Compensation planning for ministers presents several unique tax issues that are not well understood by many church leaders and their advisers. To help, Richard Hammar describes three key tax considerations churches should review when structuring compensation plans for pastors.
Board members of Relevant Radio and Immaculate Heart Radio today signed their merger agreement and have submitted a petition to the FCC for the required ownership transfer of radio licenses to the merged entity. The non-profit corporation will be known as “Immaculate Heart Media, Inc. d/b/a Relevant Radio.” Bishops, clergy, listeners, donors, and employees across the country have expressed enthusiastic support for the merger.
When people think of the Silicon Valley, what comes to mind is the principle that life can somehow be perfected through innovation and technology; that mission seems to trump seeking religious purpose. The Silicon Valley is one of the least religious parts of the country, 30 percent below the national average, with less than five percent of residents attending church services on Sundays.
It’s the start of a new year and thoughts turn to eating better, getting more organized, or even reconnecting with old friends. But within your New Year’s resolutions, are you considering the health of your church?
There’s a persistent myth about church live streaming that needs to be put to rest: The idea that once you go live online, your members will stop coming to the services. Nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t have statistics; I can only give you my experience with the hundreds of churches we’ve worked with around the world.
By Phil Cooke
Over and over, as we help churches live stream their services, the actual Sunday attendance in the building goes up. In other words, putting your services out there online for others to see actually draws more to the Sunday service.
There are plenty of amazing live stream stories. I was speaking at a pastor’s conference in Oklahoma this year and met one pastor who preaches to 700 people in his congregation. But his live stream is viewed by an average of 10,000 people each week.
We worked with a large church in the Southeast who actually gets as much as one-third of its total income from the live stream audience. In fact, one Sunday, the pastor called me, excited to share that the previous Sunday, the church received more donations online than the congregation gave in the offering plate. That’s unusual, but it does happen.
Think for a minute about former members of your church who have moved but would like to stay in touch. Students who have left for college, business people in the congregation who travel. Missionaries you support. I can tell you that whenever my wife and I are on the road on a Sunday morning, she always opens up the laptop and watches the live-streamed service from our church.
The bottom line: There are millions of people outside the walls of your church who need to hear your message. Certainly you won’t reach all of them with your online service, but the fact is, if you’re holding back from doing a live stream, you won’t reach anyone beyond those walls.
If you’re a pastor or church leader interested in live streaming, ask any questions in the comment box, or contact our team. We want to see your message reach as many people as possible, and a live stream is a relatively inexpensive and effective way to make that happen.
Phil Cooke has produced media programming in nearly 50 countries around the world.
(Source: ministrytodaymag.com)
“What can we do to help the churches in our state become more evangelistic?”
“We need more good evangelism programs. Why aren’t you providing them?”
“Why are we reaching fewer unchurched people than we used to?”
