If you’re looking to make your parish more family-friendly, the next best thing is not free parenting classes or Dave Ramsey money management classes. It’s committing to child care. That’s it. The number one thing stopping young families from becoming more involved in your parish is not that young people are godless heathens or shallow goof-offs […]
Every now and again, someone will wander onto your parish’s Facebook page, disparaging the Church or people of faith more generally. Luckily you can mute them, but if you’re looking for an easier way to intercept them before they cause trouble, consider using Facebook’s profanity filter. This setting is buried inside of your parish’s Facebook page settings. […]
How many times has a parishioner or visitor asked you to pray for them or someone they love? I bet you get prayer requests on a weekly, if not daily basis. What’s the most common response to a prayer request? “I’ll pray for you,” meaning, “At some point in the future, I’ll remember you in […]
With 2019 almost in the books and 2020 around the corner, it’s likely you have some positions you are thinking of posting. You should plan to make 2020 the year of great hiring. How do you do that? By operating like the church next door. You know the one – the one with the engaged […]
Facebook is always adding new types of posts that can help you increase your reach and engagement. One type that you may have not used before is the slideshow. Simply upload a few photos, choose your transition type, pick the royalty-free music you like, and you’re ready to go! Creating slide shows on Facebook is […]
Not all fundraising activities are created equal. All parish and school fundraising opportunities are unique and while your leaders likely have a firm grasp on how they differ, it’s important to let your parishioners and school families know the purpose and goal of each fundraising event. Consider the following as a general outline to separate […]
Magazine subscriptions. Chocolate sales. Caramel corn delivery services. We’ve all participated in these sorts of gimmicky fundraising schemes, hawked by companies that claim their particular product will raise tens of thousands of dollars for your Catholic parish. They tend to be some of the worst fundraising ideas ever. Here are four reasons to avoid them […]
You’re getting bombarded with new programs every week – ministry programs that claim to lead hundreds into RCIA, pack the pews, invigorate the young people in your church and so on. It’s a sign of the times. We all know that demographically, Catholicism is declining in the Western Hemisphere, and we are all looking for […]
Every year we are drawing closer to the moment when every man, woman, and child has an internet-enabled device on them at all times. Love it or hate it, that’s the way the culture is going. All of this begs the question – should your parish offer WiFi to guests? Here are a few points […]
The CSM team often works with pastors and staff that say, “We wish parishioners would increase their financial support.” The response that we offer, though simple, often comes as a surprise to many. We ask in return, “Have you asked for it?” People are willing to increase their support if they feel engaged in the mission and […]
