Eighty years ago this New Year’s Eve, Henry Deutschendorf Jr was born in Roswell, NM. His dad, Henry Deutshcndorf Sr, was a military man so young Henry lived in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona California, and Texas before Henry Jr. grew up and moved to Colorado. Young Henry began using his middle name and changed his…
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For Lori and I, November is the month with a number of birthdays. Lori’s late father and her youngest brother have the same date of birth in November. Lori has two cousins that have a birthday in November and I have one whose birthday is in November. Finally, our two daughter’s oldest children were each…
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I probably don’t need to convince you that short-term mission (STM) trips have value. From coming alongside partners and providing a boost to long-term work, to being a tool that God uses to shape us into the image of Christ – including the call of many into full-time vocational ministry, there is abundant worth in…
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This article contains your annual end-of-year checklist of financial tasks. Some should be completed before January 1, 2024. Here’s to finishing 2023 strong and getting off to a great start in 2024! Designate housing allowance. Housing allowance should be set at a board meeting before January 1. Housing allowance can only be declared prospectively (that…
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Year-end giving can have a big impact on annual budgets. Between the joyous spirit of the holiday season and the December 31st deadline for tax-deductible contributions, this time of year is the most popular time for giving to the church. I have heard it said that churches may receive an average of 30% of their annual donations in…
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If you have ever been through a Church Planter Boot Camp or Prepare to Plant Training you know that part of that training focuses on the mission of the church and how to implement that mission. Among the important components that are discussed, three are of particular importance: Mission: why the church exists. Strategies: how the…
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It’s that time of year again when churches typically prepare (and should) a budget for the next year. Creating a budget for your church doesn’t have to be complicated. Below are a few steps and questions to help you prepare your budget: Revisit your vision and plan for achieving your goals. Estimate the costs associated with any new…
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Are you familiar with the human resource concept of hard and soft skills? Hard skills are specific technical skills like the ability to code, weld, design an app, or operate a piece of equipment. They are tangible and generally easy to evaluate or measure. Soft skills, on the other hand, are more akin to character…
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Ha! I know it is October, and yet I am writing a column entitled Thankfulness! Shouldn’t that wait till November, when we actually celebrate Thanksgiving??? Well, actually, we can be thankful anytime, can’t we? I have been reading through the Psalms lately and this past weekend the words of a Psalm I have read over many, many times,…
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As the C&MA has moved more toward partnership models of missions engagement, a question has arisen that I hear frequently: How do we handle an IW tour with a non-partner IW? This is a great question, and it expresses itself in various ways such as, “How do we stay focused on our partners when we…
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