By Scott CharbonneauManaging Director of Insurance SolutionsGuideStone As a pastor, you most likely preach on biblical stewardship from the pulpit and also practice it within your personal budget. With costs rising on everything from food to gas, every penny counts as you seek to honor the Lord with your finances. It pays to shop smart — especially when it comes to …
Follow Our Lead on Church Plans for Your Retirement Needs By Stephen Osborne, Senior Relationship Manager in Retirement Solutions Ministers and ministries are unique — both in mission and in operations. As a minister, you received an inspirational calling from God and most likely pursued theological training to prepare for your vocation. But did your seminary offer you a class …
By Jed Coppenger The SBC has problems. Lots of them. If you’ve been around the SBC very long, that’s not a surprising statement. What is unique about our current situation is the nature of the topics around which we disagree—race, politics, women in ministry, handling abuse—and the intensity with which we disagree. People don’t just disagree with each other; they demonize their …
By John Murphy, Director of GuideStone Property and Casualty® 2020 produced many challenges for pastors and churches as we moved online or outdoors and reset our ministry expectations. Many churches went back to the basics of what it means to be the Church — with a capital “C” — finding this to be a refreshing time of allowing God to …
By Scott Charbonneau, Managing Director of Insurance Business Development Did you know the most valuable benefit of almost any insurance plan is free? Nearly all major health plans include preventive care benefits with no out-of-pocket expenses when you seek care within your plan’s network. Plus, these benefits are built into all health plans that comply with the Affordable Care Act …
By Shawn Dorrough, Senior Relationship Manager in Retirement Solutions Prioritizing Compensation Planning is a Key to Financial Stewardship As churches evaluate their budget each year, they often seek ways to stretch limited budget dollars to cover a myriad of God-honoring goals — from weekly services and congregational care to missions and ministry outreach. The biblical obligation to provide well for …
By Scott Charbonneau, Managing Director of Insurance Solutions, GuideStone It’s almost here. The fourth Thursday of November is the traditional kickoff to five fun and frantic weeks of holiday celebrations. As Christians, Thanksgiving, Christmas and the arrival of the new year are annual opportunities for us to count our blessings, celebrate our Savior and look to the future with hope. …
By John Murphy We can’t seem to go a single week without hearing about a new cyberattack or ransomware campaign affecting the information of millions. Yet, we rarely hear about churches and other nonprofits being impacted — but that is not the case. Cybersecurity statistics from 2019 indicate 43% of all cyberattacks target ministries, nonprofits and small organizations. If you combine …
Understanding the leadership structure presented in the New Testament is critical for healthy church functioning. To explore this topic, we have links to our two-part podcast on this topic, along with an article listed below. By Matt Diaz It’s popular in our day to take business maxims and apply them to the work of the church. While a whole host …
By Dr. Josh Wredberg PODCASTS: ARTICLE: What comes to your mind when you hear the words church discipline? Maybe you picture a scene from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter of Hester Prynne slinking down the sidewalks with a large, red “A” embroidered on her chest. Or maybe you envision the torture and death that was part of the Inquisition centuries ago. Many of the …
