Transitions can be both exciting and challenging, especially when it comes to moving from one ministry to another. It can be an emotional time as you say goodbye to the people and work that you have been invested in, and prepare to move on to new challenges and opportunities. I understand both aspects of this firsthand, having begun a new ministry on January 1st of this year.
A lot has happened in my life that I want to share before returning my attention to other topics such as reopening churches, budgeting during corona, the presidential election, etc. Like many of you, I will not mourn when 2020 passes away and we move into 2021!
If there is someone who wants to resume on-campus worship services more than our team, I don’t know him! Seriously, since our church last met on March 15th for worship, we have been closely following the guidance of our local, state, and national leaders working hard to keep the members of our congregation safe.
Those are fun discussions, but there was a different question that inspired this post. That question: why do I blog? It’s a good question and one I have actually given a considerable bit of thought to!
Today I want to share a very good way to help save your church money year after year. I’m not talking about something that only larger churches can do either! Nope, this one is for churches of just about any size, assuming you have computers in use in your church. I’m talking about computer software.
I hear it all the time: “I’m not a numbers person!” Sometimes someone will say something like, “I sure am glad you’re the numbers guy and not me.” The truth is I am a numbers guy and I love me a spreadsheet where I can track a lot of different, complex things and put together a simple report that helps us see what’s happening in our ministry. To do that, I track a lot of different metrics.
Spending time with two of my friends yesterday was a tremendous blessing and not just because we ate well, which we did! That time reminded me of a few things those close ministry friendships add to my life and my ministry. Honestly, that time reminded me of more than that, but I thought I’d share a couple of those things here.
Do you remember Apple’s little iPod Nano? I sure do! Mine was a gift from my wife while our family was living in Las Cruces, New Mexico. That gift led to my moving away from listening to the radio in my car and eventually into the world of podcasts.