Church Executive Nov.-Dec. 2015 Digital Version

H E L P I N G L E A D E R S B E C O M E B E T T E R S T E W A R D S

NO

V

DE

C bull

20

15

PLUSYear-end tax amp portfolio planning for pastors 12

How technology affects worship space design 14

7 best practices for reaching your churchrsquos budget goals 18

ChrisHodgesDoing Church Differently 6

November December 2015 bull CHURCH EXECUTIVE 3churchexecutivecom

Actually you can be in two places at once

In the publishing world much is made of print-versus-digital So often this ldquodebaterdquo is framed as an all-or-nothing proposition mdash but for our part thatrsquos not what the optimal solution looks like Herersquos why

The print magazine format has always resonated extremely well with our busy church leaders and it continues to do so Our annual Church Executive Reader Survey confirms this we know that each issue of the magazine finds its way to multiple desks and inboxes besides its original recipientrsquos

That said our staff and contributors also recognize mdash and embrace mdash the power of digital content The appeal is pretty clear Our digital issue [ wwwchurchexecutivecomdigital-edition ] can also easily be shared with other members of the leadership team and the interactivity mdash the ability to watch videos click on links to more in-depth resources etc mdash is a big plus

With this in mind we wanted to take a minute to remind you that our November December 2015 digital issue includes some really great feature articles you can only find there

Connecting congregants to inspiration with assistive listening mdash If members come to your church and canrsquot hear the messages that inspire them or if they lose the feeling of connectedness with other worshippers they might very well stop attending The problem is very few of them will speak up before they disappear

In this helpful installment of the ldquoBreaking Barriers Hearing Accessibilityrdquo Series author Maile Keone zeroes in how your church can use technology to accommodate the astounding 20 percent of American adults who have a measurable degree of hearing loss

With her plain-English overview of the different types of assistive listening systems available yoursquoll be able to decide which one best suits your unique culture

Church Executivetrade (Copyright 2015) Volume 14 Issue 6 Church Executive is published bi-monthly by Power Trade Media LLC a subsidiary of Friendship Publications Inc 4742 N 24th Street Ste 340 Phoenix AZ 85016 Subscription Rates United States and Mexico $39 (USD) one year Canada $42 (USD) one year (GST) included all other countries $75 one year single issue United States $5 (USD) all other countries $6 (USD) Reprints All articles in Church Executive are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the publisher For reprints of 100 or more contact Judi Victor at (602) 265-7600 ext 125 Copyright 2015 by Power Trade Media LLC No advertisement or description or reference to a product or service will be deemed as an endorsement and no warranty is made or implied by Power Trade Media LLC Information is obtained from sources the editors believe reliable accurate and timely but no warranty is made or implied and Power Trade Media LLC is not responsible for errors or omissions

A publication of

CLA

Stephen BriggsAssociate Pastor of Administration

First Baptist Church | Hendersonville NC

Denise CraigChief Financial Officer

Abbarsquos House | Hixson TN

Mike KlockenbrinkChief of Staff

Lakeside Church | Folsom CA

Dan MikesExecutive Vice President

Bank of the West | San Ramon CA

John C Mrazek IIIExecutive Pastor

Pathways Church | Denver CO

Sam S Rainer IIISenior Pastor

West Bradenton Baptist Church | Bradenton FL

Mark SimmonsBusiness Manager

Christ Community Church | Milpitas CA

Eric SpacekSenior Manager

GuideOne Insurance | West Des Moines IA

CEO Director of Advertising Sales

Judi Victor ext 125 jvflychurchexecutivecom

PublisherSteve Kane ext 207

stevechurchexecutivecom

Editor In ChiefRaeAnn Slaybaugh ext 202

rslaybaughchurchexecutivecom

Contributing EditorRez Gopez-Sindac

6024055317rgopez-sindacchurchexecutivecom

Senior Art DirectorStephen Gamble ext 133

sgamblechurchexecutivecom

Account Executive Shannon McCloughy ext 207

smccloughychurchexecutivecom

Accounting Manager Kevin G Boorse

kboorsepowertrademediacom

Volume 14 No 6

4742 N 24th St Ste 340 Phoenix AZ 85016 bull 8005412670

churchexecutivecom

LETrsquoS CHAT

Email rslaybaughchurchexecutivecomFacebook ChurchExecutiveMagazineTwitter churchexecutivecom

FROM THE EDITOR

Yoursquoll also find an article by David Sanford that helps pastors and church executives navigate their options for graduate courses in the Bible theology and traditional ministry Sanford is a former associate pastor and executive editor of Bibles whose career is now with a Christian university He also contributes regularly to the Church Executive ldquoContinuing Educationrdquo Series So he has a thing or two to contribute to the topic for sure

Finally church risk management thought leader and ldquoSafety Strategiesrdquo Series contributor Peter A Persuitti shares some key takeaways from an annual risk management report compiled by his company mdash the only insurance broker on the Ethisphere Institutersquos list of the Worldrsquos Most Ethical Companies Be sure to check out his highly sought-after expertise

We know you get a lot of emails We do too But this particular one is worth openingIf you havenrsquot already done so sign up on our homepage (wwwchurchexecutivecom) to receive each digital issue automatically as itrsquos published Or simply visit wwwchurchexecutivecomdigital-edition to read the current digital issues and browse our archives

All the best

EDITORIAL ADVISORY PANEL

As you flip through this issue of Church Executive yoursquoll find a lot of great content on the most in-demand church management topics from construction and design to accounting staff management and more

But keep in mind that therersquos also a lot of really great content you can only find in our digital issue

CHURCH EXECUTIVE bull November December 20154 churchexecutivecom

November December 2015 CONTENTS

COVER STORY

The CE Interview 6CHRIS HODGES DOING CHURCH DIFFERENTLYSenior Pastor | Church of the Resurrection | Birmingham AL

By Rez Gopez-Sindac

CHURCH MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE (ChMS) FORUM 26

8 KEY QUESTIONS HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR YOUR CHURCH 27By Hal Hallum

CHOOSING THE RIGHT ChMS = NOT CHOOSING A ChMS AT ALL 28By Michael Jordan

ChMS ASK ldquoWHYrdquo BEFORE YOU BUY 29By Sam Batterman

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME FOR A NEW ChMS 30By John Connell and Emily Kanter

SERIES

PROTECTING CHILDREN IN THE CHURCH 11By Patricia Carlson

FINANCES amp ADMINISTRATION FOR CHURCH LEADERS 12By Brian Doughney CFA CFPreg

6

11

14


DESIGNING WORSHIP AREAS 14By Curtiss H Doss AIA with Doug Hood

CHURCH ACCOUNTING BASICS 16By Tammy Bunting

SCIENCE BEHIND THE SEAT 17By Amanda Opdycke

CREATING A CULTURE OF GENEROSITY 18By Derek Gillette

INSURANCE ESSENTIALS 20By Dave Sours

INTELLIGENT CHURCH GIVING 22By Joel Mikell amp Derek Hazelet

FINANCE amp LENDING TRENDS 24By Dan Mikes

THE SPIRIT OF STAINED GLASS 31By Andrew Cary Young

CHURCH FACILITY STEWARDSHIP 32By Tim Cool

CHURCH TRANSPORTATION 34 By Mike Jones

STREAMING MADE SIMPLE 35 By Andrew Ng

PASTOR-FRIENDLY SOUND SYSTEMS 36 By Rik Kirby amp Daniel Keller

SAFETY STRATEGIES 38 By Church Mutual Insurance Company

ENGAGING SPACES 40 By Allison Parrott with Paul Lodholz AIA LEED AP

CHURCH COMMUNICATION TOOLS 42 By Brooke Temple

CONTINUING EDUCATION 44 Which ldquomorerdquo do you need By David Sanford

DEPARTMENTS

From the Editor 3

RISK MANAGEMENT REPORT 45 CBO Collaboration = Better Off By Peter A Persuitti

BREAKING BARRIERS HEARING ACCESSIBILITY 46 Connecting congregants to inspiration with assistive listeningBy Maile Keone

NEVER AGAIN 48 By Michael J Bemi

31 36

48

THE CE INTERVIEW

CHRIS HODGESSenior Pastor | Church of the Highlands | Birmingham AL

By Rez Gopez-Sindac

6 CHURCH EXECUTIVE bull November December 2015 churchexecutivecom

Chris Hodges has a heart for training and equipping pastors and leaders Every year he and his team host the Grow Leadership Intensive where they provide practical training for church leaders from around the world


THE CE INTERVIEW

In February 2001 Chris Hodges founded Church of the Highlands with a launch team of 34 people Today nearly 15 years later around 30000 attendees gather to worship each weekend in its multiple locations throughout Central Alabama

By ldquomultiplerdquo we mean 12 church plants mdash with several more in the pipeline That the campuses are built with cash mdash without any capital campaigns or fundraisers mdash is just one of a number of things that makes Church of the Highlands different

ldquoWersquore not trying to break any records wersquore simply leading people at the speed of their participation and generosityrdquo says Hodges ldquoChurch of the Highlands is totally debt-free allowing us to do everything with cash and to be very aggressive in our generosity around the worldrdquo

Hodges 52 is cofounder of ARC (Association of Related Churches) He also founded GROW a coaching network for pastors and Highlands College a school that trains and launches students into full-time ministry careers Hodges is the author of two books Fresh Air and Four Cups

When you started Church of the Highlands what kind of church did you foresee

From a missional standpoint we wanted to be different We focus on helping people fulfill what God has intended for them What we do well is take a person on a spiritual journey And itrsquos not ambiguous mdash we make it very clear simple and doable People are excited because their spiritual lives are continually growing Since the beginning of time God has always wanted for people to know Him find freedom discover their purpose and make a difference These steps are what we track mdash and we track them well

From a business standpoint Irsquove always thought that things could be done differently in church particularly when it comes to money I never liked campaigns Instead of asking people [for money] we model stewardship in our church finances in the same way that we should operate our individual finances We should never spend everything we have Wersquove always operated with a margin Our current salaries are at 23 percent of our budget whereas the national average is about 40 percent When people see that they actually give more They trust me to steward our funds wisely and I want to do it in a way that earns their respect

Irsquom not against debt but Irsquom against getting addicted to it There are times when debts can be beneficial There was one time when we did a $30-million construction project but we only had $16 million saved so we borrowed some money but we paid it off as soon as we could We donrsquot believe wersquoll ever do it again Now wersquore debt-free and wersquore able to build with cash Because we have a margin when tragedy happens mdash such as when a tornado hit Alabama in 2011 mdash we are able to give to support recovery efforts Margins give you a lot of breathing room

What systems structures and strategies did you create to make your ldquodream churchrdquo a reality

Systems are just what you use to deliver your vision they either work or they donrsquot Our systems for helping people know God find freedom

discover their purpose and make a difference is our life-giving church services Our strategy for pastoring people is the small groups We have 37000 people who attend our small groups mdash more than the number of people who come to our Sunday services We have a four-Sunday growth track that help people discover their purpose and then we have our Dream Team to help people make a difference

On the business side we wrote it in our bylaws that the budget of our church would be 90 percent of the previous yearrsquos income In other words we automatically have a 10-percent margin coming into the year We also wrote in borrowing restrictions We have systems that ensure the business side of church is run according to our values

In what areas of your life have you experienced the biggest growth since founding Church of the Highlands

Honestly I had to continually grow in all areas of my life I constantly learn from churches that do things better than us In fact I require every person on my team who leads a ministry or department to connect with three people in the nation who do their jobs as well or better than them I had to grow in my speaking and leading I had to grow spiritually I had to grow biblically What may surprise some people is that the greatest challenge has been to keep growing I could see how someone could just sit back and put things on cruise control but thatrsquos not my personality If you study any successful product or business in America yoursquoll find that they usually never get bigger than what they were around year 12 to 15 In the same way most churches never get larger than their size around those same years They just stop growing Thatrsquos why we intentionally try to grow through all seasons

Each time you launch a new campus it gets filled right away What strategies can you share with other church leaders in this area

When we launched our church we also formed a church-planting organization called ARC (Association of Related Churches) that now has planted 540 churches across America At ARC we teach church planters eight things that make a great church plant We use the same checklist when planting new campuses These eight things are1) You have to prepare the area spiritually through prayer and fasting2) You have to build a great team Wersquore very good at building a team in

fact we wonrsquot even plant a new campus without a very strong team3) The location is absolutely critical4) How you communicate the launch5) Timing mdash some seasons are better than others Not all months and

weeks are the same6) You canrsquot give people a lesser product than what they get from the

ldquomain campusrdquo7) If you finance it heavily on the front end it actually ends up being cheaper8) Do fewer things extremely well

Wersquore not acting like God doesnrsquot have a role in church growth mdash we definitely give Him glory and we definitely pray But therersquos definitely a ldquoformulardquo In 12 cities wersquore considering right now all of these factors have to a ldquoyesrdquo before we do it

ldquoWhat we do well is take a person on a spiritual journey And itrsquos not ambiguous mdash we make it very clear simple and doablerdquo

THE CE INTERVIEW

churchexecutivecomCHURCH EXECUTIVE bull November December 20158

ldquoPray Firstrdquo is a key principle for Church of the Highlands Hodges leads the finale service of one of the churchrsquos biannual seasons of personal and corporate prayer called ldquo21 Days of Prayerrdquo


THE CE INTERVIEW

You built Church of the Highlands and all succeeding construction projects with cash What can other churches learn from this

What we like to do is grow the church in a portable venue where the overhead is very low It takes only about 20 percent of the church income to run that church so all that other money can be leveraged toward its future We stay portable within six years and grow to five services or to about 4000 people before we build a permanent location

I think what other churches can learn is how patient we are You can become anxious and build too small and you can have so much money put into it you canrsquot afford to do any good ministry

From year one your church has continued to surpass expectations How do you explain this

We do things well we pray and we fast twice a year There are four things that I think cause churches to grow exponentially 1) The God factor mdash what probably surprises people the most is what a

praying church we are 2) Life-giving systems to deliver your mission3) The right team mdash if you have the right people you can do some

great things 4) The right culturemdash if your culture is not life-giving nothing is going

to work

How do you think straight and stay grounded in times of stress and even amid success

I donrsquot want to sound boastful but Irsquom a very disciplined person Irsquom very faithful to my personal Sabbath and to my family time Irsquom very intentional about my breaks I know my limits There are are people who speak into my life and help me watch my schedule and make travel decisions Irsquom very intentional in those areas because Irsquove seen so many casualties already

One thing every leader needs to do is to stay humble Donrsquot think too much of yourself and do not promote yourself My pastorrsquos dad used to say that a man on his face canrsquot fall from that position

What is your approach to succession planningWersquore preparing more people than we would need If something were to

happen to me or when I retire they could lead the church We want to keep the church in a financially healthy place so itrsquos not a burden to the next generation And we prepare a ton of leaders

Still God will ultimately choose the person and it will be clear to everyone It will have to be someone who can handle something this large and if therersquos no financial burden it will be fairly easy I think the future leader will be someone internally

ldquoI think what other churches can learn is how patient we are You can become anxious and build too small and you can have so much money put into it you canrsquot afford to do

any good ministryrdquo


QUICK FACTS ABOUT CHURCH OF THE HIGHLANDSYear established 2001Lead Pastor Chris HodgesDenomination NondenominationalNumber of locations 12Number of staff 240Combined weekly attendance 308072016 budget We ldquobudgetrdquo on 90 percent of the previous yearrsquos income The 2015 income is $72 million so the budget for 2016 is 90 percent of that The projected income for 2016 is around $86 million

THE CE INTERVIEW

What practical tips do you want to share with todayrsquos church plantersDonrsquot do ministry alone You donrsquot have to know everything but

surround yourself with people who do know Be a breath of fresh air Be empowering believe in people be passionate donrsquot be difficult mdash these are the things people are attracted to

What is the future of Church of the Highlands as you see itWersquoll keep building life-giving churches in every community in

Alabama I see 25 to 40 campuses launched in my lifetime Every day Irsquom amazed at Godrsquos supernatural favor

Once a year Highlands hosts ldquoServe Dayrdquo which draws thousands of people across Alabama to spend a day serving others right in their own communities Hodges visits many of the projects where he gets to connect with people and share Godrsquos love


The true cost of stewardship 3 reasons why cost isnrsquot everything when it comes to screening By Patricia Carlson

Protecting Children in the Church

Ministries have a bold task You want mdash and need mdash to be good stewards of your communities and congregations That can often lead to conflicting methodologies when it comes to balancing budgets

