Church Sustainability Series: Sustaining Care

Sustainable Care for Hybrid and Shared Ministry Roles As congregations across North Carolina and beyond adopt creative staffing models—ranging from co-vocational pastors to ministers who serve multiple churches or lead in multiple ministry areas—one pressing concern emerges: how do we care for the ministers who carry more? The Church Sustainability Initiative (CSI) has challenged congregations…

Church Sustainability Series: Ethical Partnerships and Sustainable Congregations

The Rise of Predatory Church Plants: A Call for Ethical Partnerships and Sustainable Congregations In an era of shifting religious landscapes, many established congregations face dwindling membership, financial constraints, and an uncertain future. These churches, built for a time of expansion and abundance, now find themselves struggling to sustain ministry in a rapidly changing world.…

Church Sustainability Series: Reimagining Sacred Spaces

Reimagining Sacred Spaces: How Churches Can Sustain Mission Through Revenue-Based Partnerships For generations, church buildings have been more than places of worship. They’ve been community gathering spaces, shelters in times of crisis, and centers of spiritual formation. Yet today, many churches find themselves struggling to maintain their expansive facilities, originally built for larger congregations and…

Church Sustainability Series: Avoiding Pitfalls and the Mythological Comeback Kid

The Pathways to Failure: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Unfulfilled Promises and the Mythological Comeback Kid Sustainability is a challenge that many churches face in today’s changing landscape. When congregations find themselves in decline, they often look for solutions that will reverse their trajectory and bring new life into their church. However, not all solutions lead…

Reflecting on One Year After Hurricane Helene

The marking of the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene brings life-shaping memories and emotions for all who were involved in its path. It wreaked havoc from Florida to North Carolina, but what happened to our beautiful North Carolina mountains was unprecedented. Wanda Kidd, CBFNC’s Helene Disaster Response director, shares a reflection below marking the one-year…

Church Sustainability Series: Redefining Success, Maintaining & Failure

Redefining Success, Maintaining, and Failure: A Church’s Journey Toward Sustainability For generations, churches have measured success in ways that made sense for a different era—full pews, bustling Sunday Schools, and steady financial giving. But in today’s rapidly changing landscape, these traditional markers may no longer reflect reality. As congregations experience shifts in attendance, financial challenges,…