A recent survey of more than 1,500 mostly Protestant congregations found that the first half of 2009 was more financially challenging for churches than 2008, but the leaders of the organizations involved in the research also find cause for hope—and…
Read MoreSpiritual Formation and Money: Mission, Ministries, and Generosity
For many religious people, their faith and their money live in an uneasy truce with each other. Seldom are we encouraged to see our attitudes about—and actions done with—our money as essential aspects of our spiritual formation as believers. Our…
Read MoreWinning Grants: The Case for Faith-Based Organizations
Too often, I run into faith-based organizations that seem embarrassed in the presence of secular funders, as though the faith aspect of their work were a liability. Instead, I think we need to consider why being faith-based is a reason…
Read MoreCongregations and Foundations: Meeting in the Spaces Between
“Everything is connected…no one thing can change by itself.” —Paul Hawken, entrepreneur The nation’s clergy and congregations might be dismayed or exhilarated by what foundation leaders had to say at a recent meeting convened by the Alban Institute. The meeting…
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