While you want to devote the majority of your money to your missions outreach and education programs you also understand the importance of recruiting quality volunteers and employees and prioritizing hiring procedures This of course has a dollar value too

Background screening is one of the most important and effective tools ministries have at their disposal to keep their employees visitors volunteers children finances and other private information safe Itrsquos well-known among church leaders that background checks are the primary line of defense against fending off predators who might do damage to your congregation and its hard-earned reputation

Yet this invaluable hiring instrument is routinely put on the budgetary chopping block because of its supposed high price tag

The true cost of stewardship though can be seen and felt when ministries use the cheapest screening agency available or forego background checks altogether

Here are three reasons why cost isnrsquot everything when it comes to background screening

1) Cost doesnrsquot equal qualityYou might be tempted to accept the lowest bid from the screening

firm which promises you ldquoinstant resultsrdquo Know this There is no single database of criminal information available and instant checks with criminal records do not exist

Criminal records should never be instantly returned this shows that the information was not verified Criminal records should take 24 to 48 hours on average to verify and return In some instances a ldquoNo Recordrdquo result might take 24 to 48 hours to return because of the initial possible hits found on the national database result

Prices for background checks can vary greatly Ministries that are serious about finding a quality Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) should consider using the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) as a starting point Consumer Reporting Agencies that are NAPBS-accredited must pass a series of rigorous tests that ensure they exercise ethical business practices comply with the FCRA as well as state and international consumer protection laws as they relate to the background screening profession

2) Cheap might actually be illegalIf it sounds too good to be true it probably is This is certainly true in the

background screening industryBenton Mobley Director of Compliance for Protect My Ministry says

some screening agencies will promise big returns for a fee as low as $3 The problem is that these companies might be breaking the law and delivering unverified results

ldquoWhat good does an unverified background report do for a client on a generic name like lsquoMike Clarkrsquordquo Mobley asks ldquoTheyrsquore going to get back 27 pages of possible records when in reality their candidate is clear The client has now wasted money and time and will probably not hire the qualified candidate because of a $3 national background check instead of paying for a verified national product

ldquoItrsquos OK to be cheap when you buy sunglasses but not when you buy other thingsrdquo he adds ldquo[This includes] a background reportrdquo

Furthermore providing unverified results is illegal You definitely donrsquot want your church making a hiring decision based on information that was illegally obtained in the first place

3) New hires cost moreTurnover mdash even among volunteers mdash is expensive The entire

recruiting process (both direct and indirect) can cost a church hundreds if not thousands of dollars per volunteer That grows exponentially mdash to the tune of double a personrsquos annual salary mdash for salaried employees especially those at a managerial or executive level

Ministries simply cannot afford to have a rotating roster of volunteers or employees Itrsquos expensive disruptive to your culture and takes time away from more important tasks

Remember It will cost you significantly more to replace a bad hire than to ensure yoursquore getting the right person from the start

Patricia Carlson is a Florida-based freelance writer for Protect My Ministry in Tampa FL wwwprotectmyministrycom


FINANCES amp ADMINISTRATIONfor Church Leaders

Year-end tax amp portfolio planning for pastors

November and December are a busy time of year for most pastors Following the Thanksgiving holiday the liturgical calendar begins anew with the season of Advent As preparations are made to celebrate the coming of the Christ child extra services need to be planned multiple sermons need to be written rehearsals are in full swing for the Christmas pageant and pastors are also ministering to those for whom the holidays are not such a joyous time

Amidst all these preparations pastors need to set aside some time to focus on year-end financial details that have tax implications for 2015 and 2016 Donrsquot let the following items slip past you

By Brian Doughney CFA CFPreg


The housing allowanceThis important tax benefit must be designated prior to the year in

which it will apply Be sure your church or trustee board officially designates a housing allowance for 2016 before the year ends Ordained ministers who own or rent their home are entitled to receive the housing allowance The federal tax code provides clergy with a tax exemption on the portion of their compensation thatrsquos designated as a housing allowance However itrsquos considered taxable income for Social Security and Medicare

The housing allowance must be the lesser of the amount spent on housing-related expenses the fair rental value of the home (furnished plus utilities) or the amount designated by the church Therefore itrsquos important to calculate ahead of time expected expenses for the coming year such as mortgage payments property taxes insurance maintenance utilities and all expenses related to your home or apartment Consider contacting a real estate broker for current estimates of your homersquos rental value

For more on the housing allowance see ldquoThe clergy housing allowance get the factsrdquo in the March April 2015 issue of Church Executive

Maximize itemized deductionsAlthough itrsquos easier to take the standard deduction experts at Intuit

Inc mdash producer of the popular tax and financial software TurboTax and Quicken mdash say one in four taxpayers can lower their tax bill by itemizing deductions To determine whether this benefit applies to you review the allowable expenses yoursquove paid so far in 2015 These include but are not limited to home mortgage interest and property taxes state income or sales taxes medical expenses charitable donations work-related magazine subscriptions and uniforms and tuition for classes related to job improvement

Ministers who own their homes and itemize their deductions are eligible to deduct mortgage interest and property taxes on Schedule A even though such items were excluded as part of the housing allowance exclusion This is the so-called ldquodouble-deductionrdquo

Remember that medical expenses can only be deducted to the extent that unreimbursed expenses exceed 10 percent of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) For those who turned 65 during the tax year mdash or are 65 years or older mdash the percentage is reduced to 75 percent of AGI

Increase contributions to your retirement accountIf yoursquore like most Americans you could save much more towards

retirement If you havenrsquot maximized your contribution to your retirement account consider doing so to lower your taxable income For

the 2015 tax year the IRS allows employees to contribute up to $18000 to their 401K and 403(b) retirement plans Those over 50 can make an additional ldquocatch-uprdquo contribution of $6000 Keep in mind that any contributions you make within IRS allowable amounts are tax-deferred until after you retire or begin taking withdrawals

Accountable and Non-accountable Plan expensesIf you have an Accountable Plan be sure to hand in all receipts to

be reimbursed before year-end With an Accountable Plan the church arranges to reimburse clergy for business-related expenses Typically an Accountable Plan requires clergy to substantiate the expense and submit expenses within a designated period of time Under an Accountable Plan reimbursements are excluded from the employeersquos income If your church hasnrsquot established an Accountable Plan or your reimbursable expenses exceed the limits allocated by the church reimbursements are treated as taxable wages In both cases keeping track of receipts is critical to insure accurate repayments or additional income

Review your asset allocationTake a look at how your portfolio assets are currently allocated Are

your asset allocations in line with your investment strategy goals and risk tolerance

Market changes will cause assets to shift and you want to insure that assets are placed into accounts that will maximize your investment strategy and benefit your overall portfolio

Meet with your financial advisorA year-end meeting with your financial advisor provides an

opportunity to review spending savings and investment goals and determine which ones have been met and which ones might need adjustment Take advantage of this time to ask questions review year-end tax strategies and set goals that allow you to bring in the New Year with a clear financial direction

Brian Doughney CFA CFPreg is a Senior Manager in the Wealth Management Division at MMBB Financial Services [ wwwmmbborg ] He works with members who need help in determining whether they are on track to meet their financial goals

The Special Church Election allows churches to contribute to the retirement plan of their employees when either

the employee has a very low compensation or a very high housing allowance Under the rule the church can contribute up to $10000 per year even though the pastor doesnrsquot have that much in cash compensation The lifetime maximum is $40000

TIP


W O R S H I P A R E A SDESIGNING

Acoustical audio video and lighting systems can drastically influence mdash positively and or negatively mdash the entire built environment of a worship space

Regardless of the type size style and so on these systems today are much like the story of an old minister of music colleague No one would ever allow a pianist to consistently miss notes while playing for worship

The same is true for the technical staff and the equipment used

Acoustical audio video and lighting systems are becoming more and more prevalent in the worship environment as a way of engaging the worshiper more than just through the auditory system God has uniquely made each of us in such a way that as our senses are stimulated we gain more understanding The more senses that are simultaneously stimulated the more understanding is possible mdashand the more memorable the experience (Wow We were fearfully and wonderfully made)

Focus on acousticsWhile somewhat hard to understand proper acoustical environments

are critical to a successful room While itrsquos possible to take a room thatrsquos acoustically incorrect and install an audio system the system will be less than its best until the acoustical system is correct Itrsquos like saying the transmission (audio system) is working great while the engine (acoustical system) isnrsquot firing correctly on two cylinders The car will go down the road but those cylinders that arenrsquot firing will directly correlate to the difficulty attaining adequate intelligibility with the audio system So make sure the acoustics are good before spending tons of money on an audio system

By Curtiss H Doss AIA with Doug Hood

Focus on audio Audio systems mdash commonly referred to as sound systems but more

aptly named sound reinforcement systems mdash have become as common as a keyboard to the worship space environment

Regardless of denomination or worship style all church leaders can agree that the delivery of the spoken word (specifically the gospel message) is of the utmost importance Let me go one step further The clarity of the spoken word and the ability for the congregation to understand it must be the highest priority In other words itrsquos one thing for the pastor to present the Word itrsquos a far different thing to evaluate if the congregation can clearly hear every word and understand the message If your church is contemplating a new sound system mdash whether for a renovation or a new construction project mdash take comfort in knowing that therersquos a way to predict and measure this type of clarity of a loudspeaker system Itrsquos called a Speech Transmission Index or STI and it can be calculated within acoustical design software The STI score of a system ranges from 0 to 1 The higher the STI score the better the intelligibility An STI rating of 0 would be the worst while a score of 1 would be the best Itrsquos too much detail to get into here but when a church works with a reputable firm who specializes in these systems it can get a prediction of how well its system will perform during the design stage The church can also measure and test the final results when the system installation is complete

Focus on video Almost as common are video systems which typically are used for

projection of a computer-generated image for better visibility to the seating areas These same systems can be used for image magnification via a video camera input and some complex graphic components All these systems are typically used to draw worshippers into the worship experience by touching more of their individual senses

The world of video is light years beyond just a screen and a projector Not too long ago the era of slide projectors and overhead projectors was in effect After that came the magic of the LCD projector which put vastly increased brightness within most churchesrsquo reach These projectors were pretty simple to use and you could feed a computer or camera signal into it Oh the excitement

Today a proper video system design takes much more into account than just the size of the screen and the brightness of the projector Just the screen itself can be a topic of discussion Will you use left right screens or left center right or triple-wide Each has its own merits which are important to evaluate during the design phase

Next your church will need to decide on a projector type such as LCD DLP or laser Which will be best-suited to your needs and budget Beyond projectors there are applications where itrsquos best to use a single LED TV or a group of LED TVs in a custom video wall configuration For venues with tons of natural light pouring through mdash and also churches looking to be more creative with their displays mdash an approach using LED modular video walls can be the best solution LED walls are totally scalable which is a very attractive attribute when designing a custom size to fit a custom space Beyond the obvious there are also applications for additional video systems to serve as a digital chalkboard for the pastor as well as ldquofillrdquo monitors for use as more of a visual design element than just for lyrics or sermon notes

The only limit is your imagination Also important is to study not just how the congregation views video

content but how the people on the stage can view it Most churches are using some type of presentation software that allows them to display song lyrics to the congregation But how do the singers onstage see the lyrics Depending on the depth of the room large projection screens TVs or LED walls can be placed on the back wall This is sometimes referred to as a video ldquoconfidence monitorrdquo If the room has a balcony this limits placement options so the confidence monitor could be placed on the balcony face or there are some instances when TVs are positioned in front of the stage As you review placement options one thing to keep in mind is to imagine how the people on stage will appear as they look up or down

How technology affects worship space design

Raleigh First Assembly (RFA) in Raleigh NC


to their confidence monitor As others (the pastor worship team and so on) lead the congregation the goal is for the people on stage to appear as if theyrsquore looking at the congregation we donrsquot want them looking down at the floor or up at the ceiling

Video plays a huge role outside the worship space too For example how is video information transferred across the facility Commonly referred to as ldquodigital signagerdquo these systems are very effective in creating interest throughout the space communicating content such as announcements directions and also for projecting a live camera feed to places such as the nursery green room etc so those outside the worship space are connected to whatrsquos happening in real time

Focus on lightingThe introduction of lighting systems was very long ago however

the advent of new technology and the need for better visual acuity has translated a somewhat straightforward lighting concept to one which can completely transition a plain environment into a very special place

For years now all CSDrsquos designs have used all-LED solutions That means no bulbs to change and also no dimmer racks This represents huge energy savings for existing buildings and new construction projects alike When planning for your new system yoursquoll want to look for a mix of fixture types Variety is important You want to have many tools in your toolbox so you can be creative mdash not just now but for years to come as you continually work on new stage designs

A typical system will use a combination of ellipsoidals (spots) fresnel PAR (floods) moving lights and strip lights for architectural accent wall wash By using a variety of fixtures yoursquoll not only gain flexibility for design but also save money as you can incorporate different budget ranges of fixtures Keep in mind in this new world of LED fixtures that these can potentially require a lot of DMX channels Be mindful during the design phase to track the amount of DMX channels required for your system and take that into account before choosing your lighting control system

Now letrsquos move on to the house lighting fixtures for your space The cost of full-color mixing RGBW LED fixtures has continued to come down as more and more manufacturers have created viable options As the name implies each fixture has red green blue and white LEDs so theyrsquore capable of creating excellent white light for your day-to-day use or for use during the sermon However they can also create any color of the rainbow so you can transform the entire room instantly and creatively for worship concerts dramas and special productions Currently this is one of the areas I see clients get most excited about Imagine your entire worship center as your empty canvas and you have a full box of huge Crayons the possibilities are endless Not all people respond to ldquoproductionrdquo but everyone responds to beauty A creative custom lighting system will give you the ability to literally bathe your worship space in a beautiful array of color

Examining environmental projectionMany churches have the need to dramatically change the look of the

sanctuary but quickly and without a bunch of stuff to move around or storage concerns Environmental projection (EP) is a tremendous value and makes this possible

EP goes over and above the ldquoregularrdquo video projection system it uses several projectors (typically three) designed to use the walls ceiling as the projection surface instead of a projection screen Many churches need to do a traditional service and a contemporary service in the same space mdash but how How can you create an atmosphere that will appeal to both groups of people each different in their expectations EP allows you to create a visually immersive space

Letrsquos say you have a traditional service at 9 am With EP for your 9 am service you could project stained glass across the entire width of the room Or you could simply leave the system turned off mdash whatever works best for your congregation Then for your 11 am contemporary service you could have something beautiful something edgy or something crazy The key to the effectiveness of this system is using what works best for your group

Each church is different As you tap into what your congregation responds best to yoursquoll see what a powerful and creative tool environmental projection can be

Blur the lineWhen it gets really cool is when the blending of all these systems mdash

properly designed and integrated mdash begin to create a synergistic function of pushing the worship experience both music and spoken word into an entirely new realm of capacity Itrsquos like moving from a flat-bottom fishing boat with paddle to a bass boat with a high-speed motor

The worlds of audio video lighting are colliding mdash and thatrsquos a good thing As mentioned previously there are video pieces that used as design elements There are lighting pieces that project images There are motorized fixtures with projectors inside so you can project full-motion video anywhere you want it There are electronic systems that allow us to alter the acoustics of the room from an iPad You can see how the various aspects of technology are morphing into one This is awesome when designing

We can now approach your entire room as a canvas not just the stage Often I talk about the invisible line that exists between the front edge of the stage and the rest of the room My goal is to remove that line altogether or at least blur it Working with a team approach (architect AVLA firm builder) we encourage you to blur that line through creative design focused engineering and a huge vision to make your space the best it can be to deliver the most powerful Message in the world

The bottom line is this you need a great design team of folks mdash architects engineers and specialty consultants mdash to create the best environments for the most effective worship experiences They donrsquot have to be expensive in a relative discussion but they do need to be balanced and done well

One last time Each church has a different DNA and must be addressed separately than any other church Cookie-cutter solutions are for cookies mdash not churches

Curtiss H Doss AIA is principal of McGehee Nicholson Burke (MNB) Architects in Memphis TN [ wwwmnbarchitectscom ] Doss has consulted with church clients for more than 20 years and his architectural practice spans more than 30 years

Doug Hood is president of CSD Group Inc (audio video lighting acoustics) in Fort Wayne IN and an NACDB-Certified Church Consultant [ wwwcsduscom ]


CHURCH ACCOUNTING BASICS

By creating easy to manage accounts and measuring performance against expected outcomes we ensure accountability and transparency in our churches

