A person responsible for running a church booth at a local fair asked a question.  “Molly” needed some ideas on how to make the booth more appealing. I took a different approach.

Local fairs attract good crowds, unless weather becomes a problem. Many booths sell something; a few are used to recruit members or help.

When asked to assist Christian ministries in decline or struggling to stay afloat, one of the first things I look at is the age of board members and staff. If all board members are over 65 and the youngest staff member is 50, it grays the organization. I say this as one who is gray and Medicare eligible.

I have learned that all speeches, long or short, should be written out. This includes when you speak in church to promote a Sunday school class or small group or to share a testimony about how the Lord impacted your life.

How do you balance a call to minister if it is not financially responsible to let go of a full-time job?  Often people contact me who are considering full-time ministry or who have shifted to full-time ministry, but are financially struggling. They don’t understand why their call to ministry didn’t equal permission to give full-time focus to it. When working through the process I talk about what the call to ministry means, and how a workplace calling may or may not be the same. This is a crucial difference to understand.

I have advised many pastors to develop a personal website. Many are reluctant to take this step because they believe this separates the pastor from the church.  A pastor may give 40 to 100 sermons a year if they preach an evening service. That’s a lot of content over ten, twenty, or thirty years.