At St. Ignatius of Loyola in Spring, TX, a bustling parish with over 4,000 families and 80 ministries across six buildings, managing the facility was a formidable challenge. The facilities team, comprising just three staff members, was overwhelmed with manually...
By Daniel Wheeler, DSCE Senior Hospitality Account Manager LG Business Solutions Houses of worship have long embraced technology to help deliver their messages to congregants, from audio amplification systems and projectors to overflow room TVs and, more recently,...
Looking for ways to help things run smoothly in your ministry? Project management may help
Churches are largely supported financially by the members that belong to their communities, and the money members can give — whether it’s put in a collection basket at service or deducted automatically from a checking account — is contingent on a lot of factors. That...
Has your church ever thought of starting a school? I have worked with dozens of churches that at some point thought they would best serve their local community by starting a school...usually in their existing church facilities. While this can be exciting, there are...
If you attend a church with multiple services (whether that is multiple worship services or worship with educational), you probably have limited time between your services. One church I've worked with in Charlotte has 3, back-to-back-to-back, worship services with...
Worship Facility editor Gene Lass and Nathan Parr, Facility Stewardship Specialist for Smart Church Solutions, discuss how Accessibility and ADA compliance can affect your decision to remodel your church or build a new facility. Takeaways include: The legal and moral...
Worship Facility editor Gene Lass and Nathan Parr, Facility Stewardship Specialist for Smart Church Solutions, discuss how Accessibility and ADA compliance can affect your decision to remodel your church or build a new facility. Takeaways include: The legal and moral...
1230 Media Founder Carl Barnhill and Worship Facility editor Gene Lass discuss the best takeaways related to facilities management from the 2023 season of podcasts. Points include: How to communicate facility needs to church leadersip How to plan facility needs...
I recently sat down for a discussion with Eric Williams, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) from Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Mississippi. He offered his perspective on best practices for safety and security in houses of worship. Tell us about Brown Missionary...
As the year draws to a close, it's important to pause and reflect on our progress. Often, we focus on the future, on the tasks and goals yet to be achieved, neglecting to appreciate the journey and the milestones we've reached. When reviewing your 2023 risk management...
7 tips to help you find and retain volunteers year round
Church properties often have a variety of facilities to manage, from public meeting spaces, to libraries, community resource hubs, washrooms, as well as the HVAC systems heating and cooling them. The more people use these assets, the more value they provide to your...
Have you ever heard the old adage about the 2 happiest days of boat ownership? “The day you buy it and the day you sell it." If you're a boat owner, this saying may best describe your ownership experience. So what about our ministry tools? While most of us will never...
As a ministry leader, your church facility is more than just a place of worship on Sundays. It should be a vibrant hub that serves the community seven days a week. Transforming your church into a 7-day a week destination is not only a great vision but also a mission...
If you have read my blogs for just about any time at all, you know that I am a big Seth Godin fan. A few years ago he posted a blog entitled "Cheap Shower Curtains" that really caught my attention. Here is an excerpt: The unskilled cost accountant might suggest you...
Using a church management system (ChMS) can greatly enhance communication within a church community. But remember, it’s a two-way system that requires your members and you to engage with it. Here are some tips to effectively use a ChMS for communication in your church...
The third annual Church Facilities Management Conference (CFMC), presented by Smart Church Solutions, offers training specific to Facilities Managers at Houses of Worship, so attendees can be assured that every session will have information directly relevant to them...
Each of the three days of this year's Church Facilities Expo, to be held in Dallas October 9-11, will have a full schedule of sessions of interest to Facilities Management teams at churches of any size. The sessions, covering subjects in the areas of Facilities...
Church leaders, are always striving to maintain the balance between good leadership and the management of their ministries. With this comes joys as well as challenges. If you're struggling with a particular issue that you can’t seem to figure out how to get past,...
You’ve moved into the new facility and are enjoying the “new car smell” and excitement that comes with seeing the vision become reality. As you celebrate this momentous occasion, there’s still work to be done to keep this new building running at peak...