There are two main areas we can focus on to learn how to develop financial awareness which in turn result in financial statement transparency and accountability1) Chart of Accounts mdash reporting criteria2) Inspecting what we expect

Simplify your Chart of AccountsI donrsquot think we give enough credit to the Chart of Accounts for being

the source of our transparency challengesWith modern accounting software you can achieve the insights

you need to understand and validate financial statement data and documentation Todayrsquos financial tools should simplify the chart of accounts and allow us to ldquotagrdquo transactions with not only the ldquowhatrdquo but the ldquowhyrdquo and the ldquowhererdquo With a flexible financial foundation you can add context to your data easily We need to raise our expectations in church finance our software should keep it simple and understandable

I think therersquos nothing more frustrating for financial committees or boards of directors than to look at financial statements that are either too summarized or too complicated to understand the results By simplifying

By Tammy Bunting

amp ACCOUNTABILITY How to lay the foundation for true church accounting stewardship

the Chart of Accounts and using dimensional components modern accounting software introduces an entirely new way to track and report on financial and operational data With a flexible foundation you gain quick access to the insights necessary to ensure confidence in the data presented Having access to changing cash amounts (by multiple levels of ministry) and having the ability to view fluctuations between budgets or years at any level (presented weekly or monthly) eliminates any question about the accuracy of the data

Although we value the need to present GAAP financial statements and to have a certified public accountant identify any material weaknesses our goal is to have financial data validated and trends assessed on a regular basis Any unusual changes can be quickly identified and addressed accordingly

Inspecting what we expect Being good stewards of the resources God has provided isnrsquot just

something we hope we can do mdash itrsquos something wersquore expected to do Measuring performance brings greater awareness to ministry operations By determining the expected outcomes and measuring performance against them we can bring any significant variances to the forefront

How can we help our church leaders get the broad perspective they need to gain insight and confidence in dollars and the impacts This is where I believe analytics come in Analytics refers to the discovery and communication of meaningful patterns in data When looking at the measurements of impacts mdash and not just dollars spent mdash you gain insight By clearly defining a positive trend or successful community impact yoursquore able to make results-driven decisions

Accountability is simply the willingness to accept responsibility It can become tricky if yoursquore responsible for managing something over which you donrsquot have full control Dealing with church finances can be challenging when you feel detached from the numbers and their impacts When things are moving at the speed of light and change is just a normal day-to-day event accountability can appear to be thrown out the window This is where allocating funds ahead of time comes in handy Creating budgets can establish a baseline from which to work

Some ministry leaders literally break out into a sweat at the mere mention of budgets They shouldnrsquot Budgets allow you to have some control over what you spend A monthly budget can help you decide how to spend your money and prevent unexpected purchases

Accountability doesnrsquot mean ldquoperfectionrdquo Focus instead on being willing and flexible enough to accept what itrsquos going to take to be accountable

Transparency made simpleIf financial statements arenrsquot ldquousedrdquo (meaning no one understands

the data) then theyrsquore just numbers on a sheet of paper To have full transparency the goal in presenting financial data is to provide ldquousefulrdquo information That means clearly stated financial performance and cash flows presented in such a way that they validate whether or not mission efforts are being met or better yet exceeded

Managing finances under defined budget parameters and reporting any variances will give the governing body the assurance that the churchrsquos financial status is stable

Disclosing cash flows and forecasts based on current trends and future expectations satisfies the need for further clarity and demonstrates accountability

Most important keep it simple Donrsquot let the numbers take over Tell the story show what matters summarize the right data and project accurately

Tammy Bunting is the Director of Not-for-Profit Services at AcctTwo [ wwwaccttwocom ] which provides cloud-based financial management software and outsourced accounting for churches AcctTworsquos solutions help churches automate processes increase accuracy and provide a complete financial picture

ldquoAnd now you know the rest of the storyrdquo

Remember the words of Paul Harvey the legendary radio broadcaster

As leaders of the church we canrsquot depend on a CPA firm performing an audit to give us ldquothe rest of the storyrdquo Transparency and accountability can be ongoing and non-invasive mdash but only when we build a good financial infrastructure


Construction amp materials breaking down seating selection

When we think of worship seating construction and the types of materials used what questions first come to mind Is engineered wood better than solid wood How will the longevity of the fabric impact the overall life of the pews chairs or auditorium seats Whatrsquos a realistic expectation of foam degradation

The unknowns can be daunting Knowing the right questions to ask can quickly put your mind at ease

By Amanda Opdycke

Wood qualityWood quality is impacted by the process a company might use to

achieve optimal moisture content The drying process is important as itrsquos a means of controlling moisture

content which can impact the manufacturerrsquos ability to rip the lumber into the correct lengths and widths needed for the furniture

Having control over the drying process ensures the shrinkage and swelling of the wood doesnrsquot result in serious flaws prior to manufacture or once the seating is installed

Wood species selection is also important as each congregation will have unique needs The type of wood used in the seating can be a major factor in the decision-making process

Fabric durabilityFabrics should be independently rated as extra-heavy-duty and

include some level of stain resistanceThe Wyzenbeek Test is a method of testing used to determine the

durability and abrasion resistance of a fabric in what the fabric industry refers to as ldquodouble rubsrdquo The higher the number of double rubs the more resistant to abrasion the fabric will be

Finish qualityFinish quality is a two-part piece of the equation You will want to

find out if the manufacturer uses stain sealer and top coat formulated to be formaldehyde-free Is the stain applied by hand a manually operated spray system or a combination Stain can be wiped down to ensure penetration into the wood grain and reduce the opportunity for the stain to streak or run

Does the manufacturer use a two-component catalyzed sealer This can be applied using the manually controlled spray system

Is the furniture air-dried or oven-cured Does the manufacturer use a UV-stable top coat to prevent yellowing while providing scratch resistance and protection This results in a quality finish thatrsquos more resilient and durable than lacquer finishes

Foam qualityFoam will naturally degrade over time In fact most conventional

foam will degrade at a rate impacted by use as well as the interior environment Pounds-per-square-inch is an indicator used to determine the realistic life expectancy of foam Fewer pounds per square inch are proportional to a higher rate of degradation over time

Pew chair and auditorium seat constructionStylistically furniture design is important to the church but the

design should also speak to the construction How are the parts of the furniture attached to enhance durability

A contoured seat will provide additional support against sagging without the need for additional boards which add to a bulky appearance The pew end should be routed to allow the backs seats and cap rail to attach directly into the pew end The cap rail of the pew is also attached to the pew end by using tongue-and-groove construction methods Attaching each component directly into the pew end alleviates any issue that could be experienced if the attachment method uses a wood cleat as part of the joinery

Amanda Opdycke is Worship Market Manager at Sauder Worship Seating in Archbold OH wwwsauderworshipcom

By Amanda Opdycke

Detail of joinery of the pew seat and back into the pew cap rail All three pieces feed into the pew end to provide overall strength of the pew

Construction of upholstered pew seat

best practices for reaching your churchrsquos budget goals By Derek Gillette

Irsquom an avid fan of stealing other peoplersquos content and making it my own This is how great artists make their living Find something amazing get inspired and then repurpose the work and make it your own To take a piece of Scripture slightly out of context ldquoThere are no new ideas under the sunrdquo (Eccl 19)

As I read the Puget Sound Business Journal a few months ago mdash in print I might add mdash I stumbled across an article titled ldquo7 ways to make a real connection and realize a real return on that sponsorshiprdquo The author Adam Worchester made seven points about how corporate non-profit sponsors can motivate their employees to form a deeper bond with the cause theyrsquore supporting

I found the advice to be spot-on so I decided to ldquostealrdquo Worchesterrsquos seven points and rewrite them specifically for churches What follows are the seven best practices for reaching your churchrsquos budget goals



1 Invest more than moneyWersquove found that giving often is the first act a person will take once he

or she has decided theyrsquore ready to be more involved in your church How easy is it to use a mobile phone and give to your church for the first time And then how is your church making a dedicated effort to view this first gift as a raised hand

Lay out the logical next step for a person to go deeper Perhaps itrsquos a small group volunteering opportunity or just a shared meal coffee with the pastor

2 Develop a visionNon-profit groups implicitly understand the importance of casting

a vision Rather than relying on obedience they paint a picture and tell a story

In fact keeping the impact front-and-center is now a best practice used by many companies mdash and churches can do the same It involves recognizing a need in the world understanding that money is required to meet the need and finding a model to simultaneously create funding and address it

3 Stay in touchI like to call this category ldquothe First 100 Daysrdquo When someone

gives for the first time what do the next 100 days look like for that individual What follow-up protocols are in place Is there an automated email workflow Does it trigger a phone call from a member of your leadership team

According to fundraising experts Pursuant first-time donors who get a personal thank-you within 48 hours are four times more likely to give a second gift

4 Review performanceWe all know that one of the toughest things to create in church is

consistent participation especially for volunteer events The same could be said for raising money to support special campaigns mdash a building fund new ministry support or a large missionrsquos fundraising night for example

Does your church have a mandatory review process after such events are completed What worked and what didnrsquot What did people get most excited about What feedback was collected and how do we incorporate that for next time Church databases can help you track this information

5 Review prioritiesPerhaps your church for 20 years has operated a Tuesday morning

homeless ministry But three years ago the person who had the heart for the program left the church Is this ministry still something your church is passionate about running

Asking these honest and hard questions from time to time keeps your church on track and in-sync with the heart of your congregation This also keeps your church innovating rather than falling stagnant

We applied this principle to our own giving software recently launching a feature called Fastpay which cuts the giving time down from 10 seconds to five To learn more visit youtubecomwatchv=myRKmD1KMuoampfeature=youtube

6 Analyze spendingWorchester queries in the original article ldquoIs your sponsorship money

being used in the most efficient waysrdquo This is an important question churches need to operate with the same introspection

How much are we paying for donation-processing How time-consuming is our weekly reconciliation Is it eating up staff resources which could be spent in other ways Also how many contributions are we losing by not giving people an easy way to give from their mobile phones (Seriously you guys mdash this is a huge one)

7 Be creativeThere are three values younger-generation donors look for

transparency authenticity and social justice What creative ways has your church tapped into those sentiments

Has your pastor talked from the stage about the personal causes he or she supports

Do you give updates on the impact of the money thatrsquos been given to date Are you using technology mdash such as the eChurch app mdash to send push

notifications about current needs Donrsquot be afraid to step outside the box and create an opportunity for

conversation to happen

Derek Gillette is the communications manager for Pushpay [ httpspushpaycom ] and eChurch [ httpechurchgivingcom ] the 10-second mobile giving solution Ninety-percent who download the app give with it 45 percent of gifts happen on days other than Sunday and the average gift size is $176 Continue the conversation with Gillette on Twitter httpstwittercomderekgilletteco

ldquoWhen someone gives for the first time what do the next 100 days look like for that

individual What follow-up protocols are in place Is there an automated email workflow Does it trigger a phone call from a member of

your leadership teamrdquo

CHURCH EXECUTIVE bull November December 201520

Accidents happen Catastrophes are unpredictable There are many situations a church might encounter that will require submitting an insurance claim

To a church the claims process can be overwhelming as you might have little understanding of what happens behind the scenes

To offer insight and make the process easier for you and your insurance company learn about who yoursquoll be working with how you can be prepared after submitting a claim and the settlement timeline

Itrsquos important to remember yoursquore not alone during this process and you should have support to answer any questions and guide you along the way In most cases this will be an insurance adjuster The adjuster represents the insurance company and its role is to resolve the customerrsquos issue and serve as a channel between the customer and insurance company

Additionally the adjuster should offer you a better understanding of what to expect during the claims process You should be informed of whatrsquos required and how to make the course easier for both parties Items of discussion might include your coverage and the deductible Itrsquos important to note the adjuster should be your main point of contact during the entire claims process

What to have readyBecause each insurance claim is unique there isnrsquot one set list of

information you should have prepared for your adjuster Here are some tips on what to have prepared for common types of claims

Theft Date of loss damages sustained items missing police report case number and ownership documents

Fire Location of fire damages sustained Fire Department involved and cause of the fire

Lightning Date and time of loss direct strike damage such as building trees etc items damaged detailed evaluation forms from repair technicians noting the cause of damage and estimated cost of repairs or replacement

Roof Damage Loss location type of damage indication of interior leaks age and type of roof cause of loss indication of emergency repairs needed estimate of repairs if available and indication of past repairs or claims

Water Damage Confirmation of water main turned off indication of fresh water or sewage approximate square footage of area affected and source of the water

Be prepared with as much detail as possible regarding your claim The more information you have ready the less your adjuster will be required to follow up mdash and the quicker the process will be completed

The claims timelineAgain because each claim is different the timeline wonrsquot be the same

for every situation However customers can expect to be contacted by an adjuster within two business days after submitting a claim From there an adjuster might spend two to five days gathering information for an estimate The industry average for a property claim to go through the entire process is 16 to 20 days

The degree of the claim will determine the average time of completing the process Claims mdash such as bodily injury professional liability and specialty losses mdash will typically require more time and attention from the adjuster

Making the process easier Handling a loss at your church can be challenging With the teamwork

of the church insurance company and insurance adjuster returning to pre-loss operating conditions can be easier When initially filing your claim be sure to include all relevant contact information to ensure the adjuster can easily and quickly reach you Also identify your preferred method of how they can contact you Be patient with the adjuster but also prompt in offering information when itrsquos requested

Gaining a better understanding of insurance claims and what it takes to resolve an issue can be helpful in getting your organization through a loss Remember to be patient and work as a team with your adjuster and the feelings of stress and worry will disappear

Dave Sours is Vice President of Claims Operations at GuideOne Insurance [ wwwguideonecom ] in West Des Moines IA and has been with the company for more than 20 years He is responsible for managing GuideOnersquos claims division including the companyrsquos field operations

What happens after you submit a church insurance claim

INSURANCE ESSENTIALS

By Dave Sours

LEARN MORE ABOUT AMERICArsquoS PREMIERCAPITAL CAMPAIGN CONSULTING SERVICE

THE GAGE GROUPwwwthegagegroupcom bull (800) 684-4243

Shepherd of the Hills and The Gage Group

celebrate this record setting capital

campaign This extraordinary demonstration

of generous giving will impact the Northern

Los Angeles area and beyond with the life

changing message of Jesus Christ

T H E C H U R C HSHEPHERD OF THE HILLS - PORTER RANCH CA

T H E L E A D E RDUDLEY RUTHERFORD - SENIOR PASTOR

T H E CONSULTANTPAUL GAGE - THE GAGE GROUP

T H E R E S U LT

$33000000 B A C K T O B A C K C A M P A I G N S

T O T A L P L E D G E


Learn what they did mdash and what you should do next

Funding ministry is likely the most complex part of your role as a church leader Changing attitudes around giving and involvement donrsquot help tithing and weekly attendance is no longer considered normal These shifts are making it harder and harder for you to fully fund your vision

It can seem impossible

Yet many church leaders are beginning to learn that working smarter not harder is the way to discover your path to developing a culture of stewardship in your church

Intelligent Church Giving

HOW 2 CHURCHES USE DATA AND TECHNOLOGY TO REACH

MORE AND RAISE MORE

By Joel Mikell amp Derek Hazelet


Dana Lawson mdash Chief Financial Officer Cornerstone ChurchCornerstone Church has experienced tremendous growth over the past

several years Like many growing churches it was looking for ways to fund the new opportunities that were emerging because of the rapid growth

The leadership team tried a variety of approaches before deciding to use data to drive their decision-making What they found completely transformed their strategy

ldquoIt wasnrsquot until we started digging below the top-line numbers that we realized the answers we were looking for were right in front of usrdquo Lawson recalls ldquoWe just didnrsquot have a way to surface them until we started mining the datardquo

Cornerstonersquos leadership uncovered the insights they needed to make more informed ministry decisions They learned which giving segments were growing which ones were not and why They even discovered hundreds of givers who donrsquot even live in the same state yet are connected through their TV broadcasts and online presence With this detailed information they were able to refine their thinking and shift their planning which resulted in not just growth in giving but also expanded ministry opportunities

ldquoWe assumed we were doing all the right things in the right ways but quickly realized how important it is to challenge or validate our assumptions with objective informationrdquo Lawson points out ldquoAnalyzing data gave us the clarity and confidence we needed to improve ministry funding and ensure it keeps pace with our rapid growthrdquo

Are you ready to reach more mdash and raise moreYour church has the ability to apply the principles behind Intelligent

