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March 31, 2008

Church giving translates into ministry

I don't think we talk enough about stories like Churches help ease pain of flood victims. We get so focused on the intricate details of the machine known as Cooperative Program that we (as so many have said before) "fail to see the forest for the tree."

This story demonstrates how church giving enabled local churches, state conventions, and national agencies such as the North American Mission Board to help living, breathing people in need as a result of flooding.

We need to tell more stories like this one. Stories that demonstrate our ability as a denomination to come together and mobilize to make a ministry impact and "be Jesus" to people who have lost everything.

This is the ministry that is funded through local church giving. This is demonstrative of the reality that more money really does mean more ministry.

Every number does have a story. The machine isn't perfect. But it's the best thing on the market.

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March 26, 2008

Ken Hemphill believes tithing is biblical

Ken Hemphill responds to CBS Sunday Morning's recent headline story on tithing. (See CBS Sunday Morning weighs in on Tithing.) He takes issue with the historical and theological presentation of the principles behind tithing as they were represented in the news story.

What I most appreciate about Ken is that he brought the focus back to where it should be.

But "tithing" is not the entire story. The Bible teaches that the stewardship of all of one's life -- time, talents and treasurers.

We tend to take tithing and make it the "big" issue. The reality is that God is interested in all of our lives. And stewardship is lens through which we see everything as God's--that includes our time, talent and money.

(If you're intersested in more about what Ken has to say on this issue of stewardship, read Ken Hemphill talks about making change and Ken Hemphill on pastors, preaching and money.)

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March 25, 2008

Is debt a spiritual problem?

John Yeats, Director of Communications, with the Louisana State Baptist Convention views debt as a spiritual problem. He writes in "When debt becomes demonic":

Statisticians often find no major difference in the personal finances of American Christians and the general population. However, the failure of American Christians to trust God with prudent financial decisions does not mean that Christians don’t have an available solution. Obedience to God in the area of biblical financial stewardship can tame the demon of consumer debt and set the Christian free to be a conduit of kingdom resources for the glory of God. [emphasis mine]

If we believe that debt is first a spiritual problem and second a behavioral issue, then we must not rely only on behavioral modification programs to provide a lasting effect. We must treat the underlying cause which is an incomplete understanding of our time, talent and money as assests to be managed for the Kingdom rather than personal wealth to be spent at will.

If we believe that debt is a spiritual problem, then it deserves a spiritual answer. The church should be the venue through which people find spiritual and financial transformation.

Below are some previous posts that remind us that the time for the church to respond is now:

American debt
Howard Dayton on debt
Two main causes of debt
Americans and Debt
Spending habits of church and non-church members
Salvation through stewardship
Get rich slowly

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March 24, 2008

Personal debt and the role of the Church

Perhaps the single greatest opportunity we have as church leaders to make disciples of all nations in modern-day America is by dealing with personal finance. Debt is no respector of age, sex, class or creed. And we're kidding ourselves if we don't think the people in the pew are thinking about it as often as they eat or drink.

But how did we get here? How did we get to a point in our culture when the pursuit of personal pleasure trumped our picture of ourselves as managers of God-given resources such as time, talents and money?

Get Rich Slowly caputres this shift in American thinking brilliantly in his recent post, The Negative Saving Rate and the Age of Easy Credit.

I would add that the theological implications of this shift in thinking warrant a calculated effort by the church to address the personal finance issues our staff members, church members and community residents are already concerned with.

I'd be interested in your response to any (or all) of these questions: (1) How are you helping your members find practical, Biblically based solutions to debt and personal finance issues? (2) Have you used debt as a way to connect with your community who DOESN'T attend your church (or perhaps ANY church)? and (3) What have you learned as a result of your efforts?

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March 19, 2008

Revisiting E-giving

I've had several conversations recently about churches and e-giving. I thought it might be helpful to review some of what we've already discussed.

Is online giving a growing trend?
The results of online giving are in...
Electronic Giving Part 1: The Forbidden Conversation
Electronic Giving Part 2: Future or Fad?

I think people like talking about e-giving because it's new and "cool." I also think its a response by churches to address two cultural trends: 1) how we exchange funds and 2) the fact that the average regular attender in church today comes two times a month.

But the reality of service fees, transaction fees and implementation challenges will keep many churches at bay until it becomes more mainstream. Plus, most churches will need to become more sophisticated in their reporting and financial management tools before they will be able to provide enough data to identify e-giving as the source of increased contributions over time.

I still find myself coming to the same conclusion as I did in my previous posts. It will eventually become a hybrid model where e-giving is just one more option churches make available to its members. Just as printed newspapers and books didn't disappear with the advent of the internet and eletronic file transfers, neither will traditional means of cash and check contributions disappear from churches with the introduction of e-giving.

I'd be interested to hear from you. What has your experience been with e-giving in churches?

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March 17, 2008

Will the economy impact church giving?

I have good news. The NYT reported today that giving to charities in 2007 increased in spite of all the rumors of a recession and economic downturn.

