It is said that a church is either finishing a capital campaign or starting their next one. Other than a strategic plan, nothing can bring about more dramatic, positive and transformational change and opportunity for a church community to serve Christ’s kingdom and achieve its Vision than an effective capital campaign. As it turns out, … [Read more…]
SMALL PARISHES Is small always bad? Can it be OK sometimes, perhaps even occasionally good, or maybe even better? It doesn’t seem like being small should be bad all the time, and yet, everywhere we go, all we hear about is how getting bigger is better. It certainly didn’t bother David to be very small … [Read more…]
Is there something we can do to transform the future of our churches by providing a firm operational foundation? The answer is, and always has been, yes. So, what is it? Of course, we are not speaking ecclesiastically or sacramentally, as that path is clear in the Holy Orthodox Church. And yet, many parishes live … [Read more…]
“Does the future have a church?” And assuming it does, what might it look like? Much of the relevant data is pointing in an undesirable direction. This makes our work more challenging as we try and prepare a “good account before the awesome judgment seat of Christ.” On Sunday, September 30th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern … [Read more…]
By the grace of God, I am blessed to be presenting on July 24th and 25th some of the latest information about true stewardship and engaged discipleship at the Orthodox Church of America’s All American Council in St. Louis under the Leadership of Metropolitan Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada. … [Read more…]
“We have some significant leadership challenges” is what I hear from many of the Parishes, Dioceses, Metropolises and Archdioceses with which I have worked. While much has been written about leadership in “business world,” not as much has been offered in “church world” from an Orthodox Christian perspective. This New Year’s Eve, Ancient Faith Radio … [Read more…]
The Divine December Challenge (“DDC”). I ask all of you, my friends, and everyone who is your friend, to take my “Divine December” challenge. For the 31 days of December, let’s make all of our social media messages, emails, texts, forwards and spoken comments positive, uplifting and encouraging, as if directed to a Divine audience. … [Read more…]
How can you more fully discover and live what your Creator has called you to do with your life? In today’s secular America, with a growing divide between Church and State, how can an Orthodox Christian stay true to their faith? What are some possible futures for our Orthodox church in the U.S.? Please mark … [Read more…]
How does a Parish transform the giving of its faithful and create a Culture of True Stewardship? After 11 years of extensive research of best practices, and in person programs and hands on implementation with hundreds of Parishes, as it turns out there are 15 critical steps. What follows is the most current Igniting The … [Read more…]
What are you doing to help youth and emerging adults have a “good account before the awesome judgement seat of Christ?” The task to nurture the souls of the young people entrusted to us is among the most awesome and sacred responsibilities adults have. So how are we doing with this critical task, and what … [Read more…]