June 17, 2008
Increasing interest in offering envelopes
As gas prices continue to rise along with other living expenses, my conversations with churches are changing. They are asking better questions about financial integrity and ways to hegde any loss of contributions from their membership. I'm excited about the increase in interest from church leaders about becoming more intentional about their stewardship and giving practices.
I wanted to point back to 8 qualities of church financial health for quick reference.
I'm curious. What are you doing to ensure that church giving doesn't become then next line item cut in your members' budgets?
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June 6, 2008
LifeWay Envelope Service at the SBC in Indy next week
I'll be attending the SBC Convention in Indy next week. That means I'll be taking a week off from posting content. I'll pick back up again the week of June 16. Until then, feel free to browse around. There's a lot to read.
By the way, LifeWay Envelope Service will have a booth in the LifeWay area of the Exhibit Hall. I encourage you to stop by to say "Hi" and introduce yourself.
I'd love to meet you.
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May 28, 2008
Online giving poll
Please take a moment to cast your vote with respect to your position on online giving. The results will be used in an upcoming feature on the discussion and use of online giving within Southern Baptists Churches today.
Voting will just take a few minutes. (And I know you already have an opinion.)
Look for the poll question in the lower right hand side of your screen. You may have to scroll down to find it.
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April 21, 2008
Think Christian on The Tithing Minority
Think Christian is a blog that I read frequently. Their mission is to engage Christ, culture and faith in the context of everyday life. (A very worthy goal.)
The Tithing Minority asks the same questions I raise in Barna reveals trends in tithing and church giving.
The reality is this: the level and volume of contributions that the church depends upon is at risk of being diverted to other like-minded organizations as more choices become available to the people in our pews. I'm consistenly surprised at how few church leaders approach this subject with a sense of urgency.
Unfortunately, most are dealing with the tyranny of the urgent instead of establishing an intentional strategy moving forward. Another force that I believe is working against this larger conversation is that most people only respond to "pain."
For a lot of churches, they are currently fully funded or only slightly down in giving. The levels of contributions are enough to sustain the ministry of today. My contention is that our responsibility is not only to ensure that our ministry is fully funded today but also sustainable over a long period of time.
Most complex organizations understand that sustainability is one of the key ingredients to long-term success. The church may be the most complex organization to ever exist. And yet it's also the least likely to be concerned with sustainability.
What does all this have to do with tithing? Money offers churches the ability to accomplish the ministry that God has laid on the hearts of the people. Where the people in the pew place their dollars demonstrates what they believe about the church's ability to accomplish the ministry or work that they are most concerned with.
If that place isn't the church, then we as church leaders must take a step back and evaluate the places of ministry we've decided to invest in to ensure that it matches what God has placed on the hearts of the people in the pew.
But most church leaders aren't likely to do that. Why? Because most church leaders are highly skilled at talking--not listening.
And the irony is that what the people in the pew are asking of church leaders is the very thing church leaders are asking of the people in the pew.
Maybe it's time we start listening to each other. Can we really afford not to?
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April 15, 2008
Barna reveals trends in tithing and church giving
A shift is taking place. We have some important decisions to make.
Barna confirms the trend in tithing and donating is just as we expected. People are choosing to donate a portion of their charitable giving to non-church organizations.
The church is worth fighting for. It's time to get our "A" game on and give people measurable results with our ministry decisions. It's time to make our case that the church is the primary vehicle God has designated to empower and expand the Kingdom until His return.
Choosing silence or choosing to do "more of the same" will encourage this trend.
How are you planning to address this trend in your church?
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April 9, 2008
Book Review: Digital Giving
In his book Digital Giving: How Technology is Changing Charity, author Richard C. McPherson seems to be responding to the challenge of Leonard Sweet in Soul Tsunami: Sink or Swim in New Millennium Culture. Leonard Sweet writes about the massive wave of change rolling toward the church. His advice is to grab a board and ride the wave or, refuse and be buried beneath it. Both McPherson and Sweet are strong proponents of embracing change, not as a negative force, but as a positive step toward being more effective and in sync with where society is.
Digital Giving was written after the author conducted a large number of interviews in which he asked two questions: “what are the big technology needs facing charity?” And “how can organizations embrace them to find public support?” McPherson wrote the book Because as he wrote, “I believe enormous technological changes, daunting as they may seem to busy organizations, will be for the better.” Several interesting statistics are noted in this work, from the Pew internet and American Life Project, that support the author’s view of rapidly changing technology. About 30 percent of the day is spent specifically using media. In addition, the project reported that 66 per cent of an individual’s working day finds that individual immersed in some form of electronic media. The report also finds that the average American home has 26 electronic devises and that the average American spends more time using media than any other activity.
