Do More Ministry

Interview with Ken Hemphill:
Ken Hemphill talks about Making Change

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May 15, 2008

An important church giving statistic

I read this on Generous Giving this morning.

Then and Now: Giving by North American churchgoers was higher during the Great Depression (3.3 percent of per capita income in 1933) than it was after a half-century of unprecedented prosperity (2.5 percent in 2004).

Maybe the connection between the strength (or weakness) of the economy and rise (or fall) church giving is different from what we might think. It seems that there is an inverse relationship rather than a direct one.

This statistic tells me that when we can't depend upon our own abilities, God seems to be a reasonable alternative. When we can seemingly generate the lifestyle we want, God seems to be a passing thought.

Instead of fearing the worst in the midst of a struggling economy, we (church leaders) would do better to focus our attention on maintaining a conviction in the Lordship of Christ in the midst of despair and prosperity and providing people a practical plan to deal with money and debt that ultimately provides for sustainable Kingdom advancement.

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May 14, 2008

The Church emerging from a spiraling economy

With any sense of economic hardship, the doomsday point-of-view seems to rise to the top. And, in turn, our conversations are consumed with fear. This fear leads us to a point of "group think" were we actually begin to create what we fear. In psychological circles, they call this self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Church exists upon the donations of its members. That means if the people in the pew don't have any money then neither will the person in the pulpit. But what confuses me is that we act like we've never been in this situation before. We allow this "group think" to erode our confidence in an institution that has existed since Pentecost and has emerged time and time again from good and bad economic conditions.

I found Churches Caught in Economy's Grip when googling on the subject today. I read the article from beginning to end and thought this was an accurate description of our present economic situation--tough economic conditions and church leadership wondering how it will impact the ability of the church as an organization to fully fund and sustain its current processes, professionals and programs.

I scrolled back up to the top looking for a "2008" date. I was shocked to see "1991" instead. Yes, back in 1991 we were facing the similar conditions, and (believe it or not) we survived (again) to face the same conditions.

Maybe the best answer we can provide to the fear looming in the minds of the people in our pew is for church leaders to become strategic in their stewardship efforts to ensure organizational vitaility in both good and bad times as well as an expression of confidence that we will emerge from this tough economic situation again (and again and again) until Christ's return.

Tough economic conditions are perfect opportunities to lay your entire organization on the table of evaluation to ensure that every dollar is being spent to advance the Kingdom. We may have to get a little leaner, a little more intentional and a little more results-oreinted. Of course, this is what the people in our pew are already doing with their personal budgets. Why shouldn't we as church leaders be doing the same?

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May 9, 2008

LifeWay Research looks at the economy and giving

Church leaders are quietly wondering how the present state of the economy will impact church giving. A recent study conducted by LifeWay Research discovered that Southern Baptists are continuing to give in spite of rising costs of goods such as food and gas.

A new study by LifeWay Research shows that 72 percent of Southern Baptist pastors indicate difficulties in the U.S. economy are affecting their churches negatively, yet 76 percent say offerings are at or above levels they had expected when drafting budgets several months ago.

Read the entire story here.

This is encouraging news. Those churches who have been strategic in their stewardship planning will most likely see a large "pay-off" for their efforts in consistent giving from their membership in the midst of tough economic times.

If your church doesn't have a strategic stewardship plan, then get moving. You can't afford to just sit and wonder what will happen next.

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May 8, 2008

Guaranteed church giving results

We live in a world that is full of money-back guarantees. This is a very effective way to remove the risk of trying something new and to build confidence in the purchasing decision of the consumer.

Companies don't offer money back guarantees if they think that a majority (or even a large block) of consumers would return the product. They wouldn't make any money if that is the case. Extending a money back guarantee means that the manufactuer believes in and stands behind his/her product.

When people give to your church, there is a certain level of risk involved. And the higher the level of risk and means a lower level of certainty in receiving a postivie return on investment.

New church givers may wonder "How will I know that my money is being used appropriately?" or "What if I don't agree with the use of my donations?"

I wonder what impact a money back guarantee would have on church giving. I wonder how church leaders would respond to the increased level of responsibility and accountability.

Of course, if we can't stand behind a guarantee that the money given by the people in our pew will be used to advance the Kingdom, how can we expect church members to feel good their giving?

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May 6, 2008

Funding miracles through church giving

The accomplishments of Brandon Baptist Church are worth sharing. It's amazing to think about what this church has accomplished without a "real" pastor.

Enjoy!

