This year many of us will be celebrating Easter At Home. That seems strange. We’re all used to great services on Easter, starting at Sunrise and extending throughout the day. Most Churches have multiple services on Easter to support the crowds. A lot of people attend worship on Easter out of respect for family tradition, as well as nourishing their faith.

The early Church didn’t have any large buildings. They always met in one another homes – i.e. often in secret. There was some fear, that they might be found out. The early Christians faced persecution as their largest fear. Today, in most places, we don’t have to worry about persecution. But this year we are faced with the fear of disease. Let us return to meeting in our Homes as a way of celebrating Easter like the early Church. As you gather together, you might reflect on Easter memories and just what Easter means.

With a pandemic in progress, it will be challenging for congregations to continue holding worship services. Perhaps it is time to consider some Worship Alternatives.

The obvious alternative to consider is Live Streaming. This is where you hold the worship service with no one in the sanctuary. However, you broadcast the live video over the internet. This allows people to participate from their homes, or for that matter anywhere on a mobile phone. All they need is an Internet connection. While not quite the same as being there in person, it is a valid alternative. You’ll need to provide links to resources such as hymns and liturgy, either through email or chat. The Good News is that you can participate in the worship service through the stream. You can sing the same hymns, listen to the same sermon. The only thing you can’t do is hug or shake hands with other worshipers in the sanctuary (which might spread the virus). I would recommend that you hug your family instead.

Another alternative is to have the preacher record the sermon and distribute it via the Church web site. Likely you already have the sermons online in some form, either as video or audio files. This would just abbreviate the process, maybe recording the sermon in their office instead of the sanctuary. That way, people will be able to listen to the sermon at home via the Church Web Site. All they need is an Internet connection.

Speaking as one who has listened at home during a long illness, I can attest to the importance of providing these alternatives. In my case, the Tech Team recorded the sermon on CD and brought me a copy every week. Although I could not go to Church, I could still worship. If you provide access to the whole service via streaming, then your remote worshipers will also hear the same announcements, see the people, etc. The Church is the body of Christ wherever and however it worships! (1 Cor 12:27)

Does your Church include multiple buildings and/or multiple locations? Then it is an Internet Campus. This means that you have a network that defines all of the buildings. It may be a subnetwork in the cloud, to which all buildings are connected. Or it may be that you link routers together into a local network that covers your campus.

The advantages to an Internet Campus lie in security and efficiency. When staff in one building want to share information with staff in another building, they can do so quickly through the Internet Campus. They can logically see other equipment across the Internet Campus, such as printers and shared file systems. And they thus move information around more efficiently. If you have a school – i.e. even a preschool – then the Internet Campus supports the weekday programs of that school.

When Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian Calendar in October 1582 AD, it solved a problem that had been growing worse every year. Basically, the Roman era Julian Calendar didn’t match the solar year. The difference was slight, but through the centuries it had accumulated. And people were noticing that the Equinoxes were now off by 10 days.

There is a difference between Leadership and Management. Management applies to the technical functions of an organization. It includes the day to day organizational meetings and events that carry out the mission of the organization. It focuses on metrics of organizational efficiency and effectiveness. And it reminds everyone of the policies that procedures that keep the organization intact and functioning.

Leadership sets a vision before the organization. It lifts everyone’s sights up to a higher calling that the organization is striving to reach. Epiphany is a time to focus on our vision of the Church at its best. It calls everyone to put out some extra effort, to change to better meet it, to become more capable of reaching that vision. It should be the case that the Leader has a vision and knows how to communicate it to others. It is up the Leader to lead.

Advent is really the beginning of the Christian Year. What better time to start than the birth of the Christ child! Every year, we look for new ways to announce His coming. We celebrate Christmas with musical specials, children’s plays, small group celebrations, and Christmas Eve Communion. It truly is Advent Time.

But Advent can also be a time for some to struggle. It may be the seasonal change as winter sets in and we all stay inside more. Or it may be that some tragic event is remembered. Yet, in the midst of all of that, Hope is born again in our hearts through the Christ Child. Let Him come anew into your heart this Christmas!

