The BGAV is proud to provide copies of the Parish Paper free of charge to members of our constituency!
Co-edited by highly-reputable knowledge experts, monthly issues of The Parish Paper provides ideas, insights, research-findings, and practical methods that strengthen the effectiveness of congregations in accomplishing God’s purposes through their various ministries.
Open recent BGAV-sponsored copies of The Parish Paper:
2020 Parish Papers
- January – Repurpose Worship Space, Don’t Rebuild
- February – Get to Know the Community Through Mapping
2019 Parish Papers
- January – Defining Church Vitality
- February – What is Contemporary Worship?
- March – Media Technology for Worship
- April – Building Your Community Ties With a Block Party
- May – Tips for Starting and Managing a Worship Band
- June – Overcome Volunteer Burnout by Building Capacity
- July – Team Talk Can Strengthen Volunteer Ministry
- August – Learn More About Your Congregation Through Focus Groups
- September – A Team Approach to Worship Design
- October – Let’s Take a Walk: The Ministry of Accompaniment
- November – Learning to Love Variety in Worship Song Selection
- December – Writing As a Tool for Community Engagement
2018 Parish Papers
- January – 18 Questions for 2018
- February – Best Practices for Church Members Serving as Staff
- March – Finding Significance as a Small Church
- April – Church Energy Use: Can We Harness Hope?
- May – How to Balance Hospitality and Church Security
- June – Making the Nursery a Place of Belonging
- July – Inviting, Informing, and Including Newcomers
- August – How to Raise Money for Your Community Projects
- September – Checking Up on Clergy Health
- October – Don’t Disagree, Deliberate
- November – How to Develop Habits for Well-Being
- December – Getting to Know Our Neighbors
2017 Parish Papers
- January – Conquering the Cutback Syndrome
- February – How Do Congregations Respond to Interfaith Couples?
- March – Guide to Good Governance
- April – Small is Big Again: Reclaiming Small Church Ministry
- May – Financing the Local Church
- June – Ministry in Midst of Tragedy
- July – How Can We Help Immigrants?
- August – What Promotes Hope?
- September – Equipping Volunteers Builds a Strong Church Community
- October – Short-Term Mission Trips that Yield Long-Term Success
- November – Mistakes Churches Make During an Interim Ministry
- December – Does Our Pastor Need a Job Description?
2016 Parish Papers
- January – How Ministry Teams Get Things Done
- February – The Payday Lending Crisis: What Can Congregations Do?
- March – What Numbers Matter for Congregations? Lessons from Five-Year Trends
- April – How to Deal with Church Conflict
- May – How Do New People Hear about Your Church?
- June – Making Congregations Greener
- July – When Charity Brings Anything But Relief
- August – Multiple Roads to a Multicultural Congregation
- September – What Keeps Congregations from Implementing New Ideas
- October – Keeping Up with the Pastor’s Pay
- November – Does Your Congregation Suffer from Anxiety?
- December – Can We Wait for God’s Spark?
2015 Parish Papers
- January – Our Future Pastors: Assessing the State of the Pipeline
- February – How to Avoid the Potholes on the Road to Retirement
- March – What Churches Can Do to Increase Social Media Security
- April – Finding God’s New Call in the Same Place
- May – Seeking a Bivocational Calling for Pastors and Churches
- June – Could Lack of Curiosity Kill the Church?
- July – Congregational Strength Is Always Plural
- August – How to Enhance the Ministry of Associate Pastors
- September – New Models for New Churches: What Works?
- October – Can Congregations Reach Young Adults?
- November – Navigating the Currents of Endowments and Reserve Funds
- December – Improving Church Communication
2014 Parish Papers
- January – Big Ministry Trends for 2014
- February – A Parable about Pastoral Leadership
- March – When Less is More: The Consequences of Clergy Turnover
- April – eGiving: It’s about More Than Money
- May – How to Welcome Children with Autism and Their Families
- June – Caring for the Caregivers
- July – What Type of Follower Attends Our Church?
- August – Do Your Mission and Method Fit Your Size?
- September – How Churches Can Partner with Local Schools
- October – How Can We Prevent Suicide?
- November – Should We Consider Closing Our Church?
- December – How to Make the Most of a Consulting Process
2013 Parish Papers
- March – What Leadership Style Works Best in Our Church?
- April – Oral Communication: How to Strengthen Our Effectiveness
- May – Important Conversations: How to Avoid the Sand Traps
- June – Making Informed Decisions During Times of Change
- July – The Great Recession: Its Effects on Congregations and What We Learned
- August – Clergy Groups: Are They Worth the Investment?
- September – Disaster Relief: Congregations in the Eye of the Storm
- October – Growth or Decline? 10 Key Questions about Worship Attendance
- November – E-newsletters: Worth More Than You Know
- December – Why a Sense of Belonging Matters
2012 Parish Papers
- January – How to Perfect Your Leadership Triangle
- February – How to Manage Change Resistance
- March – What Type of Future Are We Building
- April – How Is Your Congregations Health
- May – How to Turn Bystanders Into Active Disciples
- June – Mission Possible More Men in the Pews
- July – The Message We Are Sending About Giving
- August – Keys to Growing a Small Church
- September – Where Are The Unchurched?
- October – Preventing Church Fraud
2011 Parish Papers
- January – What Is Your Unconscious Intent
- February – Accomplishing Worthy Goals—Being Smart Is not Enough
- March – Does a Congregations Location Influence Its Effectiveness
- April – Incoming Pastors—Building Smoother Transition Bridges
- May – When Does Success Lead to Failure
- June – What is the Pastor’s Role in Church Finance
- July – How to Select Quality Staff
- August – How to Prevent Bad Behavior During Times of Change
- September – Why Do People Connect with Christ and a Congregation
- October – Why Do Smart Churches Make Dumb Decisions
- November – Should We Unleash the Power of Congregational Planning?
- December – How Do We Successfully Launch a New Project?
2010 Parish Papers
- January – Should We Fine-Tune Our Internal Culture?
- February – Become Comfortable with Conflict (Step One)
- March – New Trends in Belonging
- April – What to Learn from the Emerging Church Movement?
- May – Generous Givers: A Product of Motivation and Methods
- July – Should Our Congregation Use Internet Social Media?
- August – How Much Should We Pay Our Pastor?
- September – Planning for the Unexpected Financial Crisis
- October – Why Are Worship Visitors Important?
- November – What Are the Big-Picture Trends in Congregations
- December – Fifty Years Later
2009 Parish Papers
- January – How to Identify Our Unstated Assumptions
- February – Should Our Congregation Offer More Choices?
- March – Going into all the World: Church Website Basics
- April – What Do People Want in Their Pastors?
- June – One Congregation: Many Locations
- July – Lay Testimonials Strengthen Financial Giving!
- August – Shepherding Congregations through Grief
- September – Do We Sing All Five Worship-Hymns
- October – Women Pastors: Are Assumptions Accurate?
- November – Seven Roads to a Multicultural Congregation
- December – Are We a Leader-Sending Congregation?
2008 Parish Papers
- January – What Core Values Drive Our Church?
- April – Making a Good Start with Your New Pastor?
- August – How Church Size Impacts Decision-Making
2007 Parish Papers
- February – Where Do Teenagers Want to Go to Church?
- May – Five Effective Stewardship Programs
- June – Are We Making a Place for the Next Generation?
2006 Parish Papers
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