It is on the basis of statistics or information amassed from numerous interviews that McPherson wrote Digital Giving. From the results of his interviews the author sites three “Whopping Big Trends.” The three trends deal with democratization. In the first trend, the “Democritizing of Media” he points out the trend toward more and more information sought from blogs, podcasts, personal web pages, and social networks. In the second trend the “Democratizing of philanthropy” McPherson writes that donors are assuming roles, once held by fund raisers, in deciding what gets funded. In this trend the donors demand more ownership, understanding, accountability and responsible relationships with the charities. The third trend noted in the book is the “Relentless demand for convenience”. Here the idea is presented that, for charities to be effective and successful they are going to have to find ways to make donating easier. The answer to the need for “easier” giving is to be found in technologies’ offerings.
McPherson sums up the three trends by writing “as the competition for donations intensifies, successful charities will be the ones that offer the most engaging variety of donation choices, endorsed and promoted by friends and peers, with the most convenient paths to involvement.”
In presenting the opportunities for dealing with the trends he has noted the author turns to practical applications. His explanation of “Web 2.0" is easy to understand. In explaining that “Web 2.0" is writeable he opens the possibilities for greater donor involvement and access. He quotes Sheeraz Haji:president of Convio.com, “Nonprofits should actually dominate Web 2.0 because it’s all about passion and interest.” Sheeraz suggests that, before technology, a charity should develop its story. He states “To get people involved, your organization has to tell a great story.” To McPherson it is important to focus on the message before worrying about delivery channels.
Only when the story is perfected should the best channel for delivery be chosen. The author writes that the “blogosphere” is a phenomena that can target groups of people inexpensively and credibly. McPherson quotes Jon Abbott of WGBH “It is getting much easier for people to share what they care about.” The strategy of WGBH is to “follow the rhythms of our consumers.”
McPherson quotes Pew Internet reports that “91 percent of all Internet users send e-mail and 91 percent use search engines. He writes that a successful charity will not necessarily go looking for people but will attract attention in such a way that people will “look” for them. How a charity might tap into the multiple listings and directories to attract interested and potential donors is one of the many topics covered in this work.
An interesting phenomena also discussed is the evolution of the cell phone and the not too distant reality of having a total information and computing center in one hand-held devise. This reality may be much closer or arriving faster than even McPherson visualized in 2007.
Digital Giving is a clear call to rethink old ideas of charitable giving and fund-raising. It seems, from the practical advice, based on trends observed from multiple interviews, that any charitable non-profit organization will want to read and reread McPherson’s call to grab a board, with Len Sweet, and learn to ride the surf. With McPherson’s well documented work in hand it will be a great ride.
Don Campbell is the State Stewardship Director for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. Thanks Don for a great book review!
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April 2, 2008
Seminary students talk about stewardship
I'm on my way to visit my friends Dr. David McQuitty and Dr. Scott Preissler at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. David has asked me to come speak with his students about what we've been discussing on the Do More Ministry blog.
I'm not an expert, nor do I bill myself as one. But I'm pleased to see that the conversation of stewardship and giving is expanding. It's a converstaion worth having, and it's nice to know that I'm not just talking to myself.
I'll let you know how everything goes.
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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 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 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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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 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 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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January 8, 2008
Is online giving a growing trend?
A friend e-mailed me a post he read on Think Christian - a blog that attempts to address the collision between faith and everyday life. This particular post is about online giving. David's thoughts have also incited a good bit of discussion representing a variety of positions.
It's worth taking a few minutes to read through.
If you're not already thinking about online giving and how this cultural trend IS ALREADY impacting church stewardship and giving, you're behind. So catch up!
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January 7, 2008
The results of online giving are in...
I found this post very interesting. It analyzed 70 non-profits to evaluate the overall effectiveness of their online giving strategies. The prevailing theory is this: online giving will increase donations and overall effectiveness at raising the funds necessary to support the operational needs of the organization.
Here is a piece of what the survey revealed in the area of retention:
The groups we surveyed retained 70% of their online monthly donors in their first year, but retention rate dropped to 52% the second year.
On average, 12% of online monthly donors missed at least one monthly payment in two years.
People's behavior appears to be the same--whether donations are electronic or via paper. So for the average non-profit (or in our case the church), is online giving the "magic bullet" that will yeild a more consistent stream of income and increase giving, or is it simply another medium for people to choose from?
You decide.
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December 31, 2007
Intelligent Giving
I'm just getting caught up on the RSS feeds I missed over the holidays. I read this great post on the Get Rich Slowly blog.