Not every Church is on a rapid growth curve. Some are stable. Others are in decline. Local Churches have a life cycle of their own, just like other organizations. I’ve seen Churches at every stage of this life circle (including startup.) While it is true that God created the Church (at Pentecost) and supports it, local Churches are also human institutions and susceptible to human influence. This affects the organization of the Church.

So what do you do when your Church is in Retrenchment? In most Churches, the technical ministry equipment is already bought and paid for. Typically, the volunteers contribute to this; but I have seen capital budget items for it as well. If this is the case, then you don’t have much to worry about. Until the Church stops worshiping, there will be a need for the technical equipment. However, the Church may decide to shift worship to another building. You may be called upon to reinstall technical equipment in another worship space. Or you may find the budget has been cut for some of the technical subscriptions that you use. For example, the Church may no longer be able to afford to broadcast the worship service live. Or it may no longer make sense to keep the premier Website Hosting Service. Or it may no longer make sense to provide a giving kiosk. In all of these cases, I suggest scaling down the services rather than abandoning them. If you were involved in scaling them up, then you should remember what it was like before you went to the current level. Or you may be able to find Church members willing to support the service over and above their regular giving to the Church. Either way, making the service less expensive will help ensure that the Church continues to provide it. You should also look at documenting the effectiveness and impact of the service. How many people watch or listen to the sermons every week? How many people give online, rather than through the offering plate? These facts will help you make the case for continuing the service.

Technical ministry can survive a retrenchment in the programs and ministries of the Church. Indeed, it is likely that you can do more with less cost. Be ready to support the budget item with facts, so that you can make your case before the finance committee.

What happens to old Churches when the members die off or move away? More and more, this seems to be happening in small towns and villages. It is hard to realize, but Churches have a life cycle of their own. They are started by a few people with a desire to see a Church in that location. They grow up and mature as a congregation that serves their community and nation. And they decline and sometimes die off when the community changes. If your Church is in the late stage of this process, then several possibilities come to mind:

• The Church can be donated to a non-profit organization.
• A Mission organization can take over the building and use it.
• A new Church plant can occupy the building and reach the community.

If your Church is in a decline, you can just let it happen. Or you can be intentional about transitioning the building and grounds to another use. May God grant you the wisdom to celebrate the life and ministry of your Church, and then move on to better things.

Disasters happen. They make the news. And they impact Churches in the Disaster Community. If the Church building is spared, then it often becomes part of the recovery effort. Your Church building can provide shelter to those who are homeless. It can provide logistical support for organizations – e.g. UMCOR – that are bringing in relief. It can provide support groups and comfort to those who are traumatized by the event.

When the Church building is damaged, as in a storm or fire, then it too has to be rebuilt. Generally, there will be property insurance to help pay the bills. There may need to be an alternative worship plan for a time while reconstruction happens. Sometimes a neighboring Church will share facilities. Or a school auditorium may be used. Churches and communities need to pull together to rebound from the disaster. That’s what the Christian Community does.

When a disaster strikes a community, the Church is often there immediately to help. Whether it is a hurricane, tornado, flood, fire or earthquake, the Church is part of the community response. Usually, this happens after the first responders have completed their mission. Churches will reach out with people, resources and service to help in the recovery. This is part of the Church’s caring for others ministry.

How does your Church respond when a disaster strikes? Some Churches will take up a collection and send money. Others will gather supplies and get them delivered. Still others will organize a team to go and help. It might be covering damaged roofs with tarps to keep out more rain. It might be repairing damaged homes for those without insurance. It might be sending cleaning supplies and home goods to help those who have suffered. Whatever the method, the Church is called to reach out and help. And I have been amazed at the generosity and helpfulness of those in the Church.

Church buildings need security systems. In the past, there have been incidents at Churches. These make the news. But do they mean that the Church building needs for security are being ignored?

