers you some unique opportunities to grow as a leader (and a human) more than any other week throughout the year.

After a season of commitments to your ministry, here are four commitments you might consider making to yourself on the morning of December 26th.

1. Rest

Set your away message. Delete the Mail app from your phone. Disconnect in all the ways you have to and truly rest. Christmas services have likely emptied your tank, so find ways to refuel your mind and body in the ways you need most. Sleep, read fiction, laugh, go on a nature walk, eat three pints of ice cream, build a nap pod and then sleep some more. Find the ways that rejuvenate your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual ecosystem, and make a plan to give those things focused attention this week. As we’ve learned from our friend Candi Shelton, “Our leadership and ministry actually thrive when we are connected to the experience of being human.”

Read: Why Rest Matters for Human Leaders

2. Play

Discover ways to inject some fun into this week. In my own life, I’ve found that the moments I have been most exhausted or weary have also been the moments I’ve been completely disconnected from the unique things that give me life. This week, ask yourself, “What brings me joy?” and commit to making it happen. It might be pursuing something creative like art, dance, or scrapbooking, binge-watching your favorite movies from when you were a kid or planning an outdoor adventure with friends or family. See how much more inspired you’ll be to return to work when you’ve awakened your innate drive for play.

3. Learn

Leaders are learners. And, if we’re not intentional, ministry has a special way of keeping you working in it instead of on it. Consider carving out one day this particular week to learn about a subject you feel like you never have time for – work-related or non! Read a few chapters from your favorite author on leadership, find that podcast you saved ages ago, or review notes from a conference and create some action steps. You may also want to use this time to research and plan some time for individual or group learning next year. Think through book studies or online courses (like those from Orange Masterclass) that you may want to lead with your team or set new ministry goals based on learning from the past year utilizing tools like the Orange Assessment.

Remember

Lastly, this week offers the perfect opportunity to practice the art of remembering.

“Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced” (1 Chronicles 16:12 NIV).

Take the time to reflect on the goodness of God throughout 2022. Note the highs, lows, your greatest lessons, and dream of how you want to grow and move forward as a leader next year. Worship is remembering! Personally, my favorite tool to use is called the Great Annual Examen. It is derived from a 400-year-old method of prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Developed by Stephen W. Smith, it’s a simple question-and-answer exercise that invites you to review five categories of health – physical, emotional, vocational, relational, and spiritual – and then guides you through a process of thinking through how those may be improved or restored in the new year.

Win the week between Christmas and New Years and give yourself the greatest chance to enter 2023 with the strength and mental clarity necessary to reach the next generation.

Article written by: Daniel De Jesús

Article taken from here.

Find more blogs at MinistryJobs.com/blog

How to Plan Your Church Calendar A Year in Advance

New year, new you! Ok, maybe not a completely new you. But January 1st offers a fresh opportunity to set your church calendar up for success in the new year. Building out an entire calendar advance can feel intimidating, but it can help reduce overwhelm and scrambling later on in the year. Looking at your content from a bird’s eye view can also help you avoid obvious holes or redundancies in your focus, so you can have a balanced and holistic array of events and series throughout the year. While I can’t help you plan your calendar, I can provide some helpful tips for getting started in the planning process this new year:

Map out your big events.

While every year is different, calling for fresh vision and ideas, the church calendar follows particular rhythms that repeat year in and year out. Holidays like Easter and Advent occur at the same time each year. Seasonal events like Fall Kick Off and New Years Series do, too. Don’t forget favorite events like women’s or men’s retreats, vacation bible school, or Giving Tuesday. Use these annual events and recurring series to anchor your calendar. Once you have them in place, you can identify the white space around them to fill out the rest of your calendar.

Identify “felt needs”.

With big holidays and seasonal events accounted for, you can begin to fill the rest of the year with additional series. Here is where you have more leeway to customize the content to what is relevant to your particular congregation, right here and right now. If you don’t have this insight already, check the pulse of your people. What things are they struggling with? How do they want to grow? What makes them curious? What themes are emerging in conversations and small groups studies again and again? Use these things to inform the series and events that will populate the rest of your calendar.

Iron out your workload and budget.

