The Parish Paper

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

• June – Financial Stewardship: Myths & Principles