Steve Carr 5/8/25 Steve Carr 5/8/25

Three External Fraud Threats Churches Should Address

There are many internal fraud risks for churches to mitigate through strong controls and oversight. However, there are also external threats for church leaders to be aware of and address.

Three common external fraud risks threatening churches today involve the use of email, check washing (using chemicals to “wash” away ink and change the name of the payee or the amount of the check, or both), and investment scams.

Steve Carr 5/2/25 Steve Carr 5/2/25

Critical Mistakes Churches Make When Planning to Build

Churches looking to build must learn how to be a good stewardship of the construction process. However, some lessons are learned tougher than others. In my 23 years of observation and experience in church capital expansion, there is one critical error that repeats itself over and over. It is the reason why most church building plans never happen. The answer is budget.

Steve Carr 4/22/25 Steve Carr 4/22/25

Should Your Church Have a Planned Giving Ministry?

Planned giving is not for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, an increasing number of churches across America are hosting estate planning (wills and trusts) educational seminars. These churches are serving their members with essential end-of-life decisions while at the same time adding hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions of dollars, of future gifts for ministry.

Steve Carr 4/16/25 Steve Carr 4/16/25

Leadership Philosophy or Leadership Practice?

No matter what business you are in, leadership exists. But the crucial question is: Does your organization merely have a leadership philosophy - displayed on company walls - or is leadership practiced, evident in daily actions?

Steve Carr 4/9/25 Steve Carr 4/9/25

Seven Must-Have Ingredients for Leadership Development of Gen Z

We love books. We love community. Team devotions are important. We’ll get to all of this, but let’s be clear, these are ingredients but not leadership development.

Steve Carr 4/4/25 Steve Carr 4/4/25

Five Warning Signs of Leader Burnout

Burnout is a real risk for many pastors and ministry executives. In an effort to satisfy external or self-made expectations for advancing the Kingdom, leaders may consciously or unconsciously make tradeoffs against their holistic health over months and years–ignoring the fact that God designed them to need rest and rejuvenation in order to truly flourish. Eventually, to one degree or another, they might find that their physical, mental, and even spiritual strength is sapped.

Steve Carr 4/1/25 Steve Carr 4/1/25

The Importance of Smooth IT Systems

Technology plays a crucial role in helping churches operate smoothly, connect with their congregations, and fulfill their missions. However, those same churches, especially larger ones, face significant challenges in managing IT infrastructure and communication tools effectively.