In the past, the Church – especially the sanctuary – was considered a place of safety. It was a refuge to those in trouble. People respected this, so the Church building was secure and safe. This is no longer the case. So staff need to take steps to make the Church building secure.

Property alarm systems can be installed, but who monitors the alarm in the middle of the night. One Church I was involved with had the alarm system connected to the police station, which was 2 blocks away. This meant that if there was a break in, the police arrived in 2 minutes. However, what happens if the youth are having an overnight event and accidentally trip the alarm. Better to have someone in the Church also get the alarm, and be able to override it before it goes to the police station. And that person should be up to date with the scheduled events of the calendar. That way, you don’t have an issue on the 4th of July.

Church buildings have various systems and security needs. Some are open only on the weekends. Others are almost open 24×7. They need utility services. They need security services. Your Church probably has a programmable thermostat. This saves energy and lowers electricity bills by running the HVAC system only when the sanctuary is in use. It might start cooling down the sanctuary early on Sunday morning and shut it off again after worship services are concluded.

Church staff need to know how to control these systems. There might be an morning children’s worship service during VBS week. Someone needs to reprogram the thermostat so everyone stays cool. Or there might be special evening event open to the community. Someone needs to unlock the doors and ensure that the heat is on in the winter. Whatever the reason, make sure that staff know how to control these systems and understand their responsibility to ensure that the building is used responsibly and used well.

Eastertide is the period of time between Easter and Pentecost. On Easter, we all think about the empty tomb. It is the defining characteristic of Christianity. Other religions have great leaders, but only Christianity has a leader who rose from the dead. And for good measure, he did it after 3 days!

Many Churches have special celebrations during Eastertide. Some Churches have a sunrise service, to celebrate the empty tomb. Some Churches have special events for children, like Easter Festivals. I even heard of a Church that clipped the Church. Clipping the Church is an English custom where you form a human chain around the Church building, facing outward. You then sing hymns to celebrate the fact that the Church is reaching out to the community.

However you celebrate Eastertide, always remember that it is because of the Risen Lord that we have Easter!

There is so much that goes into the Easter season. It can get a little hectic. And you may be asking yourself, is serving on the Church Staff bad for my Spiritual Life? Let’s reflect on this a bit.

In one sense, yes. You are involved in almost everything the Church does, and it can become spiritually draining. But in another sense, you are continually inspired by worship – even when you lead it!

Most Churches have added Social Networking sites through some group starting a facebook page. Maybe it was the youth group that came up with that idea, because the youth minister wanted to share pictures from the youth retreat. Or maybe it was the women’s group that wanted to share video clips from a women’s event via instagram. Or maybe it was a men’s group that wanted to coordinate the BBQ cookout via twitter. Whatever the source, the Social Networking sites just sort of sprung up by themselves, with little if any coordination with the Church staff. That’s okay. It’s creative, and it met an immediate need by these groups to communicate.

If you look at how the Church communicates overall with the community of believers, then you might perceive a problem here, though. The Church is stronger when it speaks with one voice to the community. If you have many voices saying different things, then it gets confusing and is less effective. Suppose the women’s event is scheduled on the Church calendar for Friday night at 7:00 PM in Room 300. The Church bulletin announces it for that time and place. However, the organizers discover that they’ve got more people signed up than they anticipated – a great problem to have! So they decide to move the event to the Fellowship Hall at 6:00 PM. They announce the change at the last minute on instagram, which they expect all of the women to see. However, they don’t update the Church calendar. The consequence is that half of the women show up late and at the wrong room. Some are frustrated to find the room empty. Checking the Church calendar online confirms the information that they had in their personal calendar. So they conclude that the event was cancelled and go home. In other words, they miss out!

