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February 27, 2008
15 Ways to Increase Your Church's Offerings
More than 19,000 people are concerned about stewardship and giving. That's the number of hits this article has received.
Remarkable.
With numbers like that, it's difficult to call the conversation on stewardship and giving "marginal."
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February 26, 2008
Are all church capital campaign programs the same?
You may laugh at this: LifeWay is such a big place that I just recently met the John Burke who leads the Capital Stewardship area at LifeWay.
So, like any "normal" individual would do, I googled him to see what I could find out. John recently wrote an article about 5 Common Pitfalls in Church Campaigns that was published in the September/October 2007 issue of Preaching.
I really enjoyed reading pitfall #3: "All capital campaign programs are Biblically-based." This is not true. Jesus taught us that it was just as important how we got where we are as it is arriving to present moment. In other words, it's not OK to steal--even if you give all the money to the church.
Building buildings, debt retirement or even rennovation decisions that lead a church to invest in a capital stewardship program, is as much of a spiritual decision as it is a business decision.
Unfortunately, Richard Foster is often right in his assessment that, "Money has usurped the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer."
It's important that we remember that anything a church does should first be a spiritual decision and second a business decision. This is the balance we try to maintain at LifeWay. I like to call it balancing heaven and earth.
We should build buildings and conduct capital campaigns because God is leading us to expand our ministry, not to errect empires for ourselves. In the same spirit, we should choose tools that reflect the spiritual emphasis of a captial campaign program.
No, all church capital campaign programs are NOT the same. And yes, that does matter.
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February 25, 2008
Offering envelopes increase giving
We've talked a lot about stewardship and giving. And I think offering envelopes (yes, I'm biased) are instrumental and critical to any holistic strategy to increase church giving. They are the most proven method to "make the ask" and provide a compelling reminder that each person is responsible for giving a portion of the monetary resources God has given them to provide for the ministry of the local church in which they participate.
Here is one pastor and State Convention president who agrees:
During our annual planning and budgeting, I ran across your article in the September/October 2007 Facts and Trends article that featured LifeWay Envelope Service. I copied the article and handed it to my finance team. We looked at it as an investment that was sure to bring a return. After our first month, we had one of the largest regular offerings we've ever had. We expect to come in about $1,500 more than our weekly average in January 2008. It’s pretty crazy. I would have never thought that mailing offering envelopes to our members would have such an impact on our giving. There is a good chance we could come in over budget! This will be a first in 12 years as a Pastor! I’m a believer.Travis Smalley, Senior Pastor
Lakota Hills Baptist Church in West Chester, OH
Current President, Ohio State Baptist Convention
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February 21, 2008
It's not about you
One of the things I love the most about the blogosphere is that it's never ending. As soon as you discover one blog, it's a door into an endless world of other voices that are talking about your niche.
I came across a post today that implies that the consumer revolution and customer-centric practices that currently exist in the for-profit business world will soon spread to the non-profit world.
It doesn't matter what the brand is trying to say about a company; the customers have their own say about it. And customers will believe other customers more than they believe the marketing.
What does that mean exactly for those of us concerned with stewardship and giving in the church? It doesn't mean the church leaders should begin to view members as consumers. We've been down that road, and it's disastrous for everyone involved. I think what it means is this: what's relevant, helpful, insightful, etc. is determined by the person in the pew instead of the voice from the pulpit.
We've got to "bury" our top down mentality. This is what made Jesus so successful with people. (Of course, it's also what got him killed. But that's another post for another time.)
If we are going to be successul at re-seeding the conversation on stewardship and giving and capturing more money for more ministry, it's going to have to be a movement that begins with the church member instead of the pastor or other staff member.
When was the last time we made a case for biblical stewardship that compelled the person in the pew through story and life transformation rather than expository preaching and rational argumentation? If we don't, someone else will. And the chance that the one who does this successfully is outside the church is high.
Game on. Are you ready?
Posted by bstroup at 6:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
3 observations about the SDA Winter meeting
The more time I spend with these guys, the more I appreciate the complexity of the work that they do. Three observations that I made during our two day meeting are:
First, they are asking questions. More importantly, they are asking the right questions. In each State Convention there is someone assigned with the responsbility of working with churches in the areas of Stewardship and Cooperative Program. The number of questions they were asking of themselves and each other was astonishing. Questions like: How can we help churches do ministry and fulfill the Great Comission? How do we connect with younger pastors? What have we missed that we need to address? , etc.
