July 2, 2009
Guest Post: The Silent Middle - Giving when money is tight
If you are anything like me, when I read headlines about the 9.5% unemployment rate, the number of people losing their homes, and how bad the economy is, I immediately begin to tighten my fist around "my money." I take on an inward focus about money - What if I can't pay my bills? What if I lose my job? What if miss a meal? What if my bank account drops below a level with which I'm not comfortable?
While I'm focused on me, me, me, there is a whole world of people out there who are already living the reality of those fears - people living out of cars or homeless shelters or families who now depend on food banks for meals. It's kind of a "duh" statement to say, but as the economy gets worse, more and more people are in need. I understand that in my head, but somehow my heart doesn't seem to get it because instead of giving more to help others in this time of crisis, all I'm focused on is me and clenching my fist around "my money."
The truth is this: It's not my money. It's God's money. Yes, I need to be wise about cutting back on spending, but that doesn't mean I should cut back on giving. If anything, now is the opportunity to give more, investing in those ministries who are serving those who need meals or shelter or hope in Christ. First Timothy 6:17-18 instructs those who are rich not to put their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. We are to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share. You may not feel rich, but if you are out of debt, not living in car and you haven't missed a meal or missed a bill in a long time, then you just might fall into that "rich" category.
Even if you aren't rich in terms of your bank account or net worth, you can be rich in good deeds and with your giving. When we serve others by physically feeding the poor or even financially giving so that others can feed the poor, then we honor God with the wealth He has entrusted to us.
Jenny Wingard is passionate about God, local church ministry, and giving. She can be reached via Twitter or e-mail.
Related Posts:
The Silent Middle
An appeal from "The Silent Middle"
Guest Post: The Silent Middle - A letter to pastors
Guest Post: The Silent Middle - Giving out of gratefulness
Guest Post: The Silent Middle - Planting seeds
Guest Post: The Silent Middle - Bring the givers together
Posted by bstroup at 4:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
July 1, 2009
Guest Post: How to Be Rich - Love More ... Expect Less
Michael Harrison has impressed me with his commitment to building the Kingdom through the ministry of the local church. And he has struggled through what that means as it related to personal finances as well as church financial development. He preached a series recently called How to Be Rich. I've asked him to share some commentary on what happened both in and out of the pulpit as he bravely dealt with what some pastors believe to be a four-letter word...money. I'm delighted he agreed to share his thoughts. Be sure to check out his blog too.
I love what I get to do. Is this a dream? I even ask myself that sometimes. Being a pastor is a cool job especially when you add church planter into the mix. God has shown up and given us some cool blessings and much to share.
My name is Michael Harrison, and I get to serve as lead pastor of The Community Fellowship in Collinsville, Virginia. (That is near Martinsville, VA where NASCAR racing began over 60 years ago on the best short track in the world.) The Community is just less than 3 years old. We began from a split (being honest is one of our core values) with about 50 people. The last 12 months have brought us many news friends allowing us to double in size. Each week we are averaging about 175 in worship. Our purpose is to demonstrate the love of God to our community, and we do this through serving, giving, and sharing with those we meet. It all began with a simple clothes closet outreach and has grown into all kinds of ARK's (acts of random kindness) to touch people for Jesus.
So, here is some of my story. This is why you might be here. It was just after summer last year that my wife, Julie, and I began to experience some pretty big financial problems in our personal lives. We've had God come through before, and we were again in one of those places that a miracle needed to happen. It did. But it was not a miracle from the lottery or a rich relative giving us some money. This came through the process of learning how to use what God has given us.
I met a man named Joe Sangl, and we began to talk about Joe's mission which is to see people "win with their money" by becoming financially free and living the way God intended. In November of 2008 we started living on a budget. It has not been easy all the time. But it has changed the way we live. We argue less. We have more money left at the end of the money, and life is full of much more joy. Then it hit me. Actually on our leaders at church had been to a seminar that Joe Sangl did at NewSping Church that helped them. Joe and I talked some more, and we planned for him to come to The Community to lead our people to see what Julie and I have seen.
So that is where it started. I preached a series called How to Be Rich that talked about how to build margin into your life through using what God has blessed you with. In the next few weeks I will be sharing right here some of the stuff from the series along with ideas about how you can "win with your money". We will talk about some really good news and some not so good news that relates to money. If Julie and I can find freedom and joy, you can too, and God has that prepared for you.
A little bit more about us ... we've been married for almost 16 years and have 3 awesome kids. Julie is from Vidalia, Georgia. I'm from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and now we live in Virginia. Kind of strange. But it is all good.
Posted by bstroup at 3:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 30, 2009
Multiple funding options for churches
I recently posted about multiple funding options for churches. This seemed to touch on a sensitive area for some (and confused others). Some of you have shared with me what you're church is doing to fund the ministry of your church outside of total dependence upon weekly giving. Excellent! I love hearing ideas. Some of you have also shared your objections and concerns that funding outside of tithes and offerings may be outside of God's design. I respect that too.
The bottom line is this (yes, punn intended): More Money. More Ministry. No Money. No Ministry. As church members increase their expectations of churches and as churches race to compete with the attention-grabbing messages and work from the traditional non-profit world, churches are facing competition that I'm convinced some church leaders don't even realize exists. If churches are going to meet the growing demands of ministry, the funding has to also increase.
There are two troubling things with weekly tithes and offerings: One, the assumption that the tithe is reserved for the local church alone no longer exists. Two, the attendance patterns of members is less frequent than it has been in years past. The combination of these two elements decreases the chances that weekly giving will fully fund the ministry budget of your church.
