Reaffirmations Friday – March 18th

Whether you’re a church Pastor, directing a ministry, or simply a volunteer, you most likely don’t have too much time during your day to keep up with what’s being written or discussed around key ministry topics like developing discipleship, increasing participation or building stronger church community.
But, that’s OK! Because every week, we’ll round up of some of the most helpful and inspirational news and articles published on the web and give them to you here, in one centralized place as part of our “Reaffirmations Friday.”
Here are the top ministry blogs and articles this week detailing anything you may have missed.
Close the Giving Gap in Time for Easter
…Since average church attendance is nearly 50 percent higher on Easter than any other time, your biggest concern may be crowd control. But here’s something else to think about at Easter and any time of year… Written by Jan Jasmin
3 Steps to Best Serve Your “Customers”
If we were in the retail industry, I am pretty confident that we would have a darn good understanding of whom our “customers” are or at the very least who we intent our customers to be… Most of you who read our blog are involved in church work in some form or fashion…so the idea of a “customer” may feel foreign or contrived. Written by Tim Cool
How Best to Communicate: Phone Call, Email, Text, Social Media
Like me, you probably get a lot of messages throughout the day. They all coalesce in my smartphone. I assume most of you have the same set up. It’s convenient. But the message amalgamation can become a source of stress, especially for task-oriented people. I’m among your ranks. Written by Sam Rainer
4 Signs Your Volunteers Are Getting Burned Out (And How to Fix It)
It is no exaggeration that volunteers are the life-blood of any church. They are the hands, the feet, and the heart behind a church’s many ministries. If you’re in church leadership, it’s quite possible that at some time you’ve had a hard time recruiting volunteers. Written by Katie Fridsma
Hope for the Unhappy Christian
On the outside, Chloe appears to have it all together. She is single, has a career, and is fairly active in her local church. But she’s lonely, disenchanted by her career, and feels detached from her church. The shell that her peers admire conceals her discontentment and joyless Christianity. Written by Phillip Holmes
3 Characteristics of Ethical Marketers
Whether as a politician trying to win more votes, a pastor trying to get more members, a businessperson trying to sell more products or services, or a non-profit leader trying to recruit more donors… all marketers face the temptation to over-promise and under-deliver… Written by Darren Shearer
Is there are article you saw this week that you think should have made this list? Let us know!