With your events and series scheduled in advance, you can begin to identify the workload and budget required to pull them off. If you start with your budget for the entire year, you can allot resources and volunteers to each event accordingly, making sure nothing falls through the cracks. Even though you aren’t at the place to plan each event in detail on January 1st, having an idea of the resources required will help jumpstart your planning when the time arises and ensure you have the things you need in place when it does come around.

The team at Motion Worship is praying for your inspiration and vision as you lead your congregation into this new year. With a little bit of effort and intention, you can set up your calendar to serve and support you during the year so you can spend less time scrambling and more time being present with your people. We pray that God’s spirit will be with you and your staff, guiding you as you craft an intentional and edifying calendar of events for this new year.

Article written by: Emma Tarp

Article taken from here.

Find more blogs at MinistryJobs.com/blog

Starting Your Ministry Year Off Right

As summer ends, it’s time to think about starting a brand new ministry year! Here are some essential ways to prepare for the year to start you off right.

At Orange, we have a core belief. The scope of your influence is determined by the success of your volunteers. If you agree, the most important thing you can do as you prepare for the Fall is to empower your team so they can lead. While this requires a lot of intentional planning, it’s not impossible with the right team and mindset! The last thing you want is to limit both your influence and the ministry-at-large, so here are five words to consider that will start your new ministry year and your volunteers off on the right foot.

Plan

Your ministry most likely has some core values already established – like serving the community, making disciples, or deepening community. Consider using these as a framework to set some team goals and clarify your win for the new calendar year. What were some wins and learnings from the past year? Where are you going? What will you do this year to put feet to each value? How will you know if you’ve accomplished a goal?

You might also plan out how you will equip, empower and encourage your team throughout the year. Will it be through monthly volunteer huddles, seasonal virtual book studies, or weekly thank-you cards? We think all of the above are great places to start. If you subscribe to Orange Curriculum, we have developed our first monthly volunteer training resource that will give you a focused topic each month and the resources you need to ignite confidence and purpose in the hearts of your volunteers all year long.

Recruit

In our current reality, it’s not uncommon to start off the new ministry year with holes on our teams. Families are often not fully recovered from vacation, the back-to-school frenzy has begun, and many are not thinking about how else they might fill their time.

Collaborate with your staff to plan one or two Recruitment Sundays early in the Fall to make people aware of where there are still opportunities to serve. Create a large, colorful display of open positions with copies of detailed job descriptions and contact information. Invite your current team of volunteers into the recruitment process with you so they can experience the joy of seeing new volunteers find their place and purpose.

Launch

The beginning of any new ministry season is always exciting. There are new team members, kids and students are oftentimes in new classrooms or environments, and the energy is generally high. Leverage the momentum of the season by planning a celebratory volunteer kick-off event to cast a compelling vision and launch your team well. This is your chance to help your teams see the big picture goals for your ministry, equip them to feel empowered in their role from day one, and delegate responsibilities to your key leaders.

Attendance will be crucial so consider offering this both in-person and virtually. Record it and post it as its own event on social media so that you can capture as many people as possible. Brainstorm ways to get this information to the entire team in order to reduce the amount of “sideways energy” spent in the coming weeks training the folks who missed out.

Evaluate

It’s one thing to develop a well thought-out plan and quite another to know whether it was effective. Building a strategic evaluation and follow-up process in your ministry can be an absolute game-changer. When you give your volunteers clear directives, occasions to rise to, and a plan of action, it helps them lead with intentionality and thoughtfulness. And gives them the potential to grow and develop into better leaders.

Encourage each volunteer to come up with 2-3 goals of their own that they would like to see accomplished before the end of this ministry season. Help them determine how they will evaluate their effectiveness and set a date together to follow-up on how they’re coming along. Be sure to share your own ministry goals to make them aware that this is a team effort. We’re all on a mission to grow and become better leaders for the sake of those we lead.

Post

In today’s tech world, it’s not enough to train our volunteers weekly, seasonally, and annually – we have to ask what it looks like to train them digitally. One of the most underutilized resources for training and inspiring our volunteers is social media. We have the opportunity to show up and drip-feed vision directly onto a device that every volunteer is going to engage with every day!

With limited time, the best plan of action is to schedule your social media in advance each month. While there are now countless publishing tools available online, perhaps the easiest option is to use Facebook’s Meta Business Suite. This free tool has the ability to schedule and publish directly to both a Facebook group and an Instagram account you have set up just for those who serve in your ministry. You might also consider how you can utilize an app like Zoom to host prayer gatherings, book studies, or simply play games through an app like Houseparty to build trust and community among your team.