It raised an important question in my mind: If an independent source was set up to evaluate churches and their worthiness of donations, what type of rating would your church get?
That may be a difficult question to ask or even consider. The reality check is this: your memebers are already evaluating the ministry of your church and deciding themselves if you are worthy of their donation.
It's a scary thought. But consistent with the trends we've been discussing in "The Pulpit vs. The Pew" series. If you haven't read it, click on the December archives to review.
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December 18, 2007
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing, in Conclusion
We've talked a lot about the inherent need to revisit how we deal with the teaching and preaching about stewardship and giving over the last four posts. As we bring this string of posts to an end, I'd like to conclude with some practical steps that should be able to make a measurable difference in re-claiming the most essential need for any ministry, money. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: No Money. No Ministry.
5 Steps to Ensure More Money for More Ministry
1. Establish a systematic strategy.
Any strategy should be in writing and should be agreed to by both staff and lay leadership. You may also want to consider getting "buy in" from key influencers who may or may not be lay leaders. Their assitance will be invaluable.
This strategy should exist on a macro and micro level. Those churches who have been the most successful at getting the money they need for the ministry they feel called to do establish an annual stewardship and giving strategy that is comprehensive in nature. In addition, each element of the macro strategy is outlined. This provides a road map. Just follow the path and at the end of the road you'll most likely end up where you intended to be.
One thing is for sure: if you're unsure about your plan, you'll certainly fail.
2. Start Talking About It.
Communication theory tells us that ideas are not "real" until we speak them outloud. This is one reason why talking is essential to the human development process. Take the marriage relationship for example, successful marriages have open lines of communication. This is an intentional decision and doesn't just happen by accident.
It's the same with tithing in the church. Talking about it makes it less scary and provides the opportunity to deal with objections from the pulpit and the pew. This is the only way to overcome the assumptions many make about church giving.
The more we ignore the subject, the more mysterious it becomes. And the more removed we are from the truth on the subject.
3. Set Expectations.
Tell your church from the beginning that you don't pay the light bill with a note of prayer. People need to remember that it takes money to operate any organization. Believe it or not, the people in the pew are very busy. And even though you give them a monthly operational budget in review, it's easy to forget the daily needs to operate the church. It's important that people are reminded that just like it takes money to operate a home, the church needs money too.
Plus, as expectations rise for churches to provide programs to meet the needs of the community, those programs have an expense associated with them. Quantify those costs and justify them. If the program doesn't warrant the investment, then don't do it. If it does, then your people will understand the fiscal investment necessary to launch and sustain this new program or ministry.
Another undervalued area is church assimilation programs. Set expectations with new members that you expect them to contribute their time, money, and talents. And then explain why. Be sure you can explain the "how?" and the "why?".
4. Make the Ask.
Give people a way to contribute. And teach them how to use those tools. Offering Envelopes are the most proven method used by churches to generate and deliver the contributions necessary to do the work of the church.
There is a reason why our secular, non-profit brothers and sisters spend money executing donor campaigns and purchasing envelopes. It's not because they think envelopes are "cool." They use them because they work. And they deliver. Bottom line, you have to consider the results.
Of course, offering envelopes aren't the only response mechanism used to contribute to your church. Whatever giving tools you use, make it easy for your memebers to use.
Those organizations who are most successful at generating the contributions for the ministry of the church are those who are not afraid to make the ask. Even Jesus said, "You have not because you ask not."
5. Report the results.
As church leaders, we are responsible for taking the "pains" necessary to report the effectiveness of the ministry of the church. Yes, this involves the principles of accountability. Every organization should be examining every program or effort funded to ensure that it's the best use of the funds. When you consider the non-profit world, one that exists on the donations of its members or the public, it's absolutely essential to prove that the money donated accomplishes the advertised goal.
Why is this so important? Because the people in your pews DON'T have to give to you. We know that they have money to give. We also know that a majority of charitable giving in the U.S. is made through religious organizations. And every day new opportunities arise and present themselves to the people in your pew. So why should they give to you instead of someone else? (Again, the "just because" argument doesn't work.)
This can be done through annual reports, testimonies, bulletin inserts, goal boards, etc. Get creative. But know that people expect results.
In the end, the responsibility to teach stewardship, giving and, more importantly, tithing, falls upon the leaders of the church. That means being unseccessful in this area is a direct result of our efforts. Those of us given the responsibility of managing the affairs of a local church have a lot on us, but that doesn't absolve us from the responsibility of stewardship and giving. Perhaps we should re-evaluate where we are spending our time and our teaching. If we have no plan, we can't be upset if we don't like the results.
Hang in there. And if I can help, give me a call or send me an e-mail.