What is needed is more coordination. What if we started looking at all of those Social Networking sites as Branch Blogs – i.e. extensions to the Church’s web site. Information and updates would flow in both directions – i.e. from the Church Web Site to the Branch Blog, and from the Branch Blog to the Church Web Site. That way, communication is increased and the message of the Church is one voice on each subject. Why not simply assign staff to the task of coordinating with the editors of these various Social Networking sites. The Youth Minister would simply make sure that anything going onto the Youth facebook page also gets updated on the Church Web Site. And anything that the Youth Minister adds to the Church Web site for the youth also gets reported on the facebook page. This is likely already happening if the Youth Minister also edits the facebook page.

In summary, take time to think through the process of how do we coordinate between the various ministry groups and their related Social Networking sites. Identify the staff member or volunteer that needs to coordinate between the Church Web Site and the group. Make sure they also know who publishes the Social Networking site. Or, better yet, get them access to the Social Networking site so they can publish the information themselves. Social Networking is then another channel through which the Church spreads the Gospel Message. It will be more accurate, and more timely, if it is coordinated with the Church Web Site.

We expect a lot from our Senior Pastor. They are expected to be the best preacher in town, so the congregation will feel disappointed if they miss their sermon. They are expected to be a shining example of the faith, so others can follow. They are expected to always be caring and loving, so members can turn to them in times of crisis or need. They are expected to provide leadership to the Church as an organization, so that administrative matters are handled efficiently and effectively. All of that is tough to live up to. I know, I used to be a pastor.

The truth is that pastors are human beings, with all of the gifts, graces, anxieties, and troubles that others have. And leading a Church is a tough job. You don’t do it for the money; most Churches don’t pay that much. You don’t do it for the prestige; the local Church has lost a lot of its prestige in most cities. You do it because you feel called to it by Christ. And the Lord has blessed you with those gifts and graces, so you seek to use them to build up the Kingdom of God in this neighborhood. And you’re always mindful that you only have a little bit of time to do that. Others will follow, and you hope that they can build on what you accomplished.

In larger Churches, the Pastor is expected to lead the Staff as well as the Church. They need to get to know personally all of the staff members – even the custodians. Andy they need to be a source of encouragement to each Staff member in whatever responsibilities they are trying to carry out. The Pastor should pitch in and help when the staff gets overwhelmed. And they need to open doors when the staff needs to go in a new direction. In short, the Pastor needs to be a Servant Leader to both the staff and the Church.

So pray for your Pastor(s). Pray that they will be blessed with more grace and less frustration in everything that they do. And pray that they can grow as a Servant Leader in the midst of this community of faith!

Typically, users login by entering 2 factors – i.e. a username and a password. For a lot of web sites, the rule is to make the username an email address. I suppose that makes it easier to respond when the user loses there password. 🙁

These days, 2 factors is not enough; so a lot of web sites are going to multiple factors for logging in securely. For example, you can add a 3rd factor, which could be one of the following:

• Text message to a mobile phone
• Phone call to a telephone number
• Random numbers generated by an Authentication App
• Biometric response – e.g. a fingerprint reader

The web sites for our Churches need to be secure. So perhaps it makes sense to add multiple factors for login to your staff’s accounts. But is it appropriate to ask Church members to use Multiple Factor login? Please comment if your Church is doing that.

During Advent, we hear a lot of familiar stories. One of my favorites is “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. Written in 1843 AD, it is a classic. It tells the story of how an elderly miser named Ebenezer Scrooge was confronted at Christmas time by his past, present and future. It was published on December 19th, and immediately sold out. Dickens went on to perform live “story telling” events based on A Christmas Carol until his death in 1870.

Ebenezer turned his life around. In the light of the Gospel, he chose a new path of generosity and love. As a result the Cratchit family was blessed. Tiny Tim no doubt got the operation that saved his life.

What are some ways that your Church could use A Christmas Carol to further the Gospel? Here are just a few ideas:

• Small Group study – looking at Advent through A Christmas Carol
• Movie Night – Show one of the many movies based on A Christmas Carol
• Christmas Event – Give to the poor like Ebenezer learned to do
• Web page listing local charity events that people can participate in

May Advent be a time of reckoning, a time of joy as we anticipate the arrival of the Christ together.