There is no magic combination of funding options for every church. Each funding plan should be contextualized to fit the ministry demands of the church and the community in which it exists. That being said, there are a few elements that should be present within every congregation's funding plan in addition to weekly giving: major gift development, special fund-raising initiatives/campaigns, estate tithing/foundations, donor base cultivation (or what I sometimes call compound giving).
Some of the most creative options that I've seen are: hosting ongoing community events that cultivate givers among non-church members (and maybe even non-Christians), leasing space in a local strip mall to help members who find themselves unemployed start their own business and in turn any proceeds from things like rent, etc. the church reap's from the success of the new business is invested back into the church, and establishing each new ministry with seed money for a defined period of time with the intent that the new ministry must become self-funding.
How are you creatively meeting the funding demands of the ministry your church has been called to do?
Posted by bstroup at 1:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 29, 2009
Follow up to additional sources of income for churches...tomorrow
Apparently, last Friday's post grabbed the attention of more than a few church leaders. There was a lot of chatter on the subject between Twitter, my cell phone, my Google Talk account, Facebook, e-mail, etc.
I will expand more tomorrow on other revenue streams that churches should be considering as part of their overall funding strategy. I thought I'd point to a few posts today that I feel are relevant to this conversation:
Contributions down? Time to innovate
Decline in church giving could force innovation
The paradox of church giving in a struggling economy
Get strategic about church giving
9 steps to survival in a challenging economy
Posted by bstroup at 4:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 26, 2009
Should churches rely on one stream of income?
NationalChristianPoll.com recently released Church Budget Priorities Survey Executive Report. Page 3 begins exploring "Church Income and Operating Budget."
"33% of all churches say all (100%) of their principal sources of income are from tithes and offerings."
I immediately began shaking my head. Why would an organization dedicated to such an important task willingly place themselves in such a risky position as to rely completely on the weekly tithes and offerings of those in attendance? (Notice I didn't say membership. The regularity of member attendance is shifting. Gone are the days when you can expect even your "best" members to be present every week.)
No one builds a sustainable business on one good customer. Why? Because circumstances change. Executive Management changes. Competitors change. There are numerous reasons why it's better to spread your business income over multiple clients instead of one. You shouldn't need an MBA to know that. It's obvious.
That being the case, I'm absolutely amazed at the lack of concern many church leaders have when it comes to funding the churches they lead. Any leader who derives his income from the generous giving of church members ought to consider multiple streams of income to, at the very least, ensure he is able to feed his family, pay his bills, and survive in the midst of any change in church giving habits. Any leader who understands that others who benefit from social ministries such as food or clothing ministries, addication support services, etc. out to seek out multiple streams of income to ensure those who deeply depend on the church for help aren't left to fend for themselves in the event the church "runs out of money." (Can you imagine how difficult it would be to tell a hungry family - face to face - that the church doesn't have money to stock the food pantry any more?)
As the demand for more complex ministry solutions increases, more money will be required to fund the ministries that will meet those needs. There comes a point in the lifecycle of every organization when it becomes fiscally responsible to add additional streams of revenue to support the growing ministry of the church.
How much ministry is left on the table simply because we limit our ministry capacity to one source of revenue?
Posted by bstroup at 11:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 25, 2009
Guest Post: The Silent Middle - Bring the givers together
I recently attended the Downhill@Dawn half marathon event held at LifeWay's Ridgecrest Conference Center this month - not as a runner, but as an observer and supporter. (I don't even run when chased.)
About 100 runners attended the event, some who had participated in races for years, and some who had just begun running and were amazed they even crossed the finish line. There were people from all walks of life at the event, but the one thing they had in common was running. They were either avid lovers of running or just beginning to fall in love with the sport itself. Races and training were the topic of many conversations. And no matter how much pain they experienced, almost every person expressed joy over being able to finish the race.
I left that event excited about running. These people made it look so fun and rewarding, just by sharing their personal experiences with running with me. They were so inspiring! And on the way home, I thought, "Wouldn't it be awesome to have a weekend at Ridgecrest completely devoted to giving?"
Can't you see it? People who have been giving for years and people who are just starting to catch the giving bug coming together to talk about challenges with giving and the amazing rewards of seeing lives changed through faithful generosity. Christians inspired by someone who quietly helped a neighbor who was had lost his job but had a family to feed. Stories about lives in Africa changed because of someone in Texas who was compelled to give to an international ministry. Testimonies of churches who were growing because their church members were practicing good stewardship and were giving more to outreach in spite of drops in income.
Givers brainstorming new ways to give time, talent, and treasures to glorify God and expand His Kingdom. Encouragement shared around the room for those who are hurt by the current economic crisis but still feel God's call to give while trusting Him to provide. Bibles open as people study God's word to fuel that spirit of selflessness and giving in honor of how God has given to us.
I gotta tell you, I absolutely love the idea. I would be the first to sign up. Not because I'm a super giver, but because giving is contagious, and I want to catch the bug. I want to be with others who love giving, too. And it doesn't have to be at Ridgecrest. What if pastors or stewardship leaders did this in their communities or churches?
Wouldn't it be awesome?
Jenny Wingard is passionate about God, local church ministry, and giving. She can be reached via Twitter or e-mail.
Related Posts:
The Silent Middle
An appeal from "The Silent Middle"
Guest Post: The Silent Middle - A letter to pastors
Guest Post: The Silent Middle - Giving out of gratefulness
Guest Post: The Silent Middle - Planting seeds
Posted by bstroup at 1:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
