Below are the five articles in the August Equipper. The focus this issue is on coaching—a vital tool for ministry development. Enjoy! — Ted Johnston, editor From Greg: Coaching matters Greg Williams highlights the great benefits of being coached. Coaching testimonies Three of GCI’s ministry interns share their experiences as coachees. Thoughts from an experienced … Continue reading "Ministry coaching" Read the article
GCI provides its interns with a ministry coach. We asked three of them to comment on what they’ve experienced. If you have a testimony of your own about coaching, please share it using the “leave a reply” feature below. Jillian Caranto During the 2014 intern orientation, Anthony Mullins eagerly asked me to tell him my … Continue reading "Coaching testimonies" Read the article
In the June Equipper we began looking at the theme of stewardship with a focus on generosity. We now continue that theme, focused on fundraising. The five articles in this issue are linked below. Enjoy! -Ted Johnston, Equipper editor. From Greg: Our calling to be fundraisers Greg Williams shares from his personal experience important insights about our calling to … Continue reading "Focused on fundraising" Read the article
by Susi Albrecht and Nancy Akers Summertime is here, and children are happy! Carefree days without homework and rigid schedules, staying up late, family vacations and summer camps … what’s not to love! As children and their families enjoy their summer break, children’s church leaders and volunteers face unique challenges. Attendance tends to fluctuate, making … Continue reading "Kid’s Korner: Summertime ministry" Read the article
Here is a sermon from Equipper editor and Regional Pastor Ted Johnston. It’s based on the second chapter of Haggai. God has led GCI on a remarkable journey: from legalism to grace; heresy to orthodoxy; self-sufficiency to radical dependency. With this came a renewed sense of purpose—a growing understanding of our divine mission: “Go” says … Continue reading "Sermon summary: Be strong, willing and committed" Read the article
by Pastor Tim Sitterley You’ve probably had occasions when you answered a knock on your front door to find standing there a couple of well-dressed people holding religious literature in their hands. Through experiences like those you’ve probably learned that cold-call evangelism doesn’t work too well. Perhaps you’ve had similar bad experiences with cold-call fundraisers. … Continue reading "Fundraising through networking" Read the article
by Pastor Sam Butler Fundraising—it was the last thing I wanted to do! Asking people for money was, for me, like pulling teeth—painful and unpleasant. That was how I felt until 12 years ago when the congregation I pastored in Michigan started a food pantry. We moved our meeting location with the intent of engaging a particular … Continue reading "Lessons learned about fundraising" Read the article
Dear pastors and ministry leaders: I have significant experience as a church pastor and the director of a non-profit ministry. In those roles, I’ve talked with many people about money and I’ve raised a lot of funds. Yet, perhaps like you, I’ve not thought of myself as a fundraiser. As a principal leader in your … Continue reading "From Greg: Our calling to be fundraisers" Read the article
This article is from Paul David (PD) Kurts, regional pastor of GCI’s Mid-Atlantic Region. PD also serves in the North Carolina Air National Guard. Some years ago I was watching a television program on the National Geographic channel, which depicted a pygmy tribesman trying to catch a monkey (you know, the other white meat) to … Continue reading "The life-giving power of generosity" Read the article
Dear pastors and ministry leaders: My father was an apple grower. One of his personal pleasures was loading up the pickup truck at the end of the harvest season to take apples to the widows and elderly around the area. He gained great joy from distributing free apples and was reluctant to stop. It’s a … Continue reading "From Greg: Live and preach generosity" Read the article
