Leadership Network has been a pioneer in helping church leaders pass the leadership baton to a new generation. Almost 20 years ago, a pioneering Leadership Network book gave thought leadership,…
As you probably know, only 20% of churches exceed 200 in average attendance. And likewise, a large percentage of staff-led and lay-led ministries within a church hit a growth cap….
by Warren Bird, Ph.D. Bob Buford, age 78, died April 18, 2018 after a lengthy illness near his home in Dallas, Texas. Through philanthropy and personal engagement, Buford significantly contributed to…
Who mentored you or believed in you before you believed in yourself? That person is your Hero Maker! If you pick a recent day from your calendar, and review the…
Our 2018 Survey of Large Church Salary, Staffing and Benefits is now LIVE and ready for participants! Widely known as our “salary survey,” this research identifies benchmarks, ratios and salary…
When church leaders ask questions like this… How much should we keep in cash reserves? How much debt is safe? What financial measures should our church’s leadership monitor each month?…
As we near the end of 2017, givers will once again be looking for ways to be generous while maximizing their tax benefits associated with charitable giving. ECFA’s blog “7…
How much cash should our church have set aside in reserve? If you’ve ever been guilty of asking this question (and you should be!), you’ll love this short blog from…
Yes it does, but not exactly how you might guess. The reality is that most Protestant churches in North America are smaller, as the visuals illustrate below. Further, about 80% are…
Who are the youngest leaders of large-attendance churches across North America? One fascinating discovery from Leadership Network’s extensive research database is that they’re from all over! The map above…
We get a lot of great questions (one way to ask us is through our new Implementation Lab), and here’s a great one I recently received: “Is there a recommended…
Imagine you’re the leader of a church with a healthy contingent of high-capacity givers, and some of those givers are blessing your church with generous financial contributions. There’s a…
By Warren Bird With the tremendous growth and expansion of large churches in the U.S. and Canada, it’s easy to speculate that “we” are leading the way as pacesetters. That…
By Warren Bird, Research Director Our newest report, “8 Launch Wins” (free download below), explores fascinating discoveries about new churches and new multisite campuses. One of the many questions…
What’s on your summer reading list? Here are my recommendations for church leaders: Bigger Faster Leadership by Samuel R. Chand Renowned leadership consultant, Samuel R. Chand details the account…
By Warren Bird As you probably know, only 20% of churches exceed 200 in average attendance. And likewise, a large percentage of staff-led and lay-led ministries within a church hit…
By Warren Bird Does your church want to do a better job engaging young adults? The good news is that we have lots of help available. For quick-bite ideas see…
By Warren Bird Dr. Dennis Episcopo uses an innovative method for determining ministries at Appleton Alliance Church in Appleton, WI, where he is pastor. He asks community leaders what they…
By Warren Bird I remember visiting a missionary who had a big sign in his work space: “The pay ain’t great but the benefits are out of this world.” Several…
by Warren Bird Religion makes a huge socio-economic contribution to life in the United States, some $1.2 trillion annually, according to recent research. These dollars range from the basic economic…
By Warren Bird I’m intrigued by questions coming from readers of our large-church salary report. (The executive summary is free, and the complete report is $499, both are described at…
By Warren Bird WoodsEdge Community Church Senior Pastor Jeff Wells knows there is only one thing that could have moved his church from a massive debt load to being debt…
You could say that Beulah Alliance Church has kept its missional edge as a 95-year-old church by operating like a school kid struggling with math: Multiply any way you can….
Bright-orange buckets are fueling the generosity of an Indianapolis (IN) church, and making a big impact on its community. The “Generous Bucket,” as they are known at The Creek Church…
By Warren Bird For households that give to the general fund of your church, do 43% give between $200 and $999 a year? That’s the average, according to a study…
By Dan Busby and Michael Martin Try making a hamburger without beef, brewing coffee without beans, or baking a cake without sugar. Something’s not quite right, is it? Without the…
By Warren Bird Leadership Network has built a team of high-capacity leaders who serve churches in powerful ways. These leaders are field-tested as innovation catalysts in their ministry areas, and…
By Warren Bird Leadership Network’s salary report (download the free executive summary here) focuses on top-tier staff in larger churches. The report drew attention ranging from national media to people’s…
brought to you by ACS Technologies by Warren Bird What gets MEASURED, gets MANAGED. What gets REWARDED, gets REPEATED. Whatever you BRAG ON, you’ll see MORE OF. That’s why we invited…
By Warren Bird, Ph.D. Leaders constantly monitor their budget trends, so Leadership Network has prepared two infographics, each drawn from original research and each designed to provide helpful benchmarks…
by Warren Bird • What are church planters concerned about? Finances are one of the three top concerns for 73% of them. • How many church planters have “considerable friction”…
What does an insider look at the compensation practices of 1,251 large churches reveal? Leadership Network’s 2016 edition of “12 Salary Trends Every Church Leader Should Know” offers an…
By Mark Johnston with Ryan Hartwig Editor’s note: In our research for Teams That Thrive: Five Disciplines of Collaborative Church (recently named Outreach magazine’s Leadership Resource of the Year), Ryan…
By Warren Bird What if you set the following goal: In the church you serve, the attendees’ average age will be at least as young as the average age in our…
By Warren Bird To Get $1 Million, You Need 396 Giving Units Church leaders teach their congregations to put God first in their finances, but they often don’t know how…
by Warren Bird Like many others, I’m wanting to understand more about engaging Millennials — the group whose ages are late teens to early thirties, by broadest definition. Beyond the…
By Warren Bird Yesterday at the small Metro New York City church where my wife and I are members, our pastor shelved his planned sermon, and instead led us to…
Analysis for Appropriate Compensation How much should you be paying your pastor? Are you paying your pastor enough to meet the cost of living in your area? Most churches have…
by Warren Bird We’ve conducted large church salary, economic outlook, staff and budget surveys since 2001. Many of our questions come from people who ask us, “How do other churches…
By Warren Bird Most large churches invest huge time and energy into their weekend worship experiences. In some churches, such as Hillsong, the music may be better known and a…
By Warren Bird “What do YOU want to know about the financial side of churches like the one you serve?” That’s a question I continually ask people. Then wherever possible,…
by Warren Bird Here are some preliminary findings from several hundred churches that have participated in the recently launched 2016 Large Church Salary, Staff and Budget Survey. Whether you’re from the US, Canada,…
Newspapers rarely run articles titled, “Pastoral succession was so seamless and smooth that church momentum didn’t skip a beat.” They should. Those successions do happen. It’s largely the bad news…
by Warren Bird Here are some preliminary findings from several hundred churches that have participated in the recently launched 2016 Large Church Salary, Staff and Budget Survey. Whether you’re from the US, Canada,…
by Warren Bird Here are some preliminary findings from several hundred churches that have participated in the recently launched 2016 Large Church Salary, Staff and Budget Survey. Whether you’re from the US, Canada,…
by Warren Bird Here are some preliminary findings from several hundred churches that have participated in the recently launched 2016 Large Church Salary, Staff and Budget Survey. Whether you’re from…
By Warren Bird How much does a senior/lead pastor’s age influence salary? I don’t know the answer for ALL pastors, but I do have some stats for larger-church senior/lead pastors….