I think a lot of people have the impression that the State Convention guys are just doing the same old, same old. And perhaps there is good reason to think that--that is of another group. My experience has been just the opposite with these guys.
Second, they are listening. There was a lot of discussion about taking their materials and making them available on the Web and in digital form so that it could be easier, cheaper and faster to get this information into the hands of pastors and church leaders.
Don't get me wrong. I don't think they're ready to stop printing resources. And there will always be room for printed resources. But pastors are going to Google and other seach engines first--even before they even search their own physical libraries. And they get that.
Third, they are open to new ideas. There is a wealth of information contained within each of these guys that only comes from the "school of hard knocks." They have tried, failed and learned how to succeed time and time again. The problem is that it's difficult to find a traditional way to express and communicate that experience outside of one-on-one conversations. And one person can have only so many conversations and relationships and influence. But Web 2.0 allows us to multiply that effort and connect with people outside of our own spheres of influence.
Before the meeting was over Tuesday, there was a general concensus that everyone would make an effort to involve themselves in sharing their wisdom through this blog. This not only validated the work that I've been doing, but it strengthened their ability to reach across State lines and communicate to people anywhere, anytime and any place.
It was said more than once. "These are exciting times." We are on the cusp of a stewardship awakening as our denomination realizes that more money really does mean more ministry. I'm just happy to be along for the ride.
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February 19, 2008
Stewardship Development Association - Winter Meeting
Today begins the Winter meeting for the Stewardship Development Association - the professional and publishing organization of State Convention Stewardship Executives. I'm looking forward to listening to the thinking and dreaming of this group whose daily responsibility it is to help churches do more ministry by being good stewards of the resources God has given--this includes fundraising, church giving planning, church budgeting, stewardship and giving education and more.
More information to come...soon.
By the way, how has your State Stewardship Executive helped your church do more ministry? If by chance you don't know whose responsible for stewardship and giving in your State's office, you'll want to introduce yourself and get to know each other. You'll be glad you did.
Posted by bstroup at 1:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 18, 2008
10 Ways to Prevent Embezzlement of Church Funds
I know it's hard to imagine that anyone would steal money from the church. In some ways that seems worse than stealing from anyone or anything else. But the reality is that it happens more often than we might want to imagine. It happened at the church I attended while I was in high school. The church secretary who had become a personal friend and trusted administrator of day-to-day office management skimmed money right off the top. It wasn't noticed until more than $30,000 in total had been stolen.
Part of a healthy stewardship plan is not only fundraising and money management but also loss prevention. Since so many churches have volunteers who count and deposit the weekly contributions, it's absolutely essential that even the small church take a hard look at what they are doing today to prevent themselves from becoming a victim.
Posted by bstroup at 7:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 14, 2008
New Stewardship Bible now available
I'm excited to point you to the It's A New Day Bible from Holman Bible Outreach. This is the product of the partnership between three guys who decided that it was more important to work together than to worry about who gets credit. So in less than 12 months this concept went from idea to finished product. Record time!
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment that I see is in its ability to connect Stewardship and Scripture while taking the reader through 30 days of devotions that will shape the mind and heart to see Jesus as Lord and Savior.
This will be a great tool not only to supplement the New Day campaign in your church but also to use as part of your assimilation strategy for new members.
Posted by bstroup at 1:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 13, 2008
Teaching children about stewardship and giving
I had the opportunity to meet with my former Children's Pastor yesterday. It's interesting how our paths have crossed at two different points in our lives. He was the Children's Pastor at my church in Houston. And now 20 years later, he is one of the director's of childhood ministry publishing at Lifeway.
I was sharing with him about what I'm doing now. I took the opportunity to express to him how difficult it was to find curriculum to teach children about stewardship and giving. He pointed me to a children's stewardship lesson series that is absolutely FREE.
I'd be interested in your feedback once you've had a chance to review and "try it out" with children.