Miracle Sunday

Brandon Baptist Church began with about 350 members who wanted to have a church that would be a conservative, traditional church whose governing authority would be vested in the congregation and put its trust in God's Holy Spirit for direction. The congregation would rule itself rather than be a church-staff-ruled body of believers. A charter was secured along with a constitution, and on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2003, the church was constituted with 556 charter members. Today it has grown to over 950 members.

During the early life of this group they worshiped in a school cafeteria and used the classrooms for Sunday School. Soon they were able to build new facilities and faced a debt of about five and a half million dollars.

In four short years they were able to pay the debt down to one million dollars. At the end of 2007 they were in such good financial state that they paid $250,00.00 on the remaining debt bringing the balance to around $750,000.00. During this time they lost their pastor and associate pastor. The 2007 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goal was $30,000.00, and the church received over $32,000.00. An interim pastor was called in October 2007. He shared with the church his goal to bring the church together in unified purpose and to help them become debt free. He explained, "This church has great growth ahead of her, and when the new pastor arrives, you need to be debt free so he can help you build additional facilities for that growth."

In February the interim pastor asked the church to participate in the Chest of Joash. This financial program is based on II Chronicles 24:1-14. This is the account where King Joash asked the people to place money in the chest when they arrived to worship. He also informed the people that the chest would be left near the gate and would not be removed until they reached the goal.

A Brandon Baptist Church member skilled in woodcraft built the chest, and it was placed down front in the sanctuary. Special Chest of Joash offering envelopes were printed and distributed to the members.

The interim pastor began the promotion on February 24 and allowed four weeks of emphasis. Since the church had its birth on Easter, it was fitting for Easter to be chosen as the MIRACLE SUNDAY to begin the debt reduction offering. On Easter Sunday the congregation marched to the Chest of Joash and gave a total of about $186,000.00 cash. This was in addition to their regular tithes and offerings.

It should also be noted they did not reduce their giving to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering that was to be raised at the same time. That goal was set at $20,000.00, and a week later that offering reached $15,250.00. There is little doubt this congregation will soon reach that goal, also.

In addition, it should be mentioned that over these five years Brandon Baptist Church gave $516,517.13 through the Cooperative Program for world missions. They also raised $140,721.28 for International Missions through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. North American Missions were not forgotten because the church also gave $35,909.24 to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. They also participated in the Margaret Lackey State Mission Offering giving $21,002.96, and added to that they donated $47,690.08 to the work and ministry of The Baptist Children's Village.

It also illustrates that no church has yet to reach its full giving potential. There is always room for people to give more. The problem is not they are unwilling to give and it is not that they are tired of giving but that pastors and church leaders sometimes get tired of asking. When that happens, you not only lose the blessing, but you rob your people of the blessing of giving.

This story should help all of us remember that interim periods in a church do not have to be a time when churches tread water waiting to begin anew when a new pastor arrives. The interim period can be a wonderful period of transition from one ministry to another.

One lady introduced me to some of her friends, but she could not think of the word "interim." She stumbled over a few words trying to think of the word "interim" then said, "Dr. Mixon is our preacher until we get a real one."

You can say and do a lot when you are "the preacher," but not the real one!

Dr. Jerry W. Mixon is the Director of Stewardship and Cooperative Program for the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board.

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May 5, 2008

Research connects church giving and attendance

Secular reserach suggests a connection between church giving and attendance. It's not a surprise that those who feel the most connected emotionally to an organization are also those who are most likely to financially contribute to that organziation.

This research paper compared two groups of people: Pre-WWII and Post-WWII individuals in different life stages. The conclusion was that people from the Post-WWII group gave less to religious institutions than the Pre-WWII group. And it was no surprise that the Post-WWII group who gave less at similar life stages also attended religious services less than the Pre-WWII group.

So what does this mean for those of us in church leadership? We must recognize that church involvement is directly related to church giving. Those members who are most active are also those who are the most consistent--if not the greatest--givers in our churches today.

Thus, if we are successful at increasing church involvement and participation, we should see a natural increase in church giving.

We can't ignore the correlation between church giving and participation. This highlights the importance of measuring the effectiveness of every assimilation program or intitiative we have in place today. It is of no long term benefit to have a great acquisition strategy if you are not prepared to anchor your members by finding a place for them to serve and live within your faith community.

In light of the confirmation this research brings as to the connection between church giving and church attendance, how are you ensuring new and existing members are encountering opportunities to get involved?

Your ability to fully fund and sustain the ministry of your church depends upon how you answer that question.

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