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December 17, 2007
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing (Part 4)
Alan Gotthardt writes in his book The Eternity Portfolio that:
"We all know that children learn by example. This is particularly true with giving; children of generous givers become generous givers, often because of the example they witnessed growing up."
Let's assume that we continue to ignore tithing. We won't talk about it from the pulpit. We won't discuss it in Sunday School. And we won't even dare bring it up during discipleship training. What is the net result? The next generation--our children--will have absolutely no context for giving to the church.
It is short-sighted of church leaders to believe that ignoring the subject will just make it go away. Ignoring it will exponentially increase the negative impact of the absense of the conversation on stewardship and giving in the local church. Why? Because our children will never know what it means to give of their money to grow the kingdom of God. They'll never see an offering envelope with their name on it. They'll never know a time when the Pastor made the connection between money and our belief and confession of Jesus as Lord of our life.
Our fundraising friends in the secular, non-profit world understand this. They aren't afraid to claim the value and benefit their organization can bring with the necessary donations. Why are we?
Are we so timid about God's ability to influence and transform the world through the ministry of the local church that we don't have confidence to ask for and teach the tithe?
This is a sad commentary. Perhaps the most compelling reason for us to reignite the conversation on tithing is that our children are depending upon us to show them how to live and how to give. If we don't show them that the ministry and work of the church is worthy of our contributions, then we risk the dollars our children generate from their own income and investments in the future going to support other organizations who didn't shy away from the challenge.
The question is not "if" but "when" will we begin the work of ensuring that the ministry of the local church is funded appropriately today and moving forward.
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December 12, 2007
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing (Part 3)
We ended the last post with the need to explore how we can begin to address two things: the "Why?" question when it comes to tithing and church giving and the need to prevent a trend of charitable giving from becoming a crisis.
The brutal facts are well stated in Barna's book on How to Increase Giving In Your Church. People want to know how there money is being used and what type of impact it is making.
Churches need to begin to evaluate their investments. A close look needs to begin with those ministries that are being funded by the church, are they:
1. surrounded with excitment and particitpation
2. encouraging the spiritual growth of the believer
3. producing measurable results (a.k.a. impacting kingdom growth)
4. leading to new ministry opportunities
People in the pew know that they have the ability to make an international impact even with a small sum of money. And people want to be inspired and encouraged that their donation--however small or large--is making a measurable impact.
Most non-profits who are supported by a donor base must give continual feedback as to their ability to accomplish their intended work with the donations given. This affirms the work of the non-profit itself and ensures that those providing the donation deem it worthy to continue to do so.
What if the assumption of the church moved from "We expect you to tithe." to "How can I show you that investing in this ministry is your best chairtable giving option?" I know it's a radical concept. But we must be willing to look at this absolutely critical issue from every angle to learn what it will take to continue to build up the church--God's designated and designed vehicle for ministry on earth.
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December 11, 2007
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing (continued)
The heart of this issue lies in the options we have available to us. There was a time when the church was the most obvious place for charitable donations because of the commitment it carried to local, social-based ministry as well as global endeavors. Outside the church there were very few options available.
Over time this has changed. And people now have to decide not just between one or two options but an unlimited number of choices and organizations to donate to. In the meantime, other organizations have perfected the work of raising funds. The church has been doing this very well for centuries. Now other non-profits are paying attention to what churches are doing to attract people and raise funds. In response, churches are now paying close attention to successful non-profits too.
But when people have choices, they struggle to make the right choice. Barry Schwartz contends in his book The Paradox of Choice that more options often leads to less satisfaction and more anxiety when it comes to decision making.
If you only have "x" number of dollars to donate, it can become an overwhelming task for someone to decide where that money should go. This puts the church in a position that for the most part it has avoided up to this point. The position is this: every church must now justify to its members and regular attenders why they should donate.
After the fall of Enron and similar organizations, the "heat" was turned up on churches as well. Many people who see their pastors and staff members driving nicer cars and living in nicer neighborhoods than they could ever dream of struggled to adopt the worldview that they must give their "tithe" to the church. So these people respond in silence to the pleas from the pulpit to give, give, give.
Perhaps some have decided that the church already has enough. I'm not against pastors being compensated fairly for their work and expertise. But we are attempting to uncover the perception of the person in the pew. And just like Tom Peters says, "Perception is everything."
I suppose some pastors would object to the idea of having to justify why their members should give. Many might continue to carry forward the "just because" argument. But the brutal facts tell us that--like it or not--church leaders have the responsibility to generate the contributions necessary to build the ministry of the church. Even if that means entertaining the question "why?"
