Church Staffing 101: Questions to Ask When Interviewing at a Church
A call to work in ministry doesn’t need all this figured out– These are just some questions to ask when interviewing at a church.
How to AI in 2023: A Pastor’s Guide to ChatGPT
As pastors and ministry leaders, you have a lot on your plate. You have a congregation to care for, programs to organize, and messages to prepare. With so much going on, it can be challenging to stay on top of everything and remain productive. This is where digital tools like ChatGPT come in. ChatGPT is…
Embracing AI: A Pastoral Perspective
I spoke to a group of high school students in the spring of 2023 and asked them how their teachers were addressing AI tools like ChatGPT. To my surprise, they had never heard of ChatGPT. In response, I just looked at their Student Pastor and said, “Sorry, man!” Jump forward a couple months, and the…
Ministry Norms: What even is ‘normal’?
Are we normal? At Ministry Architects, we’ve worked with over 1,000 churches, and, inevitably, this is THE most frequently asked question. Based on all that we’ve seen and come to understand about what helps support a sustainable ministry, we’ve developed some norms. These numbers are just a way to compare some numbers from your church…
Planning for the Future
How do you know when it’s time for a redirection? Does your congregation need a fresh dream or more explicit direction? Here’s a good starting metric: check the level of enthusiasm in your church. Can you find it? Is it focused and aligned or scattered and invested in all sorts of places? If the enthusiasm…
Should I Quit My Job?
If you’ve read our analysis of the 2023 Youth Pastor Compensation Report, then you already know the #1 way most ministry leaders move up the pay scale is to switch jobs. Quitting your job for a pay raise is a choice. But it’s one we hope you don’t have to take. Data explaining The Great Resignation…
Kids Are Crumbling
Over the past several years, I’ve been working on a few projects that have led me to think deeper about a lot of things. Most of these things revolve around parenting and ministry to families. Like many ministry leaders, I’m hoping to be a voice of hope to people as they navigate life and faith….
Youth Ministry, the Gender Pay Gap, & the Problem of Underpaid Staff
Earlier this year the 2023 Youth Pastor Compensation Report was released. This is sponsored annually by The Youth Cartel, Chemistry Staffing, and Christianity Today’s site, Church Salary. As Director of Searches for Ministry Architects, I found this report helpful in providing a glimpse into the larger picture of church staffing today. As a former youth…