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How-to Articles

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Sunday School
SPONSORS:  Screenflex

• Five ways to keep peace and harmony in your small group
  Even seemingly trivial offenses can cause resentment to build. That's why it's important to practice the biblical principles of forgiveness in small groups.
• 7 back-to-school kickoff ideas
  Fall can be a time for new beginnings with your kids and your ministry. Launch your program with these attention-grabbing ideas to attract new kids and build deeper ties with your regulars.
• Sunday school evangelism
  Churches are investing in evangelistic strategy programs that empower leaders to get Sunday school classes involved in fulfilling the Great Commission -- and with success.
• Sunday school most effective tool for keeping members, research shows
  Church growth expert Thom Rainer shares insights from his research into more than 300 high-expectation churches. In this segment from his book "High Expectations," Rainer points out that Sunday school is a key factor in assimilating church members.
• Sunday school should be led with passion, excellence 
  Churches must be passionate about reaching people for Christ and doing everything with excellence, says John H. Ewart in Part 5 of his "Intentional Sunday School" series.
• Sunday school still effective  
  Just one hour a week can have a big impact on new Christians. Sunday school, thought by some to be outdated, is still a church's No. 1 resource for keeping new members involved.

Audio/Visual, Computers & Copiers 
SPONSOR:  Microboards Technology

• Video systems: Saving money by doing things right the first time
  Churches can potentially save thousands of dollars on costly mistakes by following these simple steps.
• Back up before it's too late
  The Rev. Paul Burwash's church suffered two disasters in the span of three weeks.
• Technology for the traditional church
• Consider church health in tech decisions
  When it comes to multi-media, churches should align their decisions with their purpose.
• Improved technology, lower prices help churches get 'big picture'
  Video production equipment has gone down in price, making it affordable for even small churches today.

Tables, Chairs, Room Dividers
SPONSOR:   Screenflex - Portable Sunday School Dividers

• Church pews taking back seat to flexible seating
  The trend toward multi-purpose buildings has many church leaders eying stackable chairs for worship seating.
• Big curtains create high drama, solve small space problems
  Churches may know what effects they want in their worship, drama or music ministry events, but often they don't know how to achieve them. The versatility of curtains is a real asset for churches looking for fresh ideas.

Seminaries & Education
SPONSORS:   Logos Research Systems, Southern Baptist Seminary

• Online Seminary FAQ
  This Q&A with Southern Baptist Seminary explains how online courses work with them.
• Church job market looking for pastors
• The primacy of Christian education in your church 
  The church has a responsibility to teach the world about the hope of glory that is found in Jesus Christ.
• Only half of U.S. senior pastors hold biblical worldview, according to Barna survey
  

Fundraising & Giving

• 10 things pastors need to know about funding ministry
  Important truths for increasing generosity in your church and financial peace in your people.
• Churches on the grow have funding options available
  Banks and other lenders offer options to help fund the phenomenal growth of churches in the United States.
• Feasibility study the first step to a successful church stewardship campaign
  Churches learn it's better to first cast the vision and test it before wading into a fund-raising campaign with unrealistic expectations.
• Church tech, part three: Paperless stewardship
  Does stewardship require a signature and a stamp? Or could electronic funds transfers eventually replace offering plates in churches?
• Uncle Sam lends a hand
  Diligence, persistence and relationships are keys to obtaining U.S. government money for faith-based initiatives, experts say.
• Three ways to grow a new generation of givers
  Consultant Dan Hall offers proven ways churches can successfully disciple their younger members in stewardship and increase a congregation's spiritual growth in the process.
• Fund raising relies on the heart
  Any good computer system is capable of tracking donor data about last gift dollar amount, date of last gift, number of gifts, etc. The problem is that all of this information can trick us into thinking that we are in touch with the donor's heart when, in fact, all we're really in touch with are the hard, cold facts.
• Church giving goes creative
  Don't give until it hurts. Experts say giving should increase church members' joy. Through the creative financing of gift lawyers, one couple was able to store up more treasures in heaven.
• Technology comes to the offering plate
  Churches can't afford not to use the latest technology to receive and process donations, according to businesses offering the services.