So now the ball in the the church leader's court. The people in the pews have an unlimited number of choices and options when it comes to giving their time, money and talent. Why should they give it to your church?
Another important question is this: what can be done to ensure this change in behavior doesn't become a crisis in the near future?
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December 10, 2007
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing, an Introduction
Scott Preissler pointed me to a great article in the WSJ recently on tithing. It catalogs the conversation as to whether or not the tithe (or 10%) is a Biblical mandate that carries forward to present-day Christians or is simply a dated model recorded in ancient Biblical history.
What I found to be particularly interesting is the "great divide" that exists between formal statements from denominations and the local church on tithing. It seems that every denomination has a conservative, traditional stance on the issue. But that message is not so clear from the pulpit and even less clear in the minds and practice of the person in the pew.
If we take a step back from the situation, it seems clear what the issue is. And it has nothing to do with theology.
Churches for centuries have commanded their members to give to the support the ministry of the church. For the most part, congregants responded in turn. I believe the primary question that church members have been asking is, "how?" How do I give my time, talent and money?
But now the question has changed to "Why?" first and then "How?" A new generation is non-responsive to the assumption made by church leaders that 'if you are a church member, then you will tithe'. And church leaders are foolish to expect people to tithe "just because." That line is only reserved for parents. (And even in that scenario it rarely works as a long-term strategy.)
I'd like to flesh out my ideas over the next few days on the subject in a series I've entitled "The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Titihing."
See you tomorrow! (And your comments are always welcome.)
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December 7, 2007
Envelope Service gets mention on Townhall.com
Townhall.com mentions LifeWay Envelope Service.
OFFERING ENVELOPES TOUTED -- The offering envelope, though sometimes overlooked, can be an effective way to encouraging faithful giving...
Read the entire brief here.
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December 4, 2007
Growth and Giving
One of the favorite parts of my job is getting to work with churches who are growing in numbers and in their giving. That means what they are doing is leading to more ministry--every day it seems.
I always ask what they attribute their success to. And all of them come back with an answer that echoes a simiar principle: intentional.
Churches who are reaching out to their communities and experiencing a high rate of growth are intentional. They know where they are going and the steps necessary to get there.
So why isn't every church growing and giving more? Because it's much safer to keep things the same. Growth is hard work. And it can be overwhelming at times. But God didn't call the church to manage its assets for the highest net return in dollars. He called the church to be the form and function of ministry on earth until his return.
Giving does matter. Because giving directly impacts a churches ability to grow. That being the case, it could be said that the state of your giving is a direct reflection on the state of your growing.
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November 29, 2007
New web design
We (LifeWay Envelope Service) launched a new web design this week. Take a look and tell us what you think.
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November 26, 2007
Church stewardship resource page
I thought this was a great example of how a church's Web page can be used as an effecitve stewardship tool to clearly explain how people can give to the church and to offer some excellent excel spreadsheets and pre-calculated tables to help people determine how much they will commit to give.
I think we assume that people already know this stuff. Not true.
It strikes me odd that this approach is so under-utilized by churches. We expect to find this attention to detail on our financial planner, broker, or bank's Web site. Why not our church Web site too?
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November 12, 2007
7 practical reasons to use offering envelopes
At the end of the day, a church is a faith-based non-profit organization that exists on the contributions or donations of its members. In the non-profit world, 20% of your responsibility is to set goals and define an operating budget to help you meet those goals. The other 80% of your energy is finding the donations to support your budget.
What is interesting is that even though offering envelopes are not "cool" to talk about or use in most churches today, they are and continue to be one of the most critical elements in any donor or contribution strategy. This is true in the church and in the secular world as well. Bottom line, offering envelopes deliver results.
So, here are 7 practical reasons to use offering envelopes.
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November 8, 2007
Study reveals that giving is tied to the heart not head
"The researchers found that if organizations want to raise money for a charitable cause, it is far better to appeal to the heart than to the head. Put another way, feelings, not analytical thinking, drive donations."
Well said. Maybe the reason church giving is decreasing is because we're trying to fight the heart with the head. New flash: it doesn't work. Facts won't increase giving. Evidence doesn't compel someone to respond. Only when we appeal to the hearts, the center of our beings, will people respond sacrifically.
Maybe the problem isn't the people in the pew. Maybe the decline in church giving lies in our inability to tell great stories that inspire sacrifical living and sacrifical giving.
Read a summary of the study here.
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October 24, 2007
Regular attenders and offering envelopes
There is a new class of membership that exists in churches today. This group has been given the title of "regular attenders." These are people who seem to act like members in that they are present at church functions and may even volunteer for church activites or leadership positions. In fact, some "regular attenders" may attend for years before they ever decide to formally join the church.