It's easy to blame the economy for downward trends in church giving. But this evaluation reminds us that people are continuing to give to charitable causes in the midst of a housing and mortgage debacle, increase in unemployment, etc. Further, we know that most charitable giving in any given year goes to churches and religious organizations.

What are you doing to make sure you're inspiring others to give so that you can have the money you need to accomplish the ministry God has placed on your heart?

Are you making your case? If not, someone already is.

We've got a lot of work to do.

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March 11, 2008

Get in the minds of your members (aka donors)

As church leaders, it's important that we are in touch with our members (aka Donor base) so that we ensure we continually connect with them in mental, emotional and spiritual ways. This invites participation, reinforces a feeling of belonging and ensures continued support via time, talents and money.

But what if our perception of our members doesn't accurately reflect their perception of themselves? What if we've got it all wrong and our intuition--however well trained and experienced--is missing it altogether?

A great example is cited by The Mission Paradox Blog in it's comparison of Opera performers and Opera attenders.

It's worth taking pause to ensure everyone is on the same page.

We can't afford NOT to be...Literally.

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March 10, 2008

One dream, three students and True Love Waits

Last week we disccussed that successful fundraisers are those who are able to connect with donors on an emotional level and offer the donor a way to put their faith and values into action. We also explored how fundraising and ministry are two concepts that are dependent upon one another.

I found a great example today that proves my theory.

Three college students are planning to take the message of True Love Waits to South Africa. They'll need to raise $7,500 in order to make it happen. Armed with a great story, a meaninful purpose and a measurable end result, they have all the essential ingredients necessary to "make the ask."

The important lesson is this: raising money to support ministry goals is easy when you have a story worth telling and one that will inspire others to participate. And what better story is there than the one that has been entrusted to the church to protect and profess until Christ's return--the Good News that there is hope and a chance at new beginnings?

What if we started to look at church giving through the lens of ministry projects? What if we started calling church budgets "ministry proposals" and judged the worthiness of each line item not on the realitive cost but on the greatest Kingdom impact for the dollar?

Start dreaming and telling great stories. Then watch as your church giving explodes.

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March 5, 2008

4 Obstacles to Merging Fundraising and Ministry

Somewhere along the way the concepts of fundraising and church administration were separated. It was decided that both fundraising and ministry were important but not intricately connected.

I think the key is to see fundraising as a valid ministry--particularly within the context of the local church. If we are honest, there is a lot of opportunity out there for ministry. But often we are not able to act upon our dreams and visions simply because the money is not available. For many that's where they stop.

But why? If God has placed within us a dream for a specific ministry goal, then he has also given us the responsibility to bring that dream into reality. Unfortunately, we don't believe there is enough money out there to make it reality. And we are selling ourselves and the Kingdom short.

Fundraising is a core responsibility of the visionary leader God has called to lead the local church.

Repeat after me: More money. More Ministry. No Money. No Ministry.

If you're looking for a way to bring your leadership on board with this concept, then the discussion of these four obstacles to merging fundraising and ministry will help you prepare to offer a new perspective.

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March 4, 2008

CBS Sunday Morning weighs in on Tithing

The lead story on CBS Sunday Morning was on tithing--an unexpected way to begin their broadcast. I was in the process of flipping over to Sesame Street (a new Sunday morning tradition at my house) when the story overview began. I was hooked.

I'm not sure that any of the information presented is new. But I'm impressed that enough people are talking about it that it made the headlines on this major news network.

Tithing has always been a hot topic of debate within the church. Now it seems to be the subject of national news as well. Just last November the Wall Street Journal wrote "The Backlash Against Tithing."

And last fall, we discussed the series "The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing."

Read the entire series:
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing, an Introduction
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing (continued)
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing (Part 3)
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing (Part 4)
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing, in Conclusion

With the conversation already in full swing both inside and outside the church, this is a great atmosphere to open a dialog with those whom you're spiritually responsible.

If someone asked you "Why should I tithe?", what would you say? (And "just because" doesn't count as a valid response. It doesn't work with children; why do we think it will work with adults?)

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March 3, 2008

Successful church fundraisers

What makes someone a successful church fundraiser? Is it skill? Maybe. Is it access to a wealthy donor base? Perhaps. Is it a great program or method? Could be.

But I think it's more than that. Successful fundraisers are those who recognize that the donation itself is an outward expression of an inward commitment. In other words, people donate to those causes or organizations that they connect with on an emotional level. Fundraising is at its core about relationships and connecting emotionally rather than rational appeals for support. (Re-read Donors are people too.)

The pastor or church leader who finds great success at raising the funds necessary to support the ministry of the local church is one who is able to communicate the role each believer plays in the process. That fosters the sense of ownership, participation and emotional connection necessary to creates great donors.

What if everything you know about fundraising is wrong?

"The inspired fundraiser provides donors an opportunity to put their values into action, to become the hero of their own life story, and to make their dreams for a better world come true."

We are quick to blame the people in the pew for not tithing or consistently giving to the church. What if we're pointing the finger in the wrong direction?

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