Church Giving just like Long Hollow and Cornerstone have done Take an even deeper look into how data and technology have helped churches reach more people mdash and raise more money mdash by downloading our latest resource at wwwRSIstewardshipcomICGinAction

Joel Mikell is president at RSI Stewardship wwwrsistewardshipcomFollow him on Twitter joelmikell or find him on Facebook wwwfacebookcomjoelmikell

Derek Hazelet is senior vice president at RSI Stewardship Find him on Twitterdhazelet or LinkedIn wwwlinkedincominderekhazelet

You canrsquot overcome the looming challenges you face by doing things the same way yoursquove always done them But herersquos the good news Data and technology provide a new way to guide how you engage members cultivate generosity and grow your church These new tools in your toolbox will actually increase your opportunity for personal interactions and support your desire to disciple more effectively

Intelligent church giving in actionHere are two church leaders who have discovered that doing things

differently is exactly what was needed to improve ministry funding and Kingdom impact

Lance Taylor mdash Executive Pastor Long Hollow Baptist ChurchLong Hollow Baptist Church has experienced tremendous growth over

the past decade reaching as many as 7500 people on a Sunday and making a worldwide impact including funding orphanages on three continents

As the church grew the leadership realized that greater complexity required better systems ldquoYou canrsquot communicate in a church of 5000 the same way you do in a church of 2500rdquo Taylor says ldquoWe knew we had to become better at targeting our communication efforts if we wanted to help each individual grow and challenge them to take the next step in their spiritual journeyrdquo

For the past several years Long Hollow has taken steps to automate its communication strategy using technology to improve engagement Through segmentation Long Hollow has been able to provide specific and relevant content in a way that provides actionable insights for its team

For example Long Hollow strategically evaluates each age group in the church and how the messaging should be targeted Additionally guest attendance new member activity and first-time gifts automatically trigger workflows when an action is taken These systems ensure church members arenrsquot slipping through the cracks by sending personal touch points to members who havenrsquot been involved in the church after several months

ldquoWe realized that what we were doing would have to change if we were going to be positioned to go to the next levelrdquo Taylor explains ldquoLeveraging systems and technology solutions has improved our engagement efforts actually enhancing our discipleship strategiesrdquo


Once offers are in hand your leadership team should make a final lender selection 90 days prior to the desired project start date Normally a construction loan can be closed within 60 days By allowing 90 days you will have time to work through any unanticipated issues related to ldquocloudsrdquo on land title (old unreleased mortgages easements) or environmental issues No matter what never start construction before you have a firm financing commitment in hand with all contingencies met (appraisal environmental and so on) Aside from the matter of ldquobroken lien priorityrdquo mdash which could complicate your ability to secure title insurance (a standard loan requirement) mdash you also risk your credibility with potential lenders Lenders might question why you would put your institutionrsquos good name on a construction contract prior to securing the means to meet the financial obligations under that contract

Given your financing offer will be contingent upon a maximum loan-to-value your property value and proposed improvements will need to be appraised Consequently your religious institutions will also need to coordinate the timeline for the development of the architectural plans and a line-item construction budget These generally need to be at least 75-percent complete at the time of lender selection for the lender to order your appraisal The appraisal can take from four to six weeks to complete Additionally your lender might require that a cost engineer be engaged to review the construction plan and budget The cost review can usually be completed within two or three weeks assuming the architectural plans and budget are 95-percent complete upon submission to the engineer

As you near loan closing you will need to provide the lender with comprehensive lists of the ldquoSources and Usesrdquo of funding Both these dollar amount totals must match as of loan closing The ldquosourcesrdquo list should only include three items costs already paid prior to loan closing cash on hand for the project and amount of loan commitment

Some borrowers mistakenly include a fourth source future cash from incoming pledges during construction Most lenders will not want to assume the risk of liens or even litigation which could arise should unforeseen economic or other events cause the pledge campaign to stall out after the loan is closed The total ldquouses-of-fundsrdquo list is not limited to the construction contract amount The ldquousesrdquo list must also include other project-related costs such as architectural fees permits soil tests landscaping off-site items (turning lanes or street lights for example) loan closing costs and so on

Loan covenants typically prohibit unilateral execution of change orders without prior written authorization from the lender In some cases lenders might approve release of a portion of the amount budgeted for ldquocontingencyrdquo as the means of funding a change order When considering releasing contingency one point-of-focus for the lender will be the percent-of-project-completed-to-date Generally speaking lenders prefer the percent-of-contingency-released-to-date to remain within proximity of the percent-of-project-completed Consequently a bank will be less likely to release a significant amount of the contingency early in the project cycle

A well-planned project timeline and a thoughtfully managed financing process can be achieved when you seek the safety of the right lender Your prospects of achieving this outcome increase when you begin by contacting an experienced religious institutions lender early in the process A major commercial construction project is not a simple undertaking and there is no point in making it more complicated by having to school your lender on all things religious institutions-specific

Dan Mikes is Executive Vice President and National Manager of the Religious Institution Division Bank of the West in San Ramon CA wwwbankofthewestcom

A lender with specialized expertise in financing religious institutions will not expect you to intimately understand or fully anticipate the commercial construction and related borrowing processes Rather a lender with a depth of experience banking this segment can provide consultation and guide you through the process

Nevertheless the ministry will be best served when adequately prepared about what to expect

To assure that your lender selection process goes as smoothly as possible start by looking for lenders with an established track record of working with religious institutions Good indications that lenders have a focused commitment to the religious segment include a long history of providing loans and banking services to religious institutions full-time designated staff with a depth of religious banking experience specific mention of religious institution lending on the lenderrsquos website ministry-specific marketing brochures and support materials and of course a long list of religious institutions references

An experienced lender can help your religious institution identify its borrowing capacity when planning a construction project It is most beneficial to seek this consultation in advance of working with your architect to develop a design concept Be prepared to share the details of any pending capital pledge campaign such as the campaign start date target total pledge goal and desired construction start date

One of the more common mistakes religious institutions make is not allowing enough time between submitting loan applications to lenders and the desired project start date First your religious institutions should allow 30 days to submit loan applications and receive financing offers

Construction financing revisited

By Dan Mikes

A true ministry banker understands that business administrators at religious institutions might only undertake a major commercial construction project once or twice in their careers

Finance amp Lending Trends

Lender experience mdash and your preparation mdash are keys to success

FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR

LINKS36550_TRANQUIILITY_SKY_PGTIF (CMYK 275 PPI 274 PPI 10878 10914) 31421_COMMERCIALBARAI (15342) GOW-EST_REGTRADEMARK_ENLARGED_R_062413EPS (1901) EHL_WHITEEPS (4074)

CMYK

GARAGEGOTHIC TRADE GOTHIC

NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat

85rdquo w x 11125rdquo h



1rdquo 1rdquo LAST REVISED

PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley

None15BOW045_Tranquility_sizeAindd

MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility


WE BELIEVETRANQUILITYCAN COME INTRANQUILITYCAN COME INTRANQUILITY

MANY FORMS

As a national leader in religious institution banking for over 25 years wersquove provided more than $35 billion in financing to the faith community Our affiliation with BNP Paribas one of the worldrsquos largest1 banks and our industry expertise help us provide you with the services and solutions to best reach your financial goals

To speak to a Relationship Manager call 1-800-405-2327

Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender copy2015 Bank of the West Loans subject to credit approval 1Bankratecom Q1 2015

S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo


FOCUS ON ChMS SELECTIONYour church management system (ChMS) does so much

From first-time visitor engagement to giving recordkeeping (and much more) itrsquos one of the most

powerful tools in your churchrsquos management toolbox As such ChMS is not a light investment nor one that ought to be rooted in routine After all mdash if used to its maximum potential mdash it frees up staff to do what they love most ministry

So itrsquos with good reason that ChMS is on the vast majority of our readersrsquo minds According to the most recent Church Executive Reader Survey 79 consider ChMS vital to their daily church operations No surprise there

What might come as a shock is how many of you are likely to invest in ChMS in the next 18 months 64 With nearly two-thirds of our readers considering a shift this issue mdash which focuses on selection strategies mdash comes at a very good time

8 key questions On page 27 Shelby Systems Incrsquos Hal Hallum outlines eight key questions church leaders should ask themselves to help identify the ideal ChMS option These include staff needs (and the corresponding needs of their ministries) the churchrsquos growth plan and trajectory membersrsquo habits and expectations the issue of software support and the true cost of a ChMS investment mdash well beyond dollars and cents

Choosing the right ChMS = not choosing a ChMS at all With this attention-grabbing statement as a jumping-off point Michael Jordan of ACS Technologies mdash on page 28 mdash maps out some common signals that a big ChMS move is in order

To this end Jordan makes the case for a web-based solution thatrsquos ldquo100-percent different from the old way of doing things mdash and also economicalrdquo He also points out that a web-based solution can literally fit in your pocket

ChMS ask ldquoWhyrdquo before you buy Next (page 29) Seraphim Softwarersquos Sam Batterman examines in-depth the why behind a ChMS switch

ldquoWhen yoursquore considering a new system itrsquos vitally important that you look at your internal processes in a new wayrdquo he advises ldquoThe new system is modeled in a different way than the old one If you buy a new system and stick with the old ways you might actually be hurting yourselves by not taking full advantage of the processes the new software were designed to lsquoset freersquordquo

Batterman explains how to make a ldquochecklistrdquo of necessary ChMS functionalities mdash from membership to safe check-in mdash and why itrsquos so important to examine your churchrsquos unique infrastructure before making a decision

When is the RIGHT time for a new ChMS Mark Kitts with Elexio Church Software (page 30) offers three main reasons churches typically ldquopause and reconsiderrdquo their ChMS

Kitts provides several critical questions that will help set an accurate baseline for what your needs truly are ChMS-wise mdash namely what yoursquore hoping it will help you accomplish what system yoursquore switching from and must-have features and functionalities

You donrsquot have to go it alone when making this important investment Check out what our ChMS subject matter experts have to say before signing on the dotted line

Enjoy this installment of the Church Executive ldquoChurch Management Software (ChMS) Forumrdquo As always we welcome your feedback

mdash The Editors

Church Management Software (ChMS) Forum


8 key questions

1 What are your staff needsStart by gathering the most important needs of each ministry at your

church While very few software companies can meet every need itrsquos best to know where your priorities lie A comprehensive analysis should include all items yoursquod like to have but make sure to make a special note of those items that you must have Always have an end in mind when beginning you search

2 Where are you going growing as a churchTalk to church leaders to get a better understanding of the vision

and goal for the next five to 10 years Try looking at software that offers features such as background screening for a growing staff or events management to provide members and visitors with more opportunities to get involved

Consider how your admins spend their days interacting with the features Do the tools need to be more or less mobile-based depending on their communication and personalities Features like these can better prepare everyone for growth


Focus on ChMS Selection

By Hal Hallum

Whether yoursquore hoping to convert from one church management software system to another mdash or even trying church software for the first time mdash you probably know by now that it takes a lot of planning and consideration before you and your church finally decide

To help you along herersquos a handful of important questions to help your church find the best fit for its needs

3 Whatrsquos your member ldquotyperdquo What are their needs and expectations

Take note of the demographics in your congregation and focus on what would improve their connection with your church Visitors are always an important focus however current members are the foundation of the church Keeping them happy and well-informed is something your church software should enable

4 How much support do you need from your software vendorThis can be tricky since some companies can have great support but a

product thatrsquos pretty complexOther companies might label themselves as ldquosimplerdquo but provide low-

level support Just remember Simple can be good mdash but it can also imply a lack of

important features Talk to the rest of your church staff about support this decision will make a big difference down the road

5 Can the application you purchase grow with your churchWith smaller churches a system that can manage small amounts of

data might be all that is needed But once a church starts growing itrsquoll be necessary to find a more advanced and structured software system

If you foresee your church growing in the next few years take that vision and focus on the software thatrsquos most capable of handling changes growth and involvement Your solution should be more scalable

6 Is your prospective software vendor an established company with a good track record

Knowing a companyrsquos history and experience is a great indicator of its software and support function If that history doesnrsquot make you feel completely confident with your decision keep looking

7 Do you require vendor consultationIf so make sure you find a trustworthy company that understands

what it takes to manage a church Again check the companyrsquos background and talk to someone there about their services

8 Whatrsquos the cost of the software packageThe possibility of hidden fees is important to vet Otherwise your

final price might be different than what your church budgeted for And remember the true ldquocostrdquo of your software canrsquot always be

measured in dollars and cents

When choosing a software provider do your research and select a vendor that can meet your churchrsquos needs protect your membersrsquo data and be there to support you in the years to come Itrsquos a big decision selecting the right software can make the difference between success and failure

Hal Hallum is Marketing amp Promotions Manager for Shelby Systems Inc [ wwwshelbysystemscom ] in Cordova TN

How to choose the right management system for your church

ShelbyNext | Membership provides an all-new ministry-focused cloud-based ChMS created to build and engage your church community fostering growth both inside and outside the walls of your church

ShelbyNext | Financials provides cloud-based accounting software specifically designed for the unique needs of the Church


Choosing the right ChMS = not choosing a ChMS at all You donrsquot need new church management software

Traditional ChMS is old antiquated and isnrsquot best suited to help your ministry grow the right way Why get another software system that shares similarities to the one you currently have Theyrsquoll both just continue to underperform and eat up too much of your time

(Was that attention-grabbing enough)



By Michael Jordan

A truly whole-church solution Realm mdash from ACS Technologies mdash is optimized for the convenience of all users It offers secure access to data from any device 247 Macs PCs mobile phones or tablets

If so letrsquos talk about some common reasons why your church might need to get out of the old and choose a solution that can serve your whole church bull Yoursquore still using a cobbled-together system of several different pieces of

software from different vendors bull You have to be in the office at church to do your work but you need to be

out and about bull Your congregants canrsquot edit their own contact information access their

giving history or make contributions online

If any of these statements ring true therersquos good news There are whole-church web-based solutions on the market that are 100-percentdifferent from the old way of doing things mdash and also economical

These solutions are different because they arenrsquot just about data-gathering and number-crunching Of course they do have these capabilities at heart however theyrsquore about engaging and connecting people

Unlike traditional church management software programs that rely on the quality of data entered by staffers web-based whole-church solutions totally handle this aspect of work when people connect with various church activities

When yoursquore using one platform for your entire church staff can manage important information about members and provide a way to keep a pulse on the church during the week

To be most effective you need a solution that can be a real-life every day tool which can literally fit in your pocket It needs to be a solution mdash not a software mdash that blends needed record-keeping with church data to keep staff better equipped and ready to meet the daily challenges they face

It should also enable you to take care of frequent tasks easily and be better prepared to give the special attention to personal connections on a daily basis

Frankly you need a web-based solution that allows for church staff tobull Manage small groupsbull Easily view key data elements with drill-down abilitiesbull Track member involvement and assimilationbull Access data securelybull Review contribution recordsbull Check in for events classes etcbull Send mass emails

With a modern 100-percent web-based software solution yoursquoll have something thatrsquos just as vital to the churchrsquos congregation as it is staff Congregants need to have a connecting point throughout the week to keep them tied to whatrsquos happening with the church and their fellow parishioners

In addition they need a tool that can search sign up for and stayconnected to small groups as well as allow them to review their giving history and manage any recurring gifts they might have planned

For church members web-based solutions make it easy tobull Make online contributionsbull Check event schedulesbull View or print personal giving statements historybull Post news and statusesbull Email contactsbull Update and maintain their contact and personal information

The total packageYou need a true whole-church solution mdash nothing to install therersquos no

need to worry about backups hardware or updatesSo what are you waiting for The time to make the switch from old and

outdated is now

Michael Jordan is a marketing strategist for ACS Technologies wwwacstechnologiescom headquartered in Florence SC with offices in Phoenix Seattle and Greenville SC


ChMS ask ldquoWhyrdquo before you buy

There are dozens of valid reasons for changing ChMS but understand that political capital will be expended in making this change

ldquoWe hate our systemrdquoNow herersquos a reason thatrsquos not valid This statement is probably more of an

indicator that the church has outgrown its software mdash or that the software was a poor match for the church in the first place or that the information isnrsquot sufficient to achieve tasks in an efficient manner

Watch out for this phrase because you could actually replace an old system with a new system hellip and still hear this lament

What a new system meansChurch management systems are three things data processes and

features Sometimes we mistakenly think of features as processes rather a feature is how something is done in a process All church management systems track attendance in some way but how that process is done can vary greatly

