Roman Catholic cardinals are making their way to the Vatican and Catholics around the globe wait in anticipation of the new pope. We cannot yet predict who the next pope will be, but Religion News Service has created their version of March Madness with the Vatican’s “Sweet Sistine” brackets. One will emerge as pope. Photo… ⪼ Continue Reading…
communication
Bonhoeffer, Wilberforce, Gandhi, Gregorian Chants: Who Are the “Nones”? – Part 4
According to “‘Nones’ on the Rise” – a report from the Pew Research Center – 20% of US adults don’t affiliate with a religion. This growing group of Americans (called “Nones”) has some negative perceptions about religious organizations like churches, and a full two thirds of them believe religious organizations are “too involved in politics.”… ⪼ Continue Reading…
Should Software Make the User Complacent?
When complacency is advised during church on a Sunday morning, church management software (ChMS) is never accused of making people lazy—but ChMS often does. In humanity’s quest to make our lives easier, we have at times relied more and more on machines to make the decisions for us – some times too much. This reliance… ⪼ Continue Reading…
Your Donation Statement and the IRS
Churches can show their gratitude to donors when church staffers do all they can to help donors report their donations to the IRS as tax deductions. This is typically in the form of the donation statement or donor receipt. The best way a church can help in this process is to give end-of-year donation statements… ⪼ Continue Reading…
Who Are the ‘Nones’ and Their Perceptions? – Part 3
In the first “Who Are the ‘Nones’?” post, I reported on some findings from a 2012 Pew Research Center report – “‘Nones’ on the Rise”. This report found that the percentage of religiously unaffiliated adults (called “Nones”) is growing in the US, up 5% from just five years ago. Now, one in five adults (and… ⪼ Continue Reading…
Recent Improvements to IconCMO+
IconCMO+ is a specialized version of our flagship IconCMO package. It allows an organization to view approved information from multiple churches. District offices use it to monitor the health of all their churches; they can easily decipher which churches need help and which churches are flourishing. Many parishes use it to manage multi-site churches. Previously,… ⪼ Continue Reading…