There is nothing plastic about the feeling people experience when they receive a gift card. Appreciation emails are OK. Cards are better. Handwritten notes rock. But nothing beats a handwritten note AND a gift card. Over the last 15 months, churches made use of gift cards to show appreciation to frontline workers, first responders, teachers, and community leaders. Gift cards purchased from a local business create a triple win. The purpose is to help people in your community feel the love of Jesus.

Hope can always be found, even if it takes some time to find it. The hope of the resurrection exists for all of us. It is the job of the Church to proclaim this truth especially in the public arena of mental health. Churches are called to become communities of freedom and healing. The Sanctuary Course will help you build such a community.

If evangelism were only the work of church leaders, we would quickly hit a ceiling on our effectiveness in reaching people with the gospel. However, if evangelism is the work of every believer, anything is possible.

Resilience is the ability to withstand, adapt and grow in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy and stress. It’s the ability to transcend despite all the odds. Resilience is the single quality we all need now to go where no one has gone before.

There’s no question: this COVID-19 pandemic has grabbed our attention. It just cannot be “the same old same old.” I’m not too old to learn; I want to learn. My prayer, as we face an uncertain future, is “Lord, teach us. Lord, use us.”

Millions of Canadians are coming out from house arrest. They are excited to be out. They are a little nervous. Some of them are learning what it means to have real-life conversations again. And all of this new interaction makes for a great opportunity to look at your community with fresh eyes.

Less is more. Two courses are all you need to reach people far from God. Both function effectively online as well as onsite. Both are hugely valuable and offered free of charge. In thinking like a church planter with limited resources, offering these two programs alone will help you effectively reach your community this Fall.

For many church leaders, this has been the hardest season of their lives; their decisions have been questioned, their lives have been interrupted, their faith has been tested and, their fears have tried to overcome them. And now, they are poised for the greatest opportunity they have ever seen.

In the life cycle of a church, vision ignites everything. Church planters have a passion for reaching people far from God in their communities, towns and cities. Cast vision for souls now. Start before you’re completely ready. Communicate urgency to energize, deputize and mobilize your established congregation to fulfill that vision. Casting vision will net you support and momentum.

As we look to the fall and the potential of limited restrictions, churches are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This will be different than the reopening that we’ve been accustomed to. This will be, in essence, a fresh start; something from which to build upon. It’s for this reason that church leaders are looking at relaunching this fall.

The simple truth is that strategy is what takes us from where we are (point A) to where we want to be (point B).

Go through each one of these items and ask yourselves how are we doing on this? Close the gaps. Remember, intentionality is the key to becoming a welcoming church.

Fall is a great time for your church to engage the community. People are getting back into their routines. The church can position itself as a place of help and hope in this season. Here are 5 community outreach ideas your church can do this fall.

Here is how you can build a community profile to really understand who your neighbour is and how you can reach them.

Imagine if 75% of your church were actively engaged in the discipling of pre-Christians and Christians? What a day that would be.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single purchase. Cue “The Big Spend” and churches across Canada championing local businesses on July 25th. The big idea came from one of our PAOC credential holders, Tim Schindel.

The average person has no idea what next steps to take to connect into this congregation and what the destination (being a part of the church) might look like. It’s up to us as leaders to create clear and obvious next steps for them.

We don’t want to create any barriers for people to come to Jesus Christ and we want to do our best to be a church that is in the community and for the community.