When yoursquore considering a new system itrsquos vitally important that you look at your internal processes in a new way The new system is modeled in a different way than the old one If you buy a new system and stick with the old ways you might actually be hurting yourselves by not taking full advantage of the processes the new software were designed to ldquoset freerdquo

List your features build your stakeholdersDonrsquot go shopping without a list Itrsquos good advice for grocery shopping and

even better advice for looking at ChMS Nearly every vendor will handle the basics just make sure you have them

down in the priority order of your church Herersquos a quick list of the ChMS basics you need

Membership mdash track items of importance for any person or organizationFamily units mdash flexible modeling of any family unit



By Sam Batterman

Changing a church management system (ChMS) is a big deal for a church of any size Make sure you understand why you want your church to undergo this shift

Grouping mdash build and maintain collections of people (classes bands skills etc)

Events mdash create and maintain events for services attendance and safe check-in

Attendance mdash track detailed or headcount attendance per eventSafe check-in mdash match up who dropped off children and who can pick

them upReporting mdash analytics and reporting of nearly anythingDonations mdash track donations and pledges and generate tax statements

After the basics things get a bit more nebulous This is where you see the innovation character and direction of different vendors

Evaluate ChMS using your own churchrsquos dataThe vendor should be able to show you what your church will look like

with the new software before you plunk down any cash This is a critical point Every system models family units attendance and groups a little differently Understanding how your existing data fits into their model is vital to success

For example if your church is large (more than 5000 records) you need to understand how fast the processes operate on data of that scale If your vendor wonrsquot entertain this idea run away

During the evaluation check out the usability of the software mdash not just how easy it is to perform common tasks but how difficult is it to do the ldquoimpossiblerdquo tasks How far can you stretch it before you have to resort to exporting files to other tools to accomplish your task

Also consider migration mdash make sure you understand whatrsquos ldquomigratablerdquo and what canrsquot be migrated (And donrsquot forget to ask about cost)

Service service serviceCan you call and get someone on the phone Can you email How quickly

does the vendor respond Does it even know who you are Is it reaching out to you proactively

The most common complaint about ChMS vendors is that the service stinks Understand what yoursquore buying in to a roadmap and a long-term relationship So make sure you ask about a vendorrsquos development roadmap Can you impact that roadmap with your ideas Will the vendor listen to you How fast is the vendor releasing

Finally talk to the vendorrsquos leadership Who are they Do they understand churches Is this an obsession for them or just a hobby

Your infrastructureAre you thinking about buying a cloud-based system with a lousy

wireless internet service Make sure you invest in the infrastructure to make the purchase successful

Are you buying new software but using 10-year-old check-in equipment Think about the impedance of the hardware and software yoursquore combining

Making the right ChMS decision can help you care for your congregants like never before schedule volunteers with ease track new visitors and grow the church Itrsquos an important choice so make the best one you can

Sam Batterman is president and CTO of Seraphim Software in Collegeville PA [ wwwseraphimsoftwarecom ] After years of working for companies including Merck and Microsoft Batterman and his team now enable churches with high-tech tools designed especially for them Come see Seraphim at WFX 2015 in Nashville


In our experience churches usually ldquopause and reconsiderrdquo their ChMS for three main reasons

1) The church changes Is your church exactly the same as it was 25 years ago As the church grows and changes you might need to add ministries for the large number of single parents in your congregation You might have been able to manage basic member information in Excel as a church plant but that method just isnrsquot practical for a thriving church of 1000

2) The community around your church changes People probably arenrsquot looking for the exact same external qualities in a church as they were decades ago Many church seekers are now looking for a place where theyrsquoll have the opportunity to get involved and make a difference and theyrsquore searching online for the right fit To reach them your church must adapt

3) The technology changes As technology advances at a rapid pace the variety of tools available to churches only continues to grow Volunteers no longer need pens and paper mdash there are check-in kiosks and app check-in Donations are online or mobile Data is entered once with ease of integration

When is the RIGHT time for a new ChMSAs churches evaluate their processes and introduce new ways of doing things the common next step in the evaluation is the fundamental platform of a church management system (ChMS)

But what are the milestones that would evoke a pursuit of this magnitude



So yoursquove decided itrsquos time Now whatAs you begin to wrestle with the idea of introducing a new ChMS

platform you quickly realize that the market has seemingly changed overnight Vendors seem to be speaking to you with their promotion of how theyrsquoll change your life with their solutions

But herersquos the reality Before embarking yoursquoll first need to establish your needs Here are a few primers that might help get the conversation started

What are you trying to accomplish through a ChMS Consider your ministry goals and the processes yoursquove established to meet them If your church hasnrsquot already determined these important factors you might need to take a step back mdash name the things yoursquod like to accomplish and determine the steps you must follow to make it happen

Church management software is designed to simplify the administrative tasks so staff can focus on ministry but itrsquos not a ldquomagic ministry pillrdquo Keep in mind that ChMS canrsquot repair broken processes it can however help you optimize them and facilitate discipleship

What are the details of the switch What are you switching from Is your church currently using another ChMS or just making do with spreadsheets Your transition mdash including data conversion and training mdash will vary based on what yoursquore using now And are you prepared to use the next ChMS to its fullest potential

What is your motivation for switching Do you want to save time or money Are you unhappy with your current customer service or lack of new updates Does your current solution offer competitive features

What features and functions do you need Who are your stakeholders What do you value most related to data management Does the product roadmap fall in step with your continued growth projections

Determine what functions your church must accomplish through a ChMS mdash and also what features arenrsquot your highest priorities but will stay on the wish list

Get goingWhatever yoursquove found to be your motivation to begin the pursuit

make sure to pause reflect and begin to assess your needs Solutions are plentiful but marketing only goes so far in telling the whole story

Narrow your results Find your matches Get stakeholders involved in the discussion

Therersquos no mystery that selecting a ChMS is an intense process Even so donrsquot let the intimidation of the process overshadow your ability to start the pursuit

John Connell is COO at Elexio Church Software wwwelexiocom in Elizabethtown PA

Emily Kanter is Elexiorsquos Content Marketing amp Communications Specialist

By John Connell amp Emily Kantner


The Spirit of Stained Glass

Truecolors

In their own era our contemporaries designed cut leaded delivered and installed the stained glass windows Standing on the traditions of the past the history and traditions of our specialized artistry inform the present Artists are designers of composition and form the form relays a symbolic message which we can understand or which will pique our imaginations

A personal connectionHere are a few questions to ask when looking at a stained glass windowDoes the window manipulate color in a subtle way Itrsquos the finer subtleties

that we perceive as artistic Do the forms of the design reinforce the theme of the window The window

should be seen as one integrated wholeDoes the window engage the viewer with the quality of light The window

should display the quality of glass transparency and shimmer

Stained glass has the added dimension in the Christian church of creating image and form to share or evoke the Gospel story The very nature of stained glass is to render a subject symbolically The artistry is parallel to the theme of creation as God spelled it out to us in biblical terms Stained glass should express creativity as God was creative in the seven days at the beginning of our world The expression of this creativity finds its way to us through the way the artist chooses form theme color texture and all the design elements in his or her palette

Stained glass windows allow Godrsquos light to reach us This light is made more meaningful to us by the manipulation of colors symbols and stories The window can be a threshold to the enlightenment we seek as we enter a church it helps to make us more mindful of our own relationship to God

The true spirit of stained glassChristianity has continued to adapt to change over time mdash 2000

yearsrsquo worth Stained glass has done the same for half of that In America the great flowering of church construction paralleled

the growth of the nation From the late 1800s to the great depression as towns grew so did the number of churches in each community

After WWII church construction was renewed as the baby boom generation needed Sunday schools and their parents required a place to worship Much stained glass was made during this time

Many stained glass studios today thrive on the maintenance and restoration of these 100-year-old stained glass windows In Europe mdash since the world wars mdash the preservation of this 1000-year-old history has been stained glass studiosrsquo primary livelihood

Visual artists capture the essence of light in their compositions Therersquos a photograph I keep on my desk taken by my father and printed in his darkroom Itrsquos a photo of my mother in a graveyard bending down to read an inscription on a tombstone The foreground is in shadow and silhouette of a wrought iron fence under the shade of a magnolia tree She is in the sunlight in the middle ground with a gray pattern of trees in the landscape beyond

The true subject of the photograph is light and how it illuminates our world in patterns of light and dark This is what the photographer captured at that moment in time This image mdash as beautiful as it is and as meaningful to me mdash is static and fixed It will always look the same whenever I look at it

This is what separates stained glass from all other artistic mediums When illuminated by natural sunlight stained glass isnrsquot static it

changes in an instant The nature of glass is to bend light As the viewer moves about his or her perspective is no longer a fixed point Movement of the viewer changes the angle of refraction in all surfaces of the glass The viewer moves and the glass changes Itrsquos not the essence of light it is light

Glass mdash with the manipulation of light mdash captures the viewerrsquos imagination in the present moment When we walk into a room of colored light our imaginations are caught and suspended for a time by the beauty of the light in a myriad of color and transformations

This is the spirit of stained glass

Andrew Cary Young president of Pearl River Glass Studio Inc in Jackson MS [ wwwpearlriverglasscom ] has dedicated his 40-year professional career to creating traditional leaded stained glass as well as art glass in service to the Christian Church

Examining the enduring spirit of stained glass in the ChurchThe core elements of stained glass have remained unchanged for more than 1000 years

By Andrew Cary Young


CHALLENGE 5 VENDOR MANAGEMENT mdash allocating work to the right vendors

Outsourcing is a big challenge namely companies trying to figure out their strategy for the amount of work they self-perform versus the amount they manage through vendors

While this topic hasnrsquot disappeared itrsquos not the driver behind operational change According to the Director of Facilities at one restaurant chain ldquoOutsourcing work is a given mdash we know wersquore always going to do it to some degree Itrsquos dealing with the changing amount of work and the churn in our pool of vendors thatrsquos the challengerdquo

Summary from survey Improved vendor management increases the control you have over your operations By implementing price controls you can reduce your costs

What facility managers are doingbull Making vendor decisions based on accumulated performance feedback bull Recording and comparing information on vendor pricingbull Maintaining searchable records of vendor certifications

Conclusion for Challenge 5 There are a many details to address when considering vendors and the real cost of using outside vendors as well as staff resources Also be vigilant about the insurance

CHALLENGE 4 MAKING CHANGES WITHOUT HAVING ENOUGH RELIABLE DATA

About 30 percent of survey respondents consider the capture of reliable data as one of the top two pressing needs in their organizations This proved to be the case for both larger and smaller companies although for somewhat different reasons

Facility managers and directors of larger firms expressed the need to capture relevant historical data across all facilities and vendor types to make strategic decisions and to report out accurately on maintenance and repair spending

Summary from survey Capturing mdash and then using mdash the information associated with all your service and maintenance work equips you make informed effective business decisions

What facility managers are doingbull Comparing spending trends across their organizations to target areas

of wastebull Using historical repair data to inform new equipment and warranty

purchase decisionsbull Monitoring real-time progress on important repair work

Conclusion for Challenge 4 Historical and real-time data is critical to the understanding of past costs trends downtime and projection of costs for our ministry facilities Develop or buy a system that can track this kind of data or partner with someone who can do this for you An Excel spreadsheet wonrsquot likely work unless you have a very small facility

Be proactive and donrsquot ldquoguessrdquo about the past current and future costs required to maintain the resources and tools God has provided

CHALLENGE 3 GETTING MORE WORK DONE WITH FEWER RESOURCES

For nearly every company surveyed increased workload was among the top three concerns Given these belt-tightening times itrsquos no surprise

One factor contributing to the increased burden on facility management teams is the reduction in field technician staffing This might seem counterintuitive however as budget cuts move more work to vendors the burden of vendor recruitment selection and management falls to the facility management organization

An article published by Corrigo Inc mdash specialists in work order and time-tracking solutions mdash shares the findings of a survey devoted to identifying the top five facility management challenges Based on the feedback of 1200 respondents the results for commercial markets bear similarities to the challenges faced by church facilities managers

By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT


1) Call avoidance mdash ldquoIrsquom not sure how many unnecessary service callswersquove paid for this yearrdquo says one facility manager ldquoBut the number isgreater than zero and thatrsquos too manyrdquo The logical first place to look for repair call savings is to avoid themaltogether mdash or at least as much as possible

2) Warranty work management mdash This category represents ldquolow-hanging fruitrdquo for the facility manager looking to save money donrsquot payfor work thatrsquos under warranty As simple as this sounds tracking thewarranty coverage on the large number of complex assets and equipmentis a complex task

3) Price control mdash While planned maintenance work by definition can be budgeted with some degree of accuracy mdash and prices can be prearranged for regularly scheduled services such as janitorial and landscaping mdash itrsquos also possible (and highly recommended) that facility managers set pricing guidelines with their reactive repair vendors

Just because repair work is unpredictable and unscheduled that doesnrsquot mean you donrsquot have control over it

Summary from survey Facility Management might be considered a cost center but it also holds tremendous potential to impact a companyrsquos profitability A dollar saved by a facility management team goes directly to the bottom line Thatrsquos why cost savings is a bottom-line concern for facility management professionals

What facility managers are doingbull Avoiding unnecessary repair costs through client self-help systems and

knowledge basesbull Flagging all assets and equipment under warranty to prevent

unnecessary paymentbull Establishing and monitoring not-to-exceed pricing agreements

with vendors

Conclusion for Challenge 1 In todayrsquos economy (and franklyit should be the standard in every economy since wersquore stewards of something that doesnrsquot belong to us) wersquore looking for ways to save money Sometimes we canrsquot see the obvious items that will allow us to be more efficient and effective The principles addressed in this segment are right in front of us They arenrsquot rocket science but they do require several things1) Understanding of what costs wersquore incurring2) Tracking and maintaining records of items covered by a warranty3) Being diligent to document warranties for all work when applicable4) Establishing processes and procedures that will save you time and

money through an NTE process

Again these are not rocket science mdash but you do have to be intentional

Tim Cool (TLCool ) is founder of Cool Solutions Group [ wwweSPACEcool ] and has assisted nearly 400 US churches (equating to more than 4 million square feet) with their facility needs He has collaborated with churches in the areas of facility needs analysis design coordination pre-construction and construction management as well as life cycle planning facility management Cool Solutions Group is also the developer of eSPACE software products including Event Scheduler Work Order Management and HVAC integrationCool has written three books Successful Master Planning More Than Pretty Pictures Why Church Buildings Matter The Story of Your Space and Church Locality which is co-written by Jim Tomberlin as well as a manual series entitled Intentional Church

Summary from survey Doing more with fewer resources isnrsquot a temporary situation in a competitive market yoursquoll always have pressure to keep operational costs as low as possible To succeed in this environment you need tools that extend your reach and productivity

What facility managers are doingbull Moving away from ad hoc communications by phone fax and emailbull Sharing a common platform with their clients and vendors to

electronically process work requests bull Automating vendor job routing via intelligent systems

Conclusion for Challenge 3 Develop buy or subscribe to asystem that allows you to communicate with your vendors (not as theonly form of communication) and tracks their ETA pricing insurance and performance

Analyze how you will address the need to get more done with less mdashand if outsourcing is an option that can reduce cost and give you mdash theprofessional facility manager administrator mdash the time to be strategicnot tactical

Finally donrsquot be lulled into thinking your vendors will never go outof business or stop wanting to serve your facility Remember the onlyconstant is change Be prepared

CHALLENGE 2 FINDING WAYS TO EXTEND THE LIFE OFEXISTING ASSETS

Itrsquos not just operational budgets that are being squeezed mdash capital expenditures are down substantially as well This translates to keeping existing equipment and assets up and running longer For nearly 60 percent of survey participants extending the life of existing assets was the 1 or 2 concern

By way of analogy consider healthcare One could submit to a daily series of full diagnostic lab and physical tests and this would undoubtedly help identify potential health risks as soon as they occur mdash but at an untenable cost

ldquoThe trick is to find the lsquosweet spotrsquo of how much testing and tweaking you need to dordquo says one facility manager from the grocery industry For example do you need to pay to have your HVAC drive belts checked once a month to avoid a potential expensive repair Once a quarter Once a year

Summary from survey Spending the right amount on preventative maintenance and being able to back up that decision with accurate data can turn a facility manager into a cost-saving hero

What facility managers are doingbull Comparing preventative versus repair costs on all asset types and

adjusting preventive maintenance (PM) spending accordinglybull Using accumulated repair data to implement intelligent predictive

maintenance schedulesbull Applying proactive maintenance on mission critical equipment