So the question remains: if members are expected to give of their time, talent, and money to support the growth of the Kingdom through work of the local church, then how does this apply to "regular attenders"? Do we give them a "Regular Attender" packet that is somewhere between our Visitor packets and our New Member packets. Does this packet include a sample set of offering envelopes and explain how they are to use them?
I think this is a simple question: should those who are "getting" something from the work of the local church also have a responsibility to "give back" to the work of the local church? Yes. And one of the principle ways we do that is with money. Yet that rarely is discussed or taught. And most pastors and church leaders are careful to address the subject of money. This baffles me, especially when their paycheck is tied directly to church contributions.
It takes money to run any organization. And at the end of the day, the church is an organization with fixed and variable expenses that must recover those costs through contributions. And where should those contributions come from? Where else, those who attend and receive the "benefits" of the organization. Using that definition, then the responsibility of giving and stewardship carries forward to the regular attender as well as the church member.
So, why aren't more pastors eager to address this subject in public and private. Among the many reasons that we will not address, there is one that is often ignored. Pastors are "graded" on their ability to put people in the pews. And there is a school of thought in church growth strategy that emerged about a decade ago that says that if you talk about money, people will leave and never come back.
If that's the case, then I say let them go. In business, it's not about the number of customers you have. It's the number of profitable customers that you have. If you have twice as many customers as your competitors but aren't making any profit, then you'll never be able to sustain the business let alone dream of growing. Yet, if you have half the number of customers as your competitors but those customers are twice as profitable, then you are head and shoulders above your competition.
Now, church members or regular attenders shouldn't be managed like customers. But what use is a member or a regular attender if all they are doing is taking and never giving back through time, talent, and money? It's just like having a customer that is not profitable or worse--one you're losing money on. And that is no way to build a business or grow a church.
The Gospel is a message grounded in sacrifice. Our lives should reflect the message we speak. So find the courage to speak the truth, take a deep breath and watch your ministry grow.
As a good friend says frequently, "Look it in the teeth. Even if it bites back."
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October 23, 2007
IRS and Cash Donations
The end of the calendar year is quickly approaching. It's a good reminder that the guidlines have changed when it comes to cash donations to churches. Gone are the days when you could just drop cash into an offering plate and expect to be able to deduct it on your tax return as a charitable donation. Every penny must be accounted for and documented from the organization who receives the funds.
Read more about this here.
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September 27, 2007
Sermon Help: Our giving directly impacts our ministry
I want to share a video called The Plate with you. I found it at SermonSpice.com. This would be a great tool to use during a Worship service to remind believers that God takes what we give and multiplies it.
The video is 3:54 minutes in length. And well worth every second.
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September 6, 2007
Offering Envelopes highlighted in Facts & Trends
Just an FYI...Offering Envelopes are a featured subject in the September/October 2007 edition of Facts & Trends. Just turn to page 38.
Links to additional information such as the feature of the Ghana Bandage Project (previously discussed here) and other information on Stewardship and Offering Envelopes have been included in the online edition.
Be sure to look for your copy in the mail soon. (And check out the online edition and other resources sooner!)
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August 30, 2007
4 Creative Uses of Offering Envelopes
A pastor told his congregation one morning that he had good news and bad news. The good news was that the church had all the money it needed. The bad news was that is was still in the pockets of the people.
Though it may seem counterintuitive, offering envelopes have consistently provided a vehicle for the church to generate the contributions it needs to accomplish the ministry God has placed on its heart and mind. The difficult job is keeping offering envelopes exciting for church leaders and the people in the pew.
So, here are some creative ways that offering envelopes can be used to multiply your ministry opportunities.
1. Add personal information. Stock offering envelopes are convenient. You can walk into almost any Christian Supply Store or Christian Bookstore and buy them right off the shelf. It’s easy. But it’s also what everyone else does. Adding your personal information to your offering envelopes ensures that the information directly reflects your church. It has your name on it along with the funds that are important to your church—not just any church.
But that’s just the first step. Adding information that’s important to you helps you communicate the ministry God is already doing in and through your church. It offers visitors a way to see what’s important to you. It also reminds the membership how God is working through the congregation.
Consider this. A teenage girl visits your church this Sunday because she just found out she was pregnant. She’s not sure what to do or where to go for help. But she knows that she can’t tell her parents. She looks at your offering envelopes in the pew that have a special Scripture about the love of God along with designated funds for a community crisis pregnancy center that the church helps support. She realizes that she has found someone who can help her along with a hint of hope.
All this because you took one extra step to add your personal information to your offering envelopes.