Thanksgiving is an American holiday, but it is based on the Biblical idea of thanking God. We thank God for His many blessings in our lives. We thank God for His mercy and His love. And we thank God for His marvelous grace, which covers our multitude of sins.

As you approach this Thanksgiving, be sure to thank the members of your staff, who ensure that the Church functions as an organization. They not be perfect, but they show their dedication and commitment by coming to work each day to help the Church. Let them know that they are appreciated, and you will be investing in good will which will last well into the new year.

This author has served in Churches, both big and small. It is all to easy to leave people on staff feeling under-appreciated along with being over-worked. The two are a bad combination. You may not be able to change the workload, but you can always express appreciation for their efforts. From the least of these to the most, thank them for their efforts.

Do you allow your staff to install and upgrade software? Most organizations do, since it is easier to make the users a Local Admin on the computers they use everyday. However, it is more secure to control the software that goes on a computer from a central, authorized source. That way, the chance of installing malware goes way down.

Does your staff use Macbooks? The Mac Operating System that runs on the Macbook (currently Mojave or version 10.15) is well supported by Apple. Many users find it easy to use and intuitive. This can be a blessing to your ministry staff. However, you have to provide support for Macbooks on your office LAN.

There was a time when supporting Macs was difficult. These days, a lot of hardware – i.e. routers and other network equipment – comes with support for both Windows and Macs. This makes it easy to support both on the same network. With Windows 10, Microsoft made this even easier.

Your Church no doubt has a Local Area Network (LAN). This comes with setting up an Internet connection. The portion of that system that comes from the Modem to your computers is the LAN. It can be wired (using Ethernet) or unwired (using WiFi). It is the last leg of the technology that you use to connect. If you have exposed your WiFi to the congregation, then they are all using your LAN.

Given the public nature of a WiFi connection, you should monitor the traffic. You don’t want a drive-by hacker to use your Internet connection to send SPAM (or something worse)! If you suspect a problem, you can always block the WiFi connection while you sort things out. Your Modem should have a administration access (inspect the device for tips on how to access it.) You can log in and see a lot of details about traffic and configuration settings and versions etc. Don’t change any configuration setting unless you’re sure it needs to be changed. Do look for ways to monitor the traffic. You can restrict it in many ways. The most restrictive is to only allow certain devices to use the network. The least restrictive is to allow all devices to use the network. You can block devices that cause a problem. You want to monitor usage to identify any devices that are abusing the network and block them.

A lot of Churches now have an electronic sign out front on the lawn that greets passersby and visitors. What does your sign say about your Church? It is a great way to set a first impression for someone new to the area as they drive by. Does it leave them laughing because of a funny one liner? Does it inform them about Worship Times? Does it help them figure out the ministries of the Church? Does it invite them to come and join us for Sunday Worship? These are all questions that a sign should answer. And the beauty about it is that these systems can communicate many lines, images, and even videos. Make sure your Church sign meets the needs of the Church to be a Welcoming Place.

Virtual Servers are a great opportunity for economizing the Church Web Hosting budget. One physical web server can serve up all of the Church’s web sites. This reduces the cost considerably.

The key to using this technology is realizing that you can map any domain to any web server. You just need a separate sub-directory for each domain. And you may need a separate database to hold the data. But one physical machine can easily handle multiple web sites. Talk to your web hosting company to see if you can consolidate those separate web sites into one on a virtualized server.

Who should have permission to send an eMail message to the whole staff? Seems like that would be a very dangerous thing. They should reserved for messages that everyone on the staff is concerned with. They should not be trivia that will just clutter up the inbox of staff members who have no interest.

In the past, we might have just automatically added every new staff person to the All Hands Email List. That way, the Sr Pastor could always reach all of the staff. But times have changed, and that kind of an email blast is not acceptable anymore. Better to let people manage their eMail preferences. They can choose to get eMails to various mailing lists that the Church maintains. That way, no one gets offended (for long, at least.) And everyone has control over their inbox.