Builders & Architects
SPONSOR:   Screenflex - room dividers

• To bid or not to bid? Pros and cons of construction delivery methods
  David Evans explores the advantages and disadvantages of various methods of construction delivery.
• Good planning is good stewardship in church design
  The stewardship challenge of a new church building plan begins long before drawings are started, it begins with reasonable expectations being set and understood by the building committee months prior to designing. By working early on to balance the size of the proposed facility with the church's budget and the cost of available materials, churches who plan well are also good stewards of the building fund.
• Top 10 qualifications for the building committee
  Who should be on your church building committee? Strong faith is more important than knowledge of the building industry, according to Bill Couchenour of Cogun.
• Church buildings become ministry tools
  Call it evangelism by design. Church leaders are realizing that their buildings can offer much more than a place to worship.
• Successful church building tips
• Dare to grow beyond physical barriers
  Technology is giving churches opportunities to grow in ways they have never seen before. Jim Couchenour takes a look at how growth doesn't always entail adding buildings.
• Church design trends stress multi-purpose spaces
  New trends in church design include larger entry spaces for fellowship and children's areas that are all about fun. A recent seminar in Indianapolis also highlighted basic information about church construction with advice members of the newly formed National Association of Church Design Builders.
• Building facilities is not always best way to handle growth
  Advising clients not to build is a unique approach for architects and builders that is building some momentum of its own.

Software
SPONSORS:  ACS Technologies, Logos Management Software

• Church management software: Simpler than you think
• FREE 35-page guide:  A Web-based Approach to Church Management Software is your guide to using an innovative technology tool to free you up to minister -- not administer. This guide explains how Web-based applications can improve any church's ministry. Application Service Providers (ASPs), companies that provide these services, are examined in depth. You will learn:
• How ASPs can save your staff time while keeping better track of your congregation
• How to find help in selecting the ASP that will best fit your needs
• How to get the project rolling with step-by-step tips
• What confusing technological terms mean in the guide's glossary
• The virtual world of data
  The future for church management systems may be a place where rust does not corrupt and thieves cannot steal. Web-based software appeals to churches for its security and access.
• Software manages while pastors minister
  Church Management Software packages help free up resources by handling time-consuming yet essential tasks in the background.
• Taming time and tasks
  Ministry leaders should take advantage of software that can help them tame time and tasks to be more effective.
• Churches find Web-based software programs an easy way to track members
• How to create a cyber prayer team
  When God began to speak to my heart about building a prayer base for the ministry opportunities he has been sending my way, I decided to use e-mail to build the base.

Insurance
SPONSORS:   Brotherhood Mutual Insurance

• Preparing for disaster: Vital records protection for churches
  Is your church prepared to survive a disaster? 
• Building Projects Require Special Insurance Protection
  A how-to article contributed by Brotherhood Mutual.
• Youth Ministry: Combining Safety and Fun - another Brotherhood article
  "The worst mistake that they make is that many youth workers say, ?This won't happen to me."
• Accident and Medical Emergency Guidelines

Bus/Transportation

• Laws, insurance rates throwing church vans under the mini-bus
  Once a church staple, the 15-passenger van is under fire from insurance companies and legislators.
• Church insurers limit van coverage following rollovers
• Insurer declares 15-passenger vans 'inherently unsafe' 
  

Web Site Design

• Churches no strangers to Internet
  More churches are putting Web pages on the Internet than ever before. While that may increase the possibility of drawing the unchurched, some experts caution that a poorly designed site may do more harm than good.
• Strong online presence can help bring in donations
  There's more to a good Web site than nice graphics. Ministries and other nonprofit organizations intent on using the Internet to boost donations and membership need a strong plan and expert advice.
• Sermon transcripts big seller for new Living Word Web site
  A new on-line ordering system for sermon tapes, CDs and transcripts from Southeast Christian Church senior minister, Bob Russell, and preaching associates, Dave Stone and Kyle Idleman, has been highly trafficked since the site went live, Sept. 7.
• Pastor uses Web sites to increase church outreach

Signs and Banners

• Churches claim catchy one-liners are a sign of the times
  Church signs have become more than just a place to post meeting times, pastors say. Signs are now being used as evangelism tools as congregations try to lure drivers by.
• Confessions of a church sign reader
  What is your church saying to all the people who drive by the sign out front? A few well-chosen words may minister to commuters.
• Church reaches membership with digital signage
  As the general public becomes more technologically savvy, their expectations become greater. Christine Zimmerman of KioskMarketplace tells us Fellowship Church has kept up with the high-tech times.