2. Implement a color system. In addition to your standard white envelopes that are used for weekly contributions, throw some color into the mix. For example, let’s say your church is currently in the middle of a capital campaign. You’ve added a new line on your standard envelopes for your members to designate funds for capital improvements. But you’re not seeing the results you had hoped for.
Instead, pick a different color envelope for the capital improvement fund. Customize the content to match your church’s campaign title and goal. It’ll be much easier to remember to place “the pink envelope” in the offering plate than to designate funds to a specific line on your standard envelope.
Everyone will notice as pink envelopes are placed in the offering plate during the worship service. The use of the pink envelope will serve as a silent reminder to those present that this fund is just as important as the general fund.
3. Enroll in a mail program. Many churches have purchased boxed sets of standard envelopes for years. Each January they distribute these boxes to their membership and hope (yes, hope) that they don’t misplace or accidentally dispose of these envelopes before the end of the year. If we’re honest with ourselves, it’s difficult for anyone to keep up with anything for an entire year—especially offering envelopes.
A mail program allows you to mail your offering envelopes directly to your membership monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly. This provides a way for the church to maintain accurate mailing information and serves as a reminder to church members to be faithful givers.
A mail program has consistently proven itself to be one of the most effective methods you can employ to increase per capita membership contribution.
There is another advantage a mail program offers. If you’re already mailing offering envelopes on a regular basis, why not add additional communication pieces to the mailing? These communication pieces can say what you want to say and look like you want them to look. What a great opportunity to communicate the vision and activities of your church to your membership on a regular basis! At the same time, it reinforces the church’s need for regular contributions.
4. Customize per age group. The discipline of Stewardship should begin early. The earlier a child learns that giving back to God a portion of what he or she is given, the more likely they will become life-long givers. But children like colors and pictures. Not boring black and white envelopes. So make it easy for children to get excited about giving. Add Bible verses, graphics, trivia questions, etc. to your offering envelopes for children. The content on the envelope is only limited by your imagination. Maybe you could even let your children design their own envelope for the entire Children’s Ministry to use?
This same concept can be applied to youth, young adults, married couples, senior citizens, etc. When you make giving fun and interesting, you’ll see participation in the giving process grow.
Giving is as much as a stewardship discipline as it is a discipleship process. These are just four creative ways to use offering envelopes in your church. I would encourage you to include and apply at least one of these in your church’s annual stewardship strategy plan. Then, watch as your membership contributions grow.
Offering envelopes are more than a piece of paper used to seal a member’s contribution; they are vehicles for discipleship and ministry.
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August 27, 2007
Electronic Giving Part 2: Future or Fad?
Visa's "Lunch" commercial visualizes the cultural shift that's the driving force behind the conversation on electronic giving.
"Part of Visa’s ongoing “Life Takes Visa” campaign, the “Lunch” national television spot opens with an illustration of efficiency: a busy deli with staff and customers in a series of swift, synchronized movements to the rhythm of “Powerhouse,” composed by Raymond Scott. Customers move throughout the deli line, placing orders that are delivered in perfect timing. They check out quickly and easily, swiping their Visa check cards and moving on without having to sign. When one customer reaches into his wallet to pay for his lunch with cash, the entire line grinds to a halt, food is dropped and customers collide. It is only after he receives his change and moves on that the deli returns to its perfectly orchestrated rhythm."
In spite of what you think, feel or believe about electronic giving, the more important question is: Is it here to stay? Is e-giving the future or just a fad?
"Some estimates indicate the 60% of people on the U.S. (and the percentage has been growing every year) handle at least part of their financial lives through electronic transactions (i.e. paychecks deposited electronically into their bank account or paying utility, mortgage, car, insurance or monthly bills on-line through electronic fund transfer (EFT) or through website on-line payments."
The answer is "Yes!". E-giving is here to stay. The implementation process is what still needs to be worked out.
Does that mean that one day we'll no longer use paper offering envelopes or exchange paper money? Maybe. But it's highly unlikely. The bottom-line (no pun intended) is that e-giving will eventually become one more standardized option rather than the only option.
When newspapers began publishing an online version of their printed piece, the charge was made that people would no longer buy newspapers. The same with books. When e-books were introduced, some claimed that e-books would replace the purchase of printed books. Neither of which has happened. Nor does the market bare any evidence to support either theory.
People want options. And it's no different when considering how we give to the church. We want options because we all live different lives. It's an aspect of the "iPod" revolution that is changing the rules of the game. It puts the choice of how people give into the hands of the giver--not the church. (Just the clairify, the decision has always been with the giver.)
Electronic giving is not the future; it's the present. And without a doubt, it's definitely more than a fad.