Written by Daniel De Jesus

Article taken from here.

Find more ministry blogs at MinistryJobs.com/blog

8 Tips for Planning Family Ministry in Another Year of Unknowns

It is January again. It is time for New Year resolutions and meticulous planning. Or at least that is what we used to do. Way back in January 2020, none of us had any idea what the year held. As we begin 2021, how do we make plans for our children’s and student ministries?

Calendar the best you can with the info you have now. It is tempting to make no plans because everything is so unknown. But God desires for His ministry to keep moving forward. I believe in planning optimistically, while being realistic as well. We are planning on normal summer activities resuming for our kids and students, but we are in a state with few restrictions. Maybe the wise thing for you is to plan for a modified version of “normal.”

Remain fluid. As we all learned in 2020, just because something is on the calendar, doesn’t mean it is going to happen. Hold onto all plans lightly and perhaps have a “Plan B” in mind.

Don’t procrastinate. Sometimes I find myself delaying making detailed plans because I’ve grown accustomed to cancelations and shutdowns. Be proactive, even when you aren’t entirely sure what is going to happen.

Be positive. People are tired of all of this. People are very divided among a number of lines. As ministry leaders, one of the most impactful things we can do right now is to shine the light and hope of Jesus brightly. Yes, you may face discouragement too. But you must lead from a place of hope. God works all things for good, even pandemics and an upside down world.

Don’t resume an event just because it has always been on the calendar. As you evaluate resuming ministries that you couldn’t do this past year, make sure you sincerely ask if they have to be done or do they have to be done the same way. If you have traditionally done a VBS that very few people come to, is there a better way to do it? If your student camp has become very expensive, this may be the time to search for an alternative.

Communicate very clearly with your families. Let them know ASAP which dates to reserve on their calendars, but also be very clear that all plans will be dependent on the circumstances at the time. People are tired of hearing this kind of statement, but unfortunately it is our world right now.

Be very familiar with cancellation and refund policies. Don’t book a camp or order a curriculum without fully understanding what will happen if circumstances change. Also, determine refund policies for money families may pay for camps, supplies, etc.

Keep people connected. 2021 may have more seasons of shut down and online services. Make it one of your number one priorities to keep families connected to the church and to each other. Regularly send postcards and make phone calls. Build community through Facebook groups, Instagram, and group chats.

I am praying for a much less tumultuous year for all of our churches. Even more, I am praying for God to use all of these unusual circumstances to build His kingdom and draw people to Him. Leaders, I am cheering for you as you navigate another year of unknowns. God is bigger and His kids and teenagers still need Him! Let’s see what He does in 2021.

Original article appears here.

Jenny serves as Minister to Children at West Bradenton Baptist Church in Bradenton, Florida. She is passionate about equipping the church to disciple children to follow Jesus. Jenny also loves investing in other children’s ministry leaders.

Looking for a new position? Stop by MinistryJobs.com and have a look at the jobs that are available! Ministry jobs are hard to come by and job hunting is no fun. We help ministry job seekers find their ideal role in their next ministry – for free! More than 6 million search for a job every day. Be found! Looking to list a job or an open position? We help churches and organizations get job openings in front of potential candidates. We have several plans and packages available. Today is the day!

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7 Things 2020 Has NOT Changed About Leadership

This has been a frustrating year in leadership. 2020 has been challenging for all of us. It has been especially challenging for leaders trying to navigate their organizations through it. That includes pastors and the church. Yet, as I reflect on some of the decisions I have personally had to make this year, I realize some things 2020 didn’t change about leadership.

Some things have always been a part of leadership.

7 things 2020 didn’t change about leadership:

Uncertainty. This isn’t the first time leaders have faced uncertain times. Sure, this year has caused us to make decisions we’ve never made before, but that is not a new leadership phenomenon. In fact, leadership by definition is leading into uncertain futures.

Necessity of risk. Honestly, I feel like some of us may have gotten too comfortable prior to COVID-19. It became easy to work our systems and programs, and even if growth had plateaued, budgets were being met and people were satisfied. But status quo will never realize new growth. Risk is always a part of the getting to the next level of progress.

