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Tuesdays with the Southwest Conference

This year, every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, the Southwest Conference will conduct a one-hour training event that will be open to all. These training events will be held online, and the webinars can be accessed from any computer. They will start promptly at 11 AM, Mountain Standard Time, and will end no later than noon.

On every second Tuesday, the topic covered will be related to church finances, and every fourth Tuesday the topic covered will be related to church growth strategies. Presenters include auditing firms, church planters, church renewal specialists, fund developers, investors, new church start pastors, and a whole host of others.

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Webinar Archive

11 Secrets for Stewardship Success
October 25, 2011

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Overview:
Learn eleven practices that churches of any size can implement to dramatically improve the results of their stewardship program. Coy James will instruct on how these principles can benefit both church staff and lay leaders, so make sure the entire leadership team participates in order to get the most from this experience.
Presented by Coy James, Director of Stewardship & Endowmentsfor the Cathedral of Hope UCC in Dallas, TX. He is responsible for development and implementation of the stewardship program as well as other strategic projects.

Rev-ing Up for the Congregation’s Fall Stewardship Season
September 13, 2011

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Overview:
It really ISN’T the same thing as it used to be! Vital stewardship combines faith development and fundraising - the pastor has an important role in both. We will review four factors that require new strategies. This webinar will be of interest to stewardship leaders, pastors, finance folks, council members. Through the webinar you will tailor a stewardship plan for your congregation for the year.
Presented by the Rev. Dr. Jane Heckles is Minister for Our Church’s Wider Mission Development of the United Church of Christ.

5 Steps to Renewal
August 23, 2011

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Recording of Webinar

Overview:
Every church has a different pathway to renewal, however there are some basic steps that are common to all churches in the process of congregational revitalization. This webinar will walk pastors and church leaders through the primary moves that are part of the journey to finding new life and new energy for mission and ministry in a local congregation.
Presented by the Rev. Geneva M. Butz, Associate Conference Minister Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ.

General Synod Recap: What Churches and Pastors Should Know about Synod Actions
July 12, 2011

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Recording of Webinar

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Listen to our Conference Minister and Synod delegates talk about memorable experiences at General Synod, the approval of the new Collegium, the unified governance proposal, the debate about the frequency of General Synod, resolutions, LGBT rights, the upcoming MISSION 1, and more.

Church in the Innovative Age
May 24, 2011

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Recording of Webinar

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Innovation is the key to moving forward. How does one apply critical innovative strategies in the local church? Doug Pagitt, cosultant with the Center for Progressive Renewal, will help us think about that.

Text4Faith: Fundraising with Smartphones
May 10, 2011

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Recording of Webinar

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Larry Cummings describes an exciting new technology that is available to all churches in the SWC: Text4faith. This is an exciting new targeted fund-raising initiative that makes use of smartphones to raise new money. The Conference has signed a contract with Text4faith, and the contract gives all of our churches access to the technology. Tune in to learn how to make use of this new opportunity.

Beyond Stewardship: Fundraising in the Church
April 12, 2011

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Recording of Webinar

Overview:
This introductory webinar will encourage local churches and their leaders to regard traditional stewardship work as essential but not sufficient in today’s climate of giving. Fundraising is needed as a complement to stewardship. We’ll borrow insights and best practices from the broader world of nonprofit philanthropy, which is already familiar to our members through everything from alumni groups to public radio stations. We’ll discuss the three-legged stool of fundraising (annual campaign, major gifts, planned gifts) and suggest some simple ways to cultivate, invite and recognize gifts to the church. We’ll note the biblical and theological foundations for it all.
Hosted by Hans Holznagel, Associate for Leadership Gifts, Financial Development Office Of General Ministries

Revitalization Strategies in the SWC
March 22, 2011

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Overview:
As a key part of our Church Growth and Development long-range plan, we must talk about strategies for adding new vitality to our existing churches. In this presentation, we will discover some of the current realities facing churches in the Southwest Conference, and also talk about what our plans are for helping churches find a new sense of purpose, mission and identity.

Internal Controls and Best Practices
March 8, 2011

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What are some of the best ways to handle money at the local church where volunteers do much of the work? Lori Rice, the SWC auditor, visited 3 SWC churches of varying sizes and interviewed the financial staff (volunteer and paid) about their practices and concerns. This Webinar and document are the result of those visits. Not every church will follow these guidelines to the letter, but hopefully all will find some suggestions that will help your church become more financially secure.

Social Media to Grow Your Church
February 22, 2011

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Overview:
The Rev. Cameron Trimble, Executive Director of the Center for Progressive Renewal, discusses effective ways that churches can use social media to engage people.

This is a free online service provided to you by the Southwest Conference.