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A look back at the articles that mattered most to our readers in 2024
By RaeAnn Slaybaugh
In the past year , Church Executive has covered a lot of topics . Among them , a handful resonated best with our readers .
With the help of our thought leader partners , we ’ ve written about rapid expansion , building projects , and the financial partnerships needed to navigate both with excellence . We ’ ve delved into how to respond to a child sexual abuse allegation from the past and minister to victims of sex trafficking in a meaningful way , today . We ’ ve explored technologies and managed services that save valuable time — yours and your church family ’ s .
We ’ ve guided you in how to maintain your church ’ s insurability , examined ministry transition / supplemental options you might not have considered before , and helped you avoid falling victim to a phone , text or email scam .
The subjects vary widely , but the metrics speak for themselves : they all deserve a second look .
# 1 : STEPPING OUT — TOGETHER — IN FAITH
By RaeAnn Slaybaugh
More sanctuary space was the first order of business . To get the project underway , Pastor Johnson enlisted Rodney James , president and founder of Master ’ s Plan Church Design & Construction , who not only led the church ’ s previous renovation project but had also become a close friend . After ensuring enough parking was built into the expanding church footprint , James and Johnson determined that , unfortunately , it wouldn ’ t be possible to expand the existing sanctuary . So , a new , 1,000-seat , 14,000-square-foot sanctuary was added . Next came 6,200 square feet of preschool / nursery space — a big relief for the Sunday School ministry , which was previously so full that the church had to turn children away . Living Stones then added 5,200 square feet of administrative space , including ( amazingly ) transforming the square footage previously occupied by the women ’ s restroom into the receptionist ’ s office . In total , the church added more than 33,000 square feet of ministry space to its thriving campus . To find out how the project was finished under budget — even as COVID drove sharp price increases and supply chain delays for building materials — it ’ s worth revisiting this inspiring story .
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2 : HOW TO NAVIGATE A SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGATION FROM THE PAST
By Gregory Love and Kimberlee Norris
For Pastor Ron Johnson , Jr . and his congregation at Living Stones Church in Crown Point , Ind ., massive growth came about in a highly unlikely time : during COVID .
When churches were deemed by the Indiana governor as nonessential , Johnson and his team shut down Living Stones for several weeks . Not long after , they committed to keeping the church open instead .
“ All I knew for sure was that we couldn ’ t keep living this way ,” Johnson recalled . “ So , we stepped out in faith .”
Droves of new people attended each week ; instead of 25 new members , quarterly in Living Stones ’ Starting Point program , that figure grew to 100 new members per month during the two years during COVID . To keep up with the growth , Johnson introduced a third service . As of press time , that service had been in place for four years and counting . Even so , it was evident that the church was out of space — especially in the areas that housed worship , children ’ s ministry , administration and fellowship .
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2 CHURCH EXECUTIVE churchexecutive . com