« Ministry impacted when church giving drops | Main | The jackpot of church fundraising resources »
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 February 7, 2008 1:44 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blogs.lifeway.com/cgi-bin/mt4.1/mt-tb.cgi/562