Even though I personally pay for almost everything via electronic debit of my checking account or my debit card, I'm not sure I'm ready to see anything that remotely looks like an ATM machine in my church foyer. Or a debit card reader attaced to a brass offering plate. Or even an usher holding a cordless scanner.
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August 23, 2007
Electronic Giving Part 1: The Forbidden Conversation
The Christian Science Monitor highlights a growing interest among churches to experiment with forms of electronic giving. E-giving has been a topic of much controversy in recent years. For some it's a forbidden conversation. Churches are, however, attempting to respond to a cultural shift in how people are exchanging funds. One that consistently supports that the use of paper money and checks is diminishing.
We live in a plastic world where it's easier and more convenient to carry a debit or credit card than to carry a checkbook or cash. This, of course, impacts how people are giving to the church. And churches are becoming more aware that when people are able to give electronically they sometimes tend to give more consistently.
The most popular types of e-giving are credit/debit cards, re-occuring electronic funds transfer from an established checking or savings account, and private booths set up in the church foyer for members to give before or after the worship service.
But this isn't a solution that comes without its own baggage. Some of the difficulties churches are facing are practical and theological.
Perhaps the theological ones are the most obvious. Do you believe that paper offeirng envelopes support the role of giving as part of the worship experience? Do you believe that people should give to the church using credit cards? Some churches know exactly where they stand on the issues surrounding e-giving. And it's not something their open to. But that doesn't keep many churches from entertaining or even experimenting with the concept.
Some of the practical obstacles are integration of financial giving records with the churches existing membership management software. Often times these files are not easily interfaced with existing databases. So giving records may post incorrectly. And that can spell disaster.
Another practical obstacle for those wishing to allow giving via credit cards are the transaction fees that credit card companies charge. These fees typically fall between 1%-3%. That means your giving has to increase by the same amount of the percentage charged by the credit card company just to break-even. If you can't feel good you'll see the immediate increase, then you could risk a negative return or losing contribution dollars trying to "look cool" or relevant.
So, is e-giving the future or just a fad? We'll discuss that in the next post.
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August 21, 2007
Free Children's Envelopes
I find it interesting that we spend so little time trainig our children to give. The spirit of generousity is something that I hope to demonstrate in such a way that my own son develops a generous spirit himself.
And giving a portion of what we have been given back to the church is a habit we should begin teaching by example and opportunity at an early age. Enid Ablowitz writes, "Children learn what they are taught. They mimic what they see."
If we do not spend the time and energy to teach our children to give, then we cannot expect them to understand the importance giving plays within the life of a disciple.
I have a challenge for those of you looking to encourage giving within your children's ministry. Design a contest between your children's Sunday School classes to see who can come up with the best original offering envelope design. Then, turn the winning class' artwork into custom offering envelopes to be used to teach giving through participation.
And if you're the first to respond to this offer, LifeWay Envelope Service will cover the cost of the first 1,000 custom offering envelopes displaying an original design from a child within your church. Yes, FREE!!!! (And you can't beat free!)
So....I'm waiting for the first church to take me up on this offer. Any takers? (My contact information is on the left-hand side of your screen.)
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July 23, 2007
Offering Envelope Testimonial
Just thought I'd share this testimony with you from Jim Baker, Associate Pastor, Brentwood Baptist Church. It's very encouraging. I think the greatest contributor to success of envelopes at Brentwood is that they teach the use of envelopes as part of their overall stewardship strategy. What would happen if every church had an annual stewardship strategy and plan of action?
Jim writes:
The LifeWay Offering Envelope Service has become an integral part of the stewardship education and giving strategy for Brentwood Baptist. Sending the envelopes into member's homes on a monthly basis has helped contribute to an annual average increase in giving of over 20% a year for the the past five years. Further, by continuing to insert Building Campaign Envelopes each month after the three year campaign concluded has netted an additional $500,000 in contributions toward our Building Fund. Emphazing the offering envelopes in Sunday School Classes and adult and children's worship services has created ongoing opportunities to teach regular, proportional, generous and joyful giving and giving as an act of worship.
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July 13, 2007
Ghana needs offering envelopes
The Ghana Bandage Project wins the award for finding the most creative use of offering envelopes ever!
LifeWay Envelope Service provides offering envelopes to Tabernacle Baptist Church, and the church ships them to Ghana as one of their ministries. (Learn more about Ghana Bandage Project.)
This project collects bandages and unused offering envelopes. The bandages are sheets torn into strips and rolled together to form a bandage. The offering envelopes are used to dispense pills through the hospital pharmacy.
For more information e-mail Vicki Barnes or call 770-386-2890.