Need for innovation. One of the funniest quotes I ever read is something Andy Andrews has written. “Think about this: we put men on the moon before we thought to put wheels on luggage.” Leadership by definition has always required that we be innovating as we discover what’s around the corner for our teams.

Diverse reactions to decisions made. Every decision ever made by a leader has made some people really happy and some people not. Again, that’s Leadership 101.

New opportunities for growth. Growth seldom comes without an intentional effort. It requires strategy planning, goal-setting, and diligent efforts on behalf of a team working together. 2020 has given us plenty of chances for that.

Greater success comes from collaboration. “With many advisors plans succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22) The pandemic forced many of us leaders to reach out for help, form teams, and work together – things great leaders have always done.

Need for healthier rhythms. Whew. Are you as tired as I am at the end of 2020? If anything resonates with leaders today it is that they are challenged more than any other year in leadership. I am not sure this will ever completely disappear – or that it’s ever not been the case. One thing is certain, however, even when things return to whatever normal looks like in the future we will need healthy rhythms to keep leading well.

What else has NOT changed about leadership in 2020?

I am not pretending this hasn’t been an unusual year. It is (at least one of) the most difficult I’ve experienced in leadership. But one thing it has done is expose to us what we’ve always known. We need good leaders – and good leadership.

Nate and I have finished our fall semester at the Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast. New episodes will begin in early 2021. Subscribe now so you don’t miss the next one.

Original article appears here.

Ron Edmondson has been a consultant and coach, for almost 20 years helping thousands of leaders and organizations get better. He served as CEO of Leadership Network and as a pastor. Over 20 years ago, he founded a non-profit ministry called Mustard Seed Ministry. Find him on Instagram at Instagram.com/Ron Edmondson , Twitter at www.twitter.com/ronedmondson and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ronaedmondson.

Read more Ministry blogs at MinistryJobs.com/blog

TIME FOR THINKING BIG ABOUT 2021

Did 2020 cause you to stop dreaming, to stop thinking big?

It has for many.

It’s why a setback can be a big opportunity.

While many have stopped dreaming, you still can.

It’s why we’re encouraging every pastor to re-engage with thinking big and envisioning what could be in 2021.

That’s what followers of Jesus do.

Jeff Henderson of the FOR Company says,

We own a space in the land of possibility.

We lease a space in the land of reality.

We don’t deny reality but we don’t let reality define us.

Begin your envisioning process of thinking big and crafting plans to bring those thoughts to reality.

Craft your plans because a dream without a plan of action is a nightmare.

Step ONE: Reflect on 2020.

Ok, I know. No one wants to spend time reflecting on 2020.

But carving out time to process these questions will be a great first step toward your 2021 planning.

Start with the following questions to guide your reflection (with a minimum of 10 minutes). Set a timer for ten minutes, and start reflecting now.

Don’t procrastinate.

What were three wins in 2020?
List seven events, people or memories you are grateful for in 2020.
In what area of your life do you have the most momentum?
How can you keep that momentum in 2021?
What is the most positive habit in your life at the moment?
What one habit do you wish you could change in 2021?
Who is sharpening you to be the person you want to become, and how can you spend more time with them in 2021?
What one thing, if it got better, would make the biggest difference in 2021?

After just ten minutes, you will have taken a big step forward toward making 2021 a great year.

As you’re reflecting on 2020 what can you learn about how you engage with people who are not like you and how you are making disciples?

In my ten minutes of reflecting, I thought of those who are sharpening me to be the person I want to become.

So take TEN and own space in “the land of possibility.”

And while you’re at it, take an additional 90 seconds and check out the FOR page. Does your community know what your church is FOR? Jeff can help you with that.

Original article appears here.

Bob Jones is the founder of REVwords.com, an author, blogger, and coach with 39 years of pastoral experience. Bob is also an Advance Coach with the ABNWT Resource Centre. You can connect with Bob here.

Read more Ministry blogs at MinistryJobs.com/blog

Starting Your Ministry Year Off Right

Plan

Recruit

Launch

Evaluate

Post

8 Tips for Planning Family Ministry in Another Year of Unknowns

7 things 2020 didn’t change about leadership:

What else has NOT changed about leadership in 2020?

TIME FOR THINKING BIG ABOUT 2021

Jeff Henderson of the FOR Company says,

Step ONE: Reflect on 2020.

Don’t procrastinate.

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