Posted by bstroup at 1:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 12, 2008
10 ways to increase church giving 10-25%
The Christian Stewardship Association is a professional organization of Christian stewardship professionals. I stumbled across 10 steps to better church giving while searching their site for something completely different. I was impressed at how simple and practical the suggestions were.
The only step that I see missing is implementing an offering envelope mailing program. (But maybe that's because I'm a little biased.) That aside, offering envelopes may be the most effective "call to action" tool that any church can consider as part of their overall strategy. Helping people understand the "what" and "why" to give isn't enough. You have to give them a way to respond--a way that is simple and instant.
Posted by bstroup at 1:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 11, 2008
The jackpot of church fundraising resources
As you work toward building your church giving plan, you can browse the jackpot of church fundraising resources that I found on Michigan State University's Web site today.
I want to give a big thank you to everyone who put this together. This bibliography of Articles, Books, Web sites, etc. will be invaluable to you as you educate yourself about the "whys" and the "hows" of church fundraising.
Have fun browsing! And if one of these proves to be very helpful, let me know. I'd be happy to draw attention to it on the blog.
Posted by bstroup at 1:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 7, 2008
Develop a church giving plan
Yesterday we looked at how the loss of senior leadership at two different churches affected church giving. And I raised this question: is there was anything that churches and church leaders can do to ensure that the necessary money is be available to continue the ministry of the church with or without senior leadership?
Before we go any further, I need to make the observation that it will always be eaiser to raise money or increase church giving when stable, senior church leadership exists. Particularly when that senior leadership has the support and trust of the congregation. But what happens when the situation is less than perfect?
Perhaps we could consider treating this scenario just like we do our own investment portfolios--with a plan. More often than not, stewardship is only invoked and the stewardship committee active when building projects are in progress. Such behavior and thinking is short-sighted.
Stewardship Committees should be bearing the responsbility of working with church staff to develop a holistic plan that speaks to the contiuation and growth in church giving no matter the circumstances.
I think I found some information that will contribute to this dialog. I came across an article written by a seasoned fundraising professional. It speaks to a personal giving plan, but I think it can be easily translated into a corporate terms and used by churches.
Religious givers who see themselves as stewards of God’s resources should be even more careful to ensure that their giving is effective and well planned. One way to exercise the kind of care of which Rockefeller speaks is to develop a written giving plan.
I suspect that the hard work it will take on the front end to put together a comprehensive church giving plan will be worth the effort and will ensure that the ministry of the church continues with or without senior leadership.
Posted by bstroup at 1:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 6, 2008
Ministry impacted when church giving drops
I was talking to a staff member of a large church in a metropolitan area today. He expressed to me that they've had to make some difficult decisions recently. Giving has dropped, so they needed to control their expenses. And the easiest way to make up a loss is to cut personnel--which is typically the largest line item in any church's budget.
It's an unfortunate situation that this staff member feels horrible about. I asked him why he thought giving was down. He speculated as most people do and then revealed what he believed to be the true answer: they are without a senior pastor.
This is contrasted with another conversation I had recently with a completely different church--still large in size and located in a metropolitan area. They recently lost their pastor too--only church giving has grown. In fact, they collected more money than they needed this year. They are moving forward with finding a new pastor and carefully considering how they'll invest the additional contributions to grow the Kingdom.
These are two different churches in similar demographic settings who are both without senior leadership. Only one is suffering deeply from a decrease in church giving while the other one is continuing to thrive.
A church's ability to minister to others is directly connected to its level of giving. That's a given. That being the case, I wonder what a church can do to protect itself from the loss of its senior leadership to ensure that when that happens (for whatever reason) the ministry and giving habits of the church continue to thrive.
Any ideas?
Posted by bstroup at 1:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 5, 2008
Evangelicals tithed three times national average
I can't believe it. Barna says that evangelicals tithed three times the national average in 2002. I feel proud to know that I'm counted among a group of people so committed to the Lordship of Christ that we feel compelled to give.
But then I re-read the statement. Only 9% of evangelicals tithed which was three times the national average. 9% is hardly something to be proud of. In a way I feel a little "underwhelmed" and disappointed by it all.
I'm not sure what to be more concerned about--the 91% of evangelicals who don't tithe or the fact that 9% was three times the national average.
What do you think?
Posted by bstroup at 1:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack