Posts Tagged ‘Dr. Gary Hoag’
Teaching Tips from Dr. Gary Hoag
Called to Teach God has gifted some of us to teach, but that does not make it easy! It gets complicated when we have to address controversial topics, when our audiences have a wide range of knowledge and varied expectations, or when God leads us into new teaching settings that take us far outside our…
Read MoreFour Groups of Givers By Dr. Gary G. Hoag
Are you a giver ready to grow? To help givers grow, I suggest they find themselves in the groups that mirror the four soils in Mark 4:1-20. Though only one exhibits the fruit of the Spirit of “generosity” (Galatians 5:22-23, NRSV), there’s hope for anyone willing to work their soil, receive the seed of the…
Read MoreChristian Giving By Dr. Gary Hoag
The Way of Christian Giving Sometimes describing what giving isn’t, is the best way to explain what it is. In my interaction with givers globally, I have found that when they ask me to help them grow in Christian generosity, a list of contrasts of what it isn’t and what it is aids in getting…
Read MoreGot Budget? By Dr. Gary Hoag
Do you live on a budget? Most budgets include four (or five) basic categories, namely, money for giving, spending, saving, paying taxes, and (if necessary) debt repayment. Statistics show that only about one-third of American households live on a budget (Gallup 2013). Not living on a budget can contribute to further challenges, such as making…
Read MoreCharitable Giving By Dr. Gary Hoag
Charitable Giving at Year-End Since the signing of the War Revenue Act of 1917 – exactly 100 years ago – Americans have used the provision in the income tax code known as the charitable gift deduction to maximize their contributions as a portion of income. This provision leads many people, especially those in higher tax…
Read MoreFaith and Work By Dr. Gary Hoag
What is God’s design for the intersection of faith and work? The intersection of faith and work is a hot topic. Rightly so! Work takes up the largest sum of the waking hours of every steward. To borrow the language of Christian philosopher, Francis Schaeffer, we must ask and answer the question: “How should we…
Read MoreBoard Retreats By Dr. Gary Hoag
Discover why you should consider doing less on board retreats! Earlier this year, I wrote a post on the CLA blog entitled “Discerning Direction” in which I suggested some intentional activities for ministry administrators and trustees to do on staff and/or governance retreats. Today’s post follows the trajectory of that submission and suggests two things…
Read MoreFour Insights By Dr. Gary Hoag
Here are Four Insights for God’s Workers By Dr. Gary Hoag ~ I have four insights for God’s workers as I turn fifty this year. I’ve been in pastoral or parachurch ministry for more than half my life. As I reflect on this milestone, a passage from the Old Testament (OT) Law has been formative…
Read MoreLetters to Seven Churches by Dr. Gary Hoag
Letters to Seven Churches about Money By Dr. Gary Hoag ~ In Revelation 2-3 we find “the letters to the seven churches.” Some call them “love letters” as they come from Christ to His bride, the church, in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. This article highlights seven more New…
Read MoreThree Financial Administration Tips by Dr. Gary G. Hoag
Three Financial Administration Tips for Steward Leaders By Dr. Gary G. Hoag~ Back in college (which seems like a lifetime ago) I studied accounting. From there I went to seminary to get further training to use my skills to help run a ministry. In that setting few people understood financial statements and even fewer…
Read More