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:

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

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

NOTE FROM PUBLISHER: The Baptist General Association of Virginia’s purchase of photocopy rights for The Parish Paper includes:

Permission to provide copies to our staff and the congregations within our constituency in any of the following ways: E-mail, Postal, newspaper, newsletter, meetings, training events, and our Website.
Permission for each congregation within our constituency to (a) photocopy or electronically distribute for local use as many copies as it needs, (b) post them on its Website, and (c) quote sentences and paragraphs.

Your congregation does NOT have permission (a) to delete the copyright notice on page 2; (b) to re-write, paraphrase, or change the wording of sentences and paragraphs; or (c) to give ANY THIRD PARTY—other than your staff and constituents—permission to photocopy or reprint (in any quantity, no matter how small, whether for free distribution or for sale).

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