Conclusion for Challenge 2 Preventive maintenance mdash ratherthan corrective repairs mdash is a far better approach to caring for the resourcesGod has entrusted to us These are real dollars be good stewards of these dollars and resources This means you must be proactive to understand the facts and not just make assumptions

Become a wise steward of your facilities Like anything in life worth having (like our spiritual life) it takes discipline hard work and planning

CHALLENGE 1 SAVING MONEYTopping the list of concerns for this year was (without a doubt)

saving money When asked how they would like to accomplish this objective

the facility managers surveyed tended to fall in to one of three general categories


Long-term maintenance considerationsBy Mike Jones

If yoursquore in the market for a church bus you really need to think about what happens ldquodown the roadrdquo mdash ie in terms of maintenance

Here are six questions you should ask before you buy and some expert advice

1 How do the long-term maintenance considerations differ if my church buys a used bus instead of a new bus

One of several advantages to a new bus is that maintenance costs are predictable for the most part Regular tire rotations oil changes brake pads and alignment are inexpensive and can easily be figured into a budget

A used bus on the other hand is unpredictable Equipment failures canrsquot be scheduled

For both new and used vehicles the costs associated with routine maintenance are about $500 to $700 (based on 12000 miles) per year However the cost of repairs due to parts failure on a used bus can easily reach $1500 to $1800 per year or more mdash engine transmission AC system suspension brake rotors and calipers etc When purchasing a used bus what might seem like savings and good stewardship on the front end can actually end up costing your church more money in the long run

Converting buses that had perimeter seating (horseshoe-style like airport parking or hotels) to forward-facing is not advisable nor should seating capacities mdash up or down mdash ever be altered by anyone but the manufacture

2 Should our church perform bus maintenance ourselves or should we farm it out

The big question here is whether or not the church has someone available whorsquos qualified to perform the work Is there a maintenance person on staff who is trained and can devote the necessary time to maintaining the bus along with the other equipment Does this person have current certifications to repair equipment like a bus If so then it would be cost-effective for the church to perform its own preventative maintenance

If not for cost and for liabilityrsquos sake heavy-service repairs should be sent to qualified technicians To this end it would be wise for your church to develop a partnership with a local service facility

Drivers should always perform a ldquowalk-around inspectionrdquo before each use A checklist of items to inspect includes bull Tires mdash tread wear and pressurebull Fluids mdash levels and or any signs of leaksbull Belts mdash Are they tight Do they show signs of wearbull Hoses mdash Are they firm when you try to squeeze thembull Glass mdash Look for chips or cracks that could spread while driving

These documents should then be kept in a safe place with the rest ofyour churchrsquos vehicle records

Annual inspections are always a good idea and should be done byqualified mechanics

3 If we outsource our bus maintenance how do we know whorsquos the best choice

First choose the dealer that handles the make of your specific chassis Manufacturers mdash Ford Chevy IC Bus (International) and so on mdash will know their own brands better than anyone else Theyrsquoll also be certified to perform any necessary repairs

Another option is to find a local service center that has a good reputation They can handle maintenance and repairs outside of warranty work

With any potential service provider meet the service manager tour the facility and get a feel for whether or not the service provider seems qualified to perform the necessary work Simply put choose someone you can trust View the relationship with the mechanic(s) as one more ministry opportunity

4 Whatrsquos more cost-efficient our church maintaining the bus ourselves or procuring outside maintenance

Other than routine maintenance itrsquos more cost- efficient to procure outside maintenance

In general buses and vehicles are equipped with more electronic equipment than ever A certified technician will have the tools software and training to diagnose mdash and properly address mdash any problem

Having professionals maintaining your vehicle will make it run better and last longer and it will be safer to operate If you try to save money by having someone within the church handle significant portions of maintenance (which might push the limits of his or her availability) you can end up compounding problems that could have been avoided

5 What are the most common risks associated with providing our church bus maintenance

Therersquos always a risk of ldquohuman errorrdquo or even a faulty component Brakes suspensions and tires are the most underserviced overlooked items If negligence is proven liability could potentially be traced to whomever performed (or didnrsquot perform) the service

Obviously buses weigh quite a bit more than most passenger vehicles If you donrsquot have the proper equipment for lifting the bus something as simple as changing a tire can become a potentially dangerous situation When a church bus gets a flat tire we strongly recommend that the proper roadside assistance company be called to handle changing that tire

6 Who in our church should monitor warranties and scheduled maintenance due dates

Someone at the church should consider a simple electronic program that would notify them of certain maintenance intervals or maybe a spreadsheet to log all the information The tasks should be assigned to someone reliable enough to make sure the data is entered promptly and proficiently

When repairs are needed that person should understand what items are warrantable based on the ownerrsquos manuals These items should be handled by the chassis dealer (Ford GM etc)

If an item isnrsquot under warranty many times an independent repair shop can do repairs for less than a dealer For example if your bus has a broken exhaust from hitting something in the road a damaged muffler wouldnrsquot be warrantable even though the vehicle is under warranty rather this would be considered a road hazard The Ford dealer might charge $350 for a factory muffler whereas if you took to a respectable national chain muffler shop it might replace the muffler mdash and provide the same warranty mdash for $175

Mike Jones is National Sales Manager at ChurchBuscom wwwmidwesttransitcom


Streaming Made Simple

What quality church live streaming looks like

With the advent of live streaming and AV communication we are at the forefront of a media revolution

Make sure your church is ahead of the curve

Q What are the most common mistakes you can make with church streaming mdash and how can I avoid them at my own church

One collective mistake is overcomplicating the technology needed to successfully broadcast While itrsquos true that you need multiple components for a successful live stream there are really only a few key elements that you truly need By simplifying the experience companies like Teradek make it easier to stream video without redundant parts

If your church simply wants to get up and running (read streaming) consider Teradekrsquos LiveAir app for the iPad which lets you start streaming with the option to add titles pre-made video and more If your church already has cameras consider a tool like VidiU or VidiU Pro and yoursquore ready to go live The next two steps are making sure you have Internet and a place you want to send the video

Another common misstep is trying to find one product that meets every need yoursquoll ever have You become caught up in this endless search for this ubiquitous product which ultimately turns into a costly time-intensive inconvenience Whether itrsquos deploying to satellite locations or an online campus the trick is taking a step-by-step method

To offset this search wersquove designed our products for scalability which allows them to grow and adjust as a churchrsquos demands develop For example the VidiU Pro mdash in its simplest form mdash can sit atop one single camera and connect to local Wi-Fi however if a church is interested in a larger production that requires additional production tools (a hardware switcher or external audio for instance) the VidiU Pro could also provide a reliable connection that supports the extra hardware and allow you to successfully stream

Additionally if a church wants to take its production on the road this is where VidiU Prorsquos Sharelink functionality comes in handy It lets users combine the strength of multiple Internet connections including up to four iPhone links to generate adequate bandwidth wherever you go

In the interest of scalability our product line supports all levels of experience from beginners to professional television-level broadcasters Therersquos hardly a learning curve terminology and UI is a standard across the board for our products

Q On the other side of that coin what church streaming practices and tactics have been fruitful for the community

For one thing itrsquos vital to know exactly what theyrsquore looking for and to enter the live-streaming world with well-defined long and short-term goals This isnrsquot exclusive to church streaming setups but to any organization investing in a live streaming setup

To begin this process one of the best tactics is to collaborate with local organizations or individuals that are familiar with live streaming and

By Andrew Ng

the technology around it On our end Teradek designs manufactures supports and ships all its products in-house That level of control not only helps us understand our own products but it also enables us to provide in-depth services to our customers if they have questions or concerns

Q How do live-streaming best practices vary in a church setting versus a more secular environment

When it comes to the fundamental technology involved in live streaming for churches versus a secular environment there isnrsquot much difference The basics remain the same specifically the need for a reliable encoder destination and bandwidth

With that being said there often are more advanced features that secular environments are looking for to increase reliability and quality based on the hardware they use With that ramp-up comes a higher price tag

The real difference comes in the form mdash how the technology is applied and which workflow is best for the church setting Most of the time church volunteers operate the equipment for a live stream in a more secular setting a dedicated operator might be at the helm This is why wersquove prioritized user-friendliness with our VidiU family of products You donrsquot need to be an expert to operate Teradek products With just one click of a button anyone can go live

Andrew Ng is Marketing Manager at Teradek in Irvine CA wwwteradekcom

Teradekrsquos free LiveAir app is a turn-key solution for beginners and a feature-packed workflow for experts A portable setup for capturing retreats and gatherings in the field

Now shipping Teradekrsquos VidiU Pro simplifies premium streaming bringing broadcast technology to the masses at an affordable price point An all-in-one streaming solution VidiU featues enhanced WiFi built-in recording several new streaming options and simplified workflows


By Rik Kirby amp Daniel Keller

Unlike todayrsquos disposable consumer electronics professional audio equipment is not designed to just ldquoset and forgetrdquo Like any precision instrument it should be maintained calibrated and tested on a regular basis to keep it running at peak performance

Consider that in an average church audio system the signal might be passing through hundreds mdash or even thousands mdash of electronic components before reaching your ears As with any complex system of many parts a simple failure can always occur Although todayrsquos modern electronic equipment is exceptionally robust heat dust and general wear and tear can cause components to deteriorate over time

Inexperience can also play a role In a great many of todayrsquos churches most (if not all) of the technical staff are volunteers with varying degrees of expertise Carelessness and a lack of training can contribute to short- or longer-term equipment damage mdash microphones get dropped or yanked from their connectors equipment racks get bumped and liquids get spilled In short stuff happens

Many of the most important steps to protecting your equipment come down to pre-planning Most churches donrsquot have the luxury of a separate room for front-of-house position which is all the more reason to invest in locking equipment cabinets Making essential audio equipment inaccessible to all but qualified personnel will prevent inexperienced users from trying to adjust system settings that should be left to those who are properly trained

If yoursquove invested in a mixing console a locking cover can keep dust and liquids out A good system designer will suggest these and other protective measures and include them in the overall system design

Keeping up the upkeepGoing with the premise that an ounce of prevention is worth

an expensive repair bill it makes good sense to consider a regular maintenance contract Many professional AV firms offer maintenance contracts and in many cases you will find that your system designer or

SOUNDSYSTEMS

SOUND (SYSTEM) DECISIONS mdash MAINTAINING YOUR INVESTMENT

Over the past few months wersquove talked extensively about what to look for in a sound system Wersquove looked at different types of loudspeakers and audio technology Wersquove talked about evaluating your sanctuary space your style of service and your budget And wersquove talked about the importance of hiring a professional for what amounts to one of the biggest investments your church will make

It makes sense then to conclude this series by talking a bit about maintaining your investment

installer provides one as an optional service If they do it makes good sense to consider entrusting your systemrsquos upkeep to the people who know it best

Just as every system is different the cost of a good maintenance contract can vary depending on the complexity of your system and the availability of qualified technical professionals in your area As a very general rule of thumb some professionals suggest calculating your maintenance budget by taking the original cost of the system and dividing it by the expected useful life of the main components For example if your system costs $60000 and its projected lifespan is 10 years you can expect to pay about $6000 per year or $500 per month (Again these are only estimates)


Many churches make the mistake of assuming that since their system is new they can forego a maintenance contract After all even if something breaks itrsquos under manufacturerrsquos warranty right

While that might be true itrsquos important to consider whether anyone on your technical staff has the expertise to identify the problem Also most manufacturersrsquo warranties require you to return the equipment to them for repair Consider whether you can afford to be without a critical part of your system for what could potentially be weeks if not longer

Most regular maintenance agreements include periodic visits these are typically scheduled once or twice a year (though a complex and or heavily used system might be better served by a monthly visit) Here too your system designer can advise you of whatrsquos best

A routine maintenance inspection can take several hours and usually includes a full operational evaluation Your audio pro will route signal through all major paths testing and calibrating levels for consistency A physical inspection and electrical safety check are also performed including checking for loose wiring at critical points such as microphone and speaker connections battery contacts and so on Loudspeaker and amplifier performance is measured If your church uses any wireless systems mdash including microphones in-ear monitors or mixers mdash those systems are tested as well

One of the benefits of maintaining a regular system maintenance schedule is the ability to keep track of system performance Your maintenance engineer will keep a log of test measurements enabling you to see any long-term changes that might impact system health and address them before they become larger more expensive problems

Some maintenance agreements also include the services of a professional for a number of events per year mdash useful if your church holds large Christmas and Easter services for example

Of course a regular service contract will also offer the benefit of telephone support emergency repairs and even loaner gear to get you back up and running should a problem arise

Another often overlooked advantage of a regular service contract is access to knowledge You and your technical staff get the benefit of regular contact with an expert who can answer questions educate and inform offer training and teach best practices He or she can observe your churchrsquos use patterns and offer suggestions and advice on any future upgrades additions or improvements you might want to consider

Yoursquove done your research yoursquove hired a pro and yoursquove crunched the budget numbers to put together the best sound system your church can afford Now itrsquos important to invest in taking care of your new sound system Keep it in top condition so it can deliver to your church many many years of service

Rik Kirby is Vice President Sales amp Marketing at Renkus-Heinz Inc wwwrenkus-heinzcom Located in Southern California for more than 35 years Renkus-Heinz is a manufacturer of high-end professional loudspeaker systemsDaniel Keller is CEO of Get It In Writing Increg wwwgetitinwritingnet


ldquoPeople want to see their church as an extension of their home mdash a place thatrsquos filled with their family and friendsrdquo but they donrsquot have the same level of control at church as at their home says Denise Allen the crime prevention coordinator for the Santa Rosa County Sheriffrsquos Office in Florida ldquoCrimes happen when therersquos desire opportunity and ability We can help churches eliminate the opportunityrdquo

Do a security reviewMany police and sheriffrsquos departments have people who will tour a

church facility and look for vulnerabilities review policies and make recommendations for keeping the church safe Some departments also will patrol church grounds Joining a local neighborhood watch program and setting up a church safety team also go a long way toward keeping your church safe

Address physical vulnerabilitiesHelp minimize risk of theft and intrusion by evaluating the followingDoors and locks Exterior doors should be solid wood or metal and

exterior doors should have a heavy-duty single-cylinder deadbolt Allen advises The quality of the lock on interior doors depends on whatrsquos stored in the room ldquoThe Sunday school room might have a different lock than the room where you store church records and moneyrdquo Allen says

Access Limit building access during times when few people are on the site mdash especially in the early morning or evening At the very least lock any and all doors not in use Some churches lock all doors and require visitors to be buzzed in through a security system during ldquooffrdquo hours

Parking lots Encourage congregants to remove valuables and lock their car doors ldquoToo often people think nothing will happen in a church parking lotrdquo Allen points out

Vegetation Make it hard to hide near windows and doors by keeping vegetation low and trimmed or by using ldquohostilerdquo vegetation thatrsquos hard to climb through such as holly bushes

Lights Illuminate exterior areas and use motion detector sensors ldquoA thief canrsquot be sure someone didnrsquot spot them and turn the light onrdquo Allen says

Outbuildings The doors on outbuildings should be locked at all times especially on buildings that store expensive lawn and maintenance equipment or dangerous chemicals

Little-used entrances The simple solution keep them lockedKeys Limit who has access to keys and whorsquos allowed to duplicate them Money Although many churches have gone to digital collections it still

is common to pass a collection plate at most churches ldquoKeep a very limited amount of cash on hand and have an appropriate

safe for your church mdash possibly a drop safe that can only be opened by certain people at certain times of dayrdquo Allen recommends ldquoIf you make

The word ldquochurchrdquo typically conjures up an image of a safe nurturing environment where people go to share and celebrate their faith But the reality can be a bit more complicated

Too often churches become an irresistible target for criminals because their open-door policies and limited staffing levels can make it easy to pilfer expensive sound systems audiovisual equipment and artwork

STRATEGIESSAFETY

Safeguard your church mdash and your people

cash deposits at the bank have an irregular deposit schedule and use different people to handle the transaction so a thief canrsquot easily determine your patternrdquo

Consider adding a security systemA recent study by Campus Security Magazine shows that most burglars

are deterred by the presence of alarms outdoor cameras and surveillance equipment Investigate the wealth of available security options including cameras alarms perimeter and glass-break sensors panic buttons and coded entry pads Large churches with many buildings might consider hiring a security service

Design and implement effective policies and procedures The best in physical security systems canrsquot make up for poor policies

or enforcementHave a check-in system If practical consider having a central check-in

area where all visitors have to give their name and the reason for being at the church Visitors also should sign in and get an ID badge ldquoThis can be trickyrdquo Allen says ldquoChurches donrsquot want to feel unwelcoming or do anything that conflicts with their missionrdquo

Larger congregations also should consider requiring identification badges for all staff members

Consider the time of day ldquoTrain people to do tasks in a safe wayrdquo Allen advises ldquoFor instance they shouldnrsquot be taking garbage out to the secluded dumpster at nightrdquo

Use the buddy system Ideally staff members and volunteers should never be on church grounds alone

Communicate When few people are on a site each person should have some kind of communication device with them at all times such as a cellphone or radio

Hire smart ldquoGood hiring practices and background checks help minimize the risk of hiring people with bad intentionsrdquo Allen says

Train Employees and volunteers must be on the lookout for unusual or suspicious behavior and know how to respond to disruptive individuals what to do in the event of a robbery or intrusion and to report any criminal events Donrsquot assume they know how and when to handle these types of events mdash train them

The challenge of homelessnessChurches in urban locations might encounter issues with homeless

people congregating near or breaking into the church To help meet the needs of the homeless without compromising church security Allen recommends keeping a list of shelters for staff members to hand out and partnering with food banks to provide basic foodstuffs

This article is provided by Church Mutual Insurance Company in Merrill WI Risk Reporter newsletters [ wwwchurchmutualcom94Risk-Reporter ] are available from the company for religious organizations schools camps and conference centers and senior living facilities


RepresentativeWith Church Mutual you get more than just insurance You get access to a team of experts who will be there when you need us mostMaria Allen is a Church Mutual account manager with more

than 10 years of experience She leads a team of customer

service professionals ready to serve your most immediate

needs Whether that means helping you file a claim or

answering a question quickly and accurately being present

when you need us most is important to each and every one

of our employees Because with more than 117 years of

experience we understand how important it is to you

Church Mutual has received consistently high ratings from industry analyst AM Best every year since 1952

To learn more call us at (800) 554-2642 or visit wwwchurchmutualcom

Listening Learning Leading is a registered trademark of Church Mutual Insurance Company

copy 2015 Church Mutual Insurance Company

Church Mutual is the only religious insurance specialist to be named to the prestigious 2015 Wardrsquos 50 Top Performing Property amp Casualty Insurers

cmu005677-02_RepAd15_ChurchExecindd 1 82415 416 PM


Engaging Spaces

Imagine itrsquos your first visit to your church and try to navigate the campus bull What do you see when you first drive up Is the vehicular entrance clearly

marked and easy to findbull How do you know where to park Is the correct entry easily visiblebull Once yoursquore inside the church where do you go Is it clear where the

sanctuary is located What about classrooms The nursery

For many church leaders this can be a difficult exercise To make it easier there are several common items that can be addressed simply

Driving inSometimes entering the campus parking lot can be difficult Here

large easy-to-read signage which denotes entrances and exits mdash as well as building locations mdash is essential

Also think about how your building physically indicates (or doesnrsquot) where the main entrance is located and how this relates to the visual a visitor has as he or she enters the parking lot

Consider traffic flow as well Some churches find it necessary to hire a traffic consultant to analyze their parking lot flow and make recommendations on restriping This can speed up drop-off and parking times and also makes the entire lot easier to navigate and more intuitive for visitors

Walking inOnce a visitor has found a parking spot itrsquos imperative that the walking

path to the front entrance be clear and safe Many churches we work with have older entrances that are highly

visible from the street but not easily accessible from the parking lot Over time as church members stopped walking to church and began driving these original entrances become less and less used by regular attendees

WayfindingEntryamp

Visiting a church for the first time can be quite daunting Often long-time church members take for granted that visitors ldquojust knowrdquo which areas to park in where the easiest entrance is located and how to navigate the church campus But for a first-time visitor a church campus without clear wayfinding elements can be difficult to navigate mdash and make it less likely theyrsquoll return

By Allison Parrott with Paul Lodholz AIA LEED AP


Sometimes theyrsquore even locked on Sunday mornings because regular attenders all use side doors If you have older large entry doors that arenrsquot used much consider replacing them with glass or stained glass that allows for a visual decorative element but wonrsquot confuse first-time visitors trying to find their way into your church

Taking advantage of smaller wayfinding signs along sidewalks is also helpful And ensure your sidewalks are well-maintained and well-lit If a visitor needs to cross traffic lanes from the parking lot provide crosswalk areas for safety

Inside the facilityOnce visitors have made it into the correct entrance itrsquos vital that they

can quickly find where theyrsquore going There are many visual cues that can help with this mdash using different colors or textures on the walls to indicate different types of spaces for example Additionally floor patterns can be used to guide people through a space

Welcome desks are a great addition to any large lobby just make sure there are greeters stationed there to welcome guests and answer questions

Interior signage is also helpful here Many graphics companies specialize in interior wayfinding signage They tour your facility and work with your leadership team to develop an overall strategy for signage and wayfinding throughout your campus that will reinforce your churchrsquos values and identity

Allison Parrott is the Project Manager for the Worship and Education Studio at Ziegler Cooper Architects wwwzieglercoopercom in Houston She is married to a church-planter and pastor and is blessed to be able to serve other churches through her professional work

Paul Lodholz AIA LEED AP is the Principal-in-Charge of the Worship and Education Studio at Ziegler Cooper Architects He has lectured around the country on the changing nature of the church lobby and has been working with churches for more than 35 years


CHURCH COMMUNICATION TOOLS

By Brooke Temple

Did you know that everyone with a mobile phone mdash even if itrsquos not a smart phone mdash has access to SMS (text) messaging And virtually everyone knows how to use it

If you want to communicate the same message to a large number of people texting is your best bet Since the technology is so pervasive SMS is also a highly effective fundraising tool for churches charities and non-profit organizations

According to The Human Rights Campaign text message subscribers are 25 times more likely to donate than those who receive donation requests via other means Organizations including the Red Cross and Salvation Army have used text-to-donate programs with great success and churches are beginning to catch on to the benefits of SMS-driven fundraising campaigns

Herersquos how to get the most out of your fundraising efforts

CoordinationA multi-channel fundraising campaign must be cohesive to be effective

With texting you have complete control over the content and timing of each message SMS can tie the narratives of each channel together

PersonalizationSubscribers are more likely to take action if you address them personally

so segment your lists and create different messages for each group based on their interests Tailor your message differently for long- or short-term donors and create an entirely new message for new supporters

TestingTo ensure messages are clearly understood by recipients testing your

SMS campaign is of paramount importance Marketing strategies used by corporations are just as effective for nonprofits so use AB testing mdash in which one variation of the message is tested against another mdash to see which combinations of content and timing (time of day and day of week to send your requests) are most effective

FeedbackCommensurate with the testing process gathering direct feedback

from congregants will help you identify which elements of the campaign are working and which could use some improvement

Follow-up Recognizing and thanking donors is a key part of the text-to-donate

process As with your initial call-to-action the follow-up message can be

tailored to specific individuals or groups of individuals The benefits of sending a thank you text go beyond mere courtesy doing so will help you build on your existing relationship with donors

In addition to thanking donors the follow-up message presents an opportunity to tell them how their donation was used If for example you run an appeal to raise money to replace a broken stained glass window include in the follow-up message a link to a photo gallery showing off the new work

Relationships matter (a lot)Faith organizations rely on perennial community support to survive

and the importance of maintaining that support network canrsquot be overstated Remember recurring donors give more money than one-time givers so the benefits of maintaining strong relationships with committed donors are calculable and significant SMS messaging facilitates this network maintenance like no other technology

Text-to-donate isnrsquot the only way SMS messaging can be used to raise money Attendance and engagement with traditional fundraising events and charity drives can be improved greatly by reaching out to congregants via text Mobile tech analysts agree that SMS messages have a 95-percent open rate SMS is a far more effective promotional tool than email traditional mailings or phone trees And the more people you encourage to join your fundraising event the more cash yoursquoll raise

The positive outcomes of a text-led fundraising campaign will be felt immediately mdash but itrsquos the long-term effects that will most benefit your organization Although it can take a little time to grow your SMS contact database the bigger it gets the easier it will be to reach more people as often as you need to

Good old-fashioned word-of-mouth comes into play here as congregants relay their experience of engaging with the organization via text to others (And of course the uses of SMS as a community communication tool arenrsquot limited to donating money and promoting fundraisers Many aspects of running a faith-based organization mdash from announcing meetings to distributing inspirational messages mdash can be aided by text messaging)

SMS messaging is ingrained in the collective psyche its power lies in its ubiquity Practically everyone mdash of all ages mdash owns text-messaging technology Once you start connecting with them your contact list will grow hellip and so will your donation fund

Brooke Temple is SVP of Strategic Partnerships for CallFire wwwcallfirecom in Santa Monica CA He has more than 16 years of business development and digital marketing experience and heads up CallFirersquos sales efforts and enterprise-level customer acquisition strategies

How messaging tech can drive fundraising efforts

In-depth in-demand church management tools mdash at your fingertips

Churchexecutivecomebooks

Our e-Book library is full of strategies and solutions for church leaders In response to your request for in-depth information on a variety of top-of-

mind topics yoursquoll find e-Books about

bull Continuing Educationbull Lifetime Learning

bull Transportationbull Finance

bull Risk Management Insurancebull Pastor-Friendly AV

bull Church Management Software (ChMS)bull Architecture amp Design

bull Generositybull Signage

bull Accessibility amp Inclusionbull Seatingbull More

Download them all at churchexecutivecomebooks

Or get our e-Books in your inboxBy signing up on the Church Executive homepage mdash churchexecutivecom mdash for our eNewsletter and digital magazine yoursquoll also get new e-Books

and e-Book chapters automatically

e-Books


Presented by Sauder Worship Seating

Science Behind the Seat


Presented by The Gage Group

Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies


Presented by The National Catholic Risk Retention Group Inc

NEVER AGAIN


TRANSPORTATIONPresented byChurchBuscom

Church


DMin in Strategic LeadershipBuilding on the foundation of a MDiv or Masterrsquos in a ministry

field mdash and on your vocational experience in ministry mdash this ldquonew improvedrdquo DMin degree program led by Dr Gary McIntosh provides advanced study in church leadership Expand your own capacity and effectiveness in order to take your ministry to the next level

This program requires students to complete a two-week residency at Corbanrsquos Salem OR campus once a year for the first three years of the program At every turn it will inspire you to accurately assess your ministry leadership and use effective strategies built on the enduring truths of Godrsquos Word

Traditional topics of studybull Spiritual Life of a Leaderbull Ministry Formationbull Biblical Leadershipbull Ministry Leadershipbull Biblical Applicationbull Thesis-Project Development

ldquoMorerdquo topics of studybull Leadership Foundationsbull Leadership Philosophiesbull Leadership Analyticsbull Leading Church Staffbull Leading Church Volunteersbull Directing Church Programsbull Managing Church Assets

Transfer credit Individuals requesting credit transfers should do so at the time of

admission to the program Eight hours of DMin credit representing two modules courses may be transferred into the program from other accredited seminaries The transfer of courses is subject to the approval of the DMin Director and Registrar based upon their relevance to CUSMrsquos program emphasis and structure and whether the courses represent a comparable level of academic and professional quality

Additional informationCorban will match 50 percent of scholarship money contributed

toward your tuition from a church or parachurch organization up to $800 per residency As applicable take advantage of Tuition Assistance GI Bills and VA benefits As well talk to the Corban Business Office about making monthly payments on your student account instead of paying your tuition in one lump sum at the beginning of each semester

MA in Christian Leadership Not everyone in ministry is called to be a churchrsquos senior or lead pastor

The Master of Arts in Christian Leadership provides seminary training with a strong theological base and three versatile concentrations allowing you to tailor your degree to your ministryrsquos needs Those three concentrations are Spiritual Formation Nonprofit Leadership and Christian Teaching

Traditional topics of studybull Interpreting Scripturebull Understanding Theologybull Theories of Learning and Teachingbull Teaching Scripture and Theologybull Growing in the Lordbull Biblical Worldviewbull Counseling

ldquoMorerdquo topics of study (includes Hoff School of Business MBA courses)bull Managementbull Leadership Theoriesbull Servant Leadershipbull Organizational Behaviorbull Stewardship and Financial Planning bull Human Resource Managementbull Building Community Partnersbull Understanding Generationsbull Teaching Diverse Kinds of Learnersbull Cross-cultural Ministry

Transfer credit Corban University School of Ministry may accept credits from regional

and national accrediting institutions approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation No more than 50 percent of the total credit hours required in a program may be transferred from another institution The final 20 semester hours must be taken at the School of Ministry (and Hoff School of Business)

Additional informationIndividuals enrolled in the School of Ministry are challenged to worship

and glorify God to nourish their souls with His Word to fellowship with Him through prayer to actively build up Jesus Christrsquos followers and to proclaim the Good News to others

So what is Godrsquos calling on your life and ministry As you look to the future what ldquomorerdquo do you need As the Lord leads you this is my prayer ldquoBy His power may God fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faithrdquo (2 Thess 111b) May that be true for you in increasing measure throughout 2016 2017 and beyond

David Sanford has served as an associate pastor for 22 years and served as the executive editor of three study reflective and application-oriented Bibles published by Tyndale House and Zondervan He now serves as Director of Institutional Marketing at Corban University

Details of the study offerings mentioned in this article are available on the Corban University website httpsgradcorbaneduministry or by emailing graduatecorbanedu

By David Sanford

Continuing education which ldquomorerdquo do you need

When surveyed a majority of pastors and church executives somewhat agree or strongly agree they need more than graduate courses in Bible theology and traditional ministry

In response Corban Universityrsquos School of Ministry (CUSM) offers ldquomorerdquo in its most popular and important degree programs


CBOCollaboration = Better Off

By Peter A Persuitti

At this yearrsquos BoardSource Leadership Forum (BLF) mdash a gathering of more than 800 non-profit trustees directors executives and specialized service providers mdash I was struck by a fundamental conversation Someone raised the issue of why we call ourselves ldquononprofitrdquo

The query brewed as a result of the number of corporate executives in the audience on hand for training and awareness-building as it relates to their own nonprofit-serving governance roles This tension is not uncommon in fact as someone who represents a for-profit corporation with a vertical specialization in the third sector itrsquos quite familiar

Perhaps the bubbling of interest was also a result of the number of BLF sessions that related to efficiency transparency accountability and metrics

Itrsquos a theme that has exacerbated a fissure that exists between the worlds of for-profit and nonprofit something which for me mdash having worked on ldquoboth sides of the aislerdquo mdash seems anachronistic

I will never forget a frustrated Peter Drucker lamenting years ago with a heavy German accent ldquoWhy do we call ourselves lsquononprofitrsquo when the fact remains that profitability is vital to our sustainabilityrdquo To this point Irsquove been so impressed with the tools of technology (and equally with recent management appointments in nonprofits) that Irsquove been encouraging nonprofits to raise their game relative to risk retention This can be achieved with a more sophisticated form of reinsuring their liabilities and operations mdash captive risk retention group mdash so that nonprofitsrsquo efforts are rewarded through an ROI on their capital (ie a surplus) generating a ldquoprofit centerrdquo for mission protection

I believe the time has come for a more holistic view of how we manage whether itrsquos our company our organization or our household (Interestingly the word economics actually comes from two Greek words mdash Oikos and Nomia mdash whose earliest origins relate to taking stock of the affairs of the home) I believe this blurring is manifest in much of what I am witnessingbull For-profit executives leaving a life of ldquosuccessrdquo corporately for a life of

ldquosignificancerdquo in a mission-based organization (Bob Bufordrsquos theory) at amid-point in their lives

bull For-profit executives sitting on non-profit boards advocating for moreEnterprise Risk Management (ERM) a more sophisticated form of riskmanagement and

bull A tidal wave of interest among emerging generations in the non-profitsector mdash for careers volunteerism and engagement

Another concept of this blurring relates to the need for nonprofits to see resources talent contribution and solutions in their non-profit community-based neighbors In fact it appears that risk management is no longer an ldquoorganization issuerdquo per se you can have the best-laid plans but if you arenrsquot aligned with your community you risk vulnerability

Additionally so many recent security breaches point to the need for community-based solutions that are global not just US-centric

Below is a diagram I raised with a faith-based nonprofit to demonstrate how its approach to risk might more effectively be to find greater impact through alignments within the local community

Engaging your communityIdentifying engagement for a local ministry protection committee

Perhaps now is the time for ldquononprofitsrdquo to change the semantics of their sector to a broader Community-Based Organization (CBO) concept In fact one idea which emerged at this yearrsquos BLF gathering was an alternative label for a nonprofit CBO

Perhaps mdash as CBOs mdash we will more effectively live out our missions starting with a positive inclusive versus a negative (ldquononrdquo) dynamic And no doubt wersquoll better manage risk through these alignments

Ultimately wersquore better off with collaboration

Peter A Persuitti (ppersuitti) is managing director Religious Practice at Arthur J Gallagher amp Co [ wwwajgcom ] in Chicago Gallagher is a financial services firm specializing in insurance brokerage benefits and retirement consulting claims administration and advocacy institutional investment and fiduciary services alternative risk financing and program administration and risk management As a dedicated Religious Practice Gallagher works with more than 24000 non-profits around the world

RISK MANAGEMENTREPORT


Congregants attend their houses of worship for many different reasons Some find inspiration from the messages and music they hear and others enjoy connecting with the community Whatever the reason if they canrsquot hear the messages that inspire them mdash or if they lose the feeling of connection they get with fellow congregants because they canrsquot participate in conversations mdash they might stop attending

Unfortunately for congregants who have hearing loss this happens more frequently than it should

BREAKING BARRIERS

Connecting congregants to inspirationwith assistive listeningBy Maile Keone


An estimated 20 percent of American adults have a measurable degree of hearing loss mdash and that number rises dramatically when calculated on a worldwide scale To make this number more tangible the next time you attend a worship service look around your congregation and count one out of every five members This is potentially how many people could stop attending or could be missing out on the full message due to the inability to hear clearly

You might be thinking People who have hearing loss wear hearing aids You might also think that hearing aids should solve any listening issues mdash but this is a large misconception

While hearing aids solve some of the issues related to hearing loss they donrsquot solve everything Hearing aids are designed to work the best within three to six feet They also amplify all sound To give a more applicable example if someone with a hearing aid is sitting farther than six feet from the pulpit and surrounded by a lot of background noise (like an HVAC system a crying child or shuffling papers) he or she will have a very difficult time hearing the speaker because the background noises will also be amplified

Fortunately there are additional technologies that exist that provide people with hearing loss with great listening experiences in houses of worship as well as other public venues These assistive listening technologies work with or without hearing aids

There are three types of assistive listening technologies available radio frequency (RF) infrared (IR) and hearing loop

Each type of assistive listening technology comes with its own unique benefits When installing an assistive listening system in your house of worship it is important to consider which type of system will work best

in the space For example if there are line-of-sight issues mdash such as

columns or other visual barriers mdash it might be best to install an RF system

If simultaneous broadcasts and a secure audio signal are required so that the sound does not travel from room to room an IR system should be considered

Finally a hearing loop should be considered if there are many congregants with telecoil-equipped hearing aids who attend worship services each week It might also be wise to consider a hearing loop if your house of worship is undergoing construction of some kind as it can be installed within the physical structure of the building

Along with providing better listening experiences for those with hearing loss an assistive listening system can be used for other things in your house of worship Portable RF assistive listening systems can be used for tour groups and sunrise services These systems are also very useful if there members in your congregation who speak different languages they can provide different listening channels for language interpretation

Itrsquos important to provide the best possible experience for congregants in your house of worship mdash and that includes giving them the opportunity to hear the messages and music that inspire them each week as well as connecting with their church community

No matter what type of technology you choose providing an assistive listening system in your house of worship can help ensure your congregants keep listening to inspiration

Maile Keone is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Listen Technologies [ wwwlistentechcom ] in Bluffdale UT She is an advocate for people with hearing loss and a spokesperson on mandatory assistive listening compliance worldwide


NEVER AGAIN

The young woman had been a mathematics teacher at the church-related high school for more than seven years She was beloved by her students they praised her ability to convey difficult concepts in an accessible clear and engaging style

The school board awarded her lsquoteacher of the yearrsquo status three times for her demonstrated skill at helping many students overcome their fear of mathematics and for creating a positive learning environment around a topic often dreaded by many students Parents were regularly vocal about what an outstanding role model she was to her students

It was no secret to the principal and most of the other teachers that this young woman sought to start a family and that she and her husband were having great difficulty conceiving a child Further the teacher informed her principal that she and her husband had finally decided to engage a fertility expert and to pursue in vitro fertilization They felt strongly that theyrsquod tried everything else and were left with only this remaining alternative

The principal mdash herself known for being very understanding and compassionate mdash acknowledged the young womanrsquos intentions She simply advised the young teacher to ldquokeep the matter between the two of usrdquo as in vitro fertilization was inconsistent with the sponsoring Church bodyrsquos doctrine and in conflict with the lsquoreligious doctrines clausersquo in the teacherrsquos contract

Several months later the young teacher became pregnant At a holiday weekend faculty get-together her husband ldquolet it sliprdquo to another teacher that the pregnancy was the result of in vitro fertilization

That teacher reported this to the parish pastor who instructed the principal to fire the young woman for violation of the lsquoreligious doctrines causersquo in her contract The young woman consequently sued for pregnancy discrimination violation of gender-neutrality requirements and emotional anguish and distress The parish and high school counter-sued for breach of contract and also asserted the ministerial exception

The fallout mdash and its outcomeItrsquos important here to note that this incident caused tremendous strife

and discontent within the parish the high school and even the broader

community Parents and students rallied to the teacherrsquos defense People wondered aloud how it could possibly be doctrinal to treat such a fine and admirable young couple in what appeared to be such a patently un-Christian fashion

Students threatened class boycotts The principal herself suggested that she should resign though the community supported her virtually unanimously even the pastor had forgiven her ldquooversightrdquo

The trial court rejected the ministerial exception motion mdash which if allowed would have prevented the court from accepting and hearing the case lest it infringe upon matters of ecclesiastical governance in violation of the First Amendmentrsquos Establishment and Free Exercise clauses It did so because the teacher was not an ordained or commissioned minister she had not received any special religious theological or doctrinal training she was never titled or described as a minister or anything similar and she exclusively taught secular mathematic concepts and principles

Upon later argument the court noted that the teacherrsquos contract did not explicitly define doctrinal strictures nor did the hiring process provide information that would do so for an applicant

Both parties agreed that the principalrsquos actions appeared to condone or even approve of the teacherrsquos actions or at least created ambiguity for the teacher

Finally discovery showed that a male teacher mdash who had used in vitro fertilization with his wife mdash was not similarly terminated

The parish and high school lost the case and paid a very costly judgement

What might you do to prevent a similar resultFirst understand that religious freedom protections are very broad but

not a ldquosilver bulletrdquo in every discrimination or breach of contract action Next employee handbook and contract strictures should be very clear

discussed with applicants and acknowledged in writing by applicants Finally employment decisions must be consistently enforced and

always gender-neutral

Michael J Bemi is president amp CEO of The National Catholic Risk Retention Group Inc (Lisle IL) mdash a recognized leader in risk management To learn more about available coverage mdash and to get valuable tools facts and statistics mdash visit wwwtncrrgorg

Balancing religious freedom amp employment rightsBy Michael J Bemi

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

THe Essentials_ChurchExecutivepdf 1 101615 1121 AM

A COMFORTABLE RETIREMENTIS SOMETHING

EVERYONE SHOULD SINK INTO

Real Planning Real Solutions Thatrsquos Our Calling

A Financial Services MinistryTM

We hear it all the time ldquoWersquore a ministry not a business We just donrsquot have the money to offer financial benefitsrdquo But the truth is affordable financial benefits are not out of reach

MMBB Financial Services thoroughly understands the needs of faith-based organizations And as benefits consultants we will tailor an affordable plan so that everyone in your organization will enjoy retirement disability and life insurance benefits that are sensible and secure

To find out more visit us at MMBBorgaffordablebenefits Or call 1-800-986-6222 We may just have some very good news for you and your employees

ldquoOUR EMPLOYEESABSOLUTELY DESERVE FINANCIAL BENEFITSI wish we could afford themrdquo


Actually you can be in two places at once

In the publishing world much is made of print-versus-digital So often this ldquodebaterdquo is framed as an all-or-nothing proposition mdash but for our part thatrsquos not what the optimal solution looks like Herersquos why

The print magazine format has always resonated extremely well with our busy church leaders and it continues to do so Our annual Church Executive Reader Survey confirms this we know that each issue of the magazine finds its way to multiple desks and inboxes besides its original recipientrsquos

That said our staff and contributors also recognize mdash and embrace mdash the power of digital content The appeal is pretty clear Our digital issue [ wwwchurchexecutivecomdigital-edition ] can also easily be shared with other members of the leadership team and the interactivity mdash the ability to watch videos click on links to more in-depth resources etc mdash is a big plus

With this in mind we wanted to take a minute to remind you that our November December 2015 digital issue includes some really great feature articles you can only find there

Connecting congregants to inspiration with assistive listening mdash If members come to your church and canrsquot hear the messages that inspire them or if they lose the feeling of connectedness with other worshippers they might very well stop attending The problem is very few of them will speak up before they disappear

In this helpful installment of the ldquoBreaking Barriers Hearing Accessibilityrdquo Series author Maile Keone zeroes in how your church can use technology to accommodate the astounding 20 percent of American adults who have a measurable degree of hearing loss

With her plain-English overview of the different types of assistive listening systems available yoursquoll be able to decide which one best suits your unique culture

Church Executivetrade (Copyright 2015) Volume 14 Issue 6 Church Executive is published bi-monthly by Power Trade Media LLC a subsidiary of Friendship Publications Inc 4742 N 24th Street Ste 340 Phoenix AZ 85016 Subscription Rates United States and Mexico $39 (USD) one year Canada $42 (USD) one year (GST) included all other countries $75 one year single issue United States $5 (USD) all other countries $6 (USD) Reprints All articles in Church Executive are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the publisher For reprints of 100 or more contact Judi Victor at (602) 265-7600 ext 125 Copyright 2015 by Power Trade Media LLC No advertisement or description or reference to a product or service will be deemed as an endorsement and no warranty is made or implied by Power Trade Media LLC Information is obtained from sources the editors believe reliable accurate and timely but no warranty is made or implied and Power Trade Media LLC is not responsible for errors or omissions

A publication of

CLA

Stephen BriggsAssociate Pastor of Administration

First Baptist Church | Hendersonville NC

Denise CraigChief Financial Officer

Abbarsquos House | Hixson TN

Mike KlockenbrinkChief of Staff

Lakeside Church | Folsom CA

Dan MikesExecutive Vice President

Bank of the West | San Ramon CA

John C Mrazek IIIExecutive Pastor

Pathways Church | Denver CO

Sam S Rainer IIISenior Pastor

West Bradenton Baptist Church | Bradenton FL

Mark SimmonsBusiness Manager

Christ Community Church | Milpitas CA

Eric SpacekSenior Manager

GuideOne Insurance | West Des Moines IA

CEO Director of Advertising Sales

Judi Victor ext 125 jvflychurchexecutivecom

PublisherSteve Kane ext 207

stevechurchexecutivecom

Editor In ChiefRaeAnn Slaybaugh ext 202

rslaybaughchurchexecutivecom

Contributing EditorRez Gopez-Sindac

6024055317rgopez-sindacchurchexecutivecom

Senior Art DirectorStephen Gamble ext 133

sgamblechurchexecutivecom

Account Executive Shannon McCloughy ext 207

smccloughychurchexecutivecom

Accounting Manager Kevin G Boorse

kboorsepowertrademediacom

Volume 14 No 6

4742 N 24th St Ste 340 Phoenix AZ 85016 bull 8005412670

churchexecutivecom

LETrsquoS CHAT

Email rslaybaughchurchexecutivecomFacebook ChurchExecutiveMagazineTwitter churchexecutivecom

FROM THE EDITOR

Yoursquoll also find an article by David Sanford that helps pastors and church executives navigate their options for graduate courses in the Bible theology and traditional ministry Sanford is a former associate pastor and executive editor of Bibles whose career is now with a Christian university He also contributes regularly to the Church Executive ldquoContinuing Educationrdquo Series So he has a thing or two to contribute to the topic for sure

Finally church risk management thought leader and ldquoSafety Strategiesrdquo Series contributor Peter A Persuitti shares some key takeaways from an annual risk management report compiled by his company mdash the only insurance broker on the Ethisphere Institutersquos list of the Worldrsquos Most Ethical Companies Be sure to check out his highly sought-after expertise

We know you get a lot of emails We do too But this particular one is worth openingIf you havenrsquot already done so sign up on our homepage (wwwchurchexecutivecom) to receive each digital issue automatically as itrsquos published Or simply visit wwwchurchexecutivecomdigital-edition to read the current digital issues and browse our archives

All the best

EDITORIAL ADVISORY PANEL

As you flip through this issue of Church Executive yoursquoll find a lot of great content on the most in-demand church management topics from construction and design to accounting staff management and more

But keep in mind that therersquos also a lot of really great content you can only find in our digital issue



COVER STORY


By Rez Gopez-Sindac






SERIES



6

11

14


















DEPARTMENTS

From the Editor 3




31 36

48

THE CE INTERVIEW


By Rez Gopez-Sindac




THE CE INTERVIEW






















THE CE INTERVIEW




THE CE INTERVIEW








to work











THE CE INTERVIEW


























































TIP



















































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K












COVER STORY


By Rez Gopez-Sindac






SERIES



6

11

14


















DEPARTMENTS

From the Editor 3




31 36

48

THE CE INTERVIEW


By Rez Gopez-Sindac




THE CE INTERVIEW






















THE CE INTERVIEW




THE CE INTERVIEW








to work











THE CE INTERVIEW


























































TIP



















































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K



























DEPARTMENTS

From the Editor 3




31 36

48

THE CE INTERVIEW


By Rez Gopez-Sindac




THE CE INTERVIEW






















THE CE INTERVIEW




THE CE INTERVIEW








to work











THE CE INTERVIEW


























































TIP



















































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K










THE CE INTERVIEW


By Rez Gopez-Sindac




THE CE INTERVIEW






















THE CE INTERVIEW




THE CE INTERVIEW








to work











THE CE INTERVIEW


























































TIP



















































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K











THE CE INTERVIEW






















THE CE INTERVIEW




THE CE INTERVIEW








to work











THE CE INTERVIEW


























































TIP



















































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K










THE CE INTERVIEW




THE CE INTERVIEW








to work











THE CE INTERVIEW


























































TIP



















































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K











THE CE INTERVIEW








to work











THE CE INTERVIEW


























































TIP



















































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K












THE CE INTERVIEW


























































TIP



















































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K






























































TIP



















































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K






































TIP



















































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K
































TIP



















































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K




























































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K







































By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K


















By Tammy Bunting























By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K














By Amanda Opdycke



















By Amanda Opdycke





























































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K




































































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K































































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

































By Dave Sours












T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K





















T H E R E S U LT










MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

















MORE AND RAISE MORE




































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K












































By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K
























By Dan Mikes




FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K










FON

TSIN

KS

CLIENT

JOB

PROJECT

COMPONENT

VENDOR

PUBLICATION

BLEED

TRIM

LIVE

SCALE

OUTPUT(100)

COLOR


CMYK


NOTES

JOB DETAILS DATES

DOCUMENT

SPECS

Bank of the West

15BOW045

Commercial

None

Heat





PRINTED AT

CREATED BY

6-2-2015 402 PM

None

Kat Foley


MECH DATE

CLOSE DATE

ISSUE DATE

5282015

None

None

4CTranquility



MANY FORMS




S725rdquoS975rdquo

B85rdquoB11125rdquo

















mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K


























mdash The Editors



8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K











8 key questions








By Hal Hallum






























By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K
















By Michael Jordan


















outdated is now

















By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

























By Sam Batterman
















































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K





































Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K












Truecolors










































By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K






























By Tim Cool

MANAGEMENT










with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K



















with vendors






































































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K
























































By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

























By Andrew Ng


















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K



















SOUNDSYSTEMS

































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K





































STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K


























STRATEGIESSAFETY

































Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K


























Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K











Engaging Spaces












WayfindingEntryamp














By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K





















By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K












By Brooke Temple






































e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K























e-Books






Creativeamp

ProvenStrategies



NEVER AGAIN



Church






















By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K































By David Sanford




























BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K


































BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K













BREAKING BARRIERS


















NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K


























NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K











NEVER AGAIN






















C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K










C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K


















Documents

Church Executive Nov.-Dec. 2015 Digital Version