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November 25, 2008
5 new Del.icio.us links related to stewardship and giving
Below are five new articles added to the Do More Ministry Del.icio.us library. I try to add at least 5-7 articles or links a week. If you see something that I missed or find a really cool article, send it to me and I'll add it to the library.
My hope is that this collection of articles and links related to stewardship and giving will help you be better prepared to lead your church to fully-funded budgets and long-term sustainable ministries.
Posted by bstroup at 9:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Individualism, Self-deteremination obstacles to church giving
"Many American Christians simply seem to have a hard time putting together two discordant ideas. On the one side, many seem to genuinely believe in the biblical notions of stewardship and discipleship, who are profoundly challenging to the autonomous individualistic self. But at the same time, most of them are also deeply committed to American autonomous individualism and accompanying notions of self-determination, absolute private property rights, and consumer sovereignty."
Passing the Plate, pg. 119.
Posted by bstroup at 9:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 24, 2008
New World Vision study reveals good news for charitable giving
Read more about this study.
The current state of the economy isn't all bad news. If people realize the difference between "need" and "want" and as a result decide to give more of their money away to causes and organizations that help others, we all win.
P.S. Why not find a way to replicate World Vision's Christmas catalog within the context of the ministry of your church? What if every church came up with a catalog that featured the needs and ministries of the church and offered the chance for church members to give an "alternative" Christmas gift to friends and family by supporting those needs and ministries?
Posted by bstroup at 3:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
American Christians choose NOT to give
"At least one out of five American Christians - 20 percent of all U.S. Christians - gives literally nothing to church, para-church, or nonreligious charities."
Passing the Plate, pg. 29.
Posted by bstroup at 12:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 21, 2008
Should your church leadership sign a contract?
One fundraising professional asks her Board to sign an annual fundraising contract.
The contract asks board members to specify contributions they would make in four areas: making a personal financial donation; arranging meetings, hosting parties, and other donor "cultivation" activities; helping to secure big gifts from others; participating in events; and "other" fund-raising activities that each board member can suggest on their own.
The brief article explains that there was some prep and follow up work involved, not only on behalf of this fundraising professional but also the executive director and chairman of the board. (This is a good reminder that success and organizational health are dependent upon more than one or a few people.)
So what does this have to do with church?
Your leadership should be in positions of leadership because they have pledged their allegiance to the staff and to the church. They should have more "invested" in seeing the ministry of the church multiply than the average person in the pew. These are your pace setters, and the ones everyone else in your church will observe.
Bottom line, it's critical that your leadership be willing to model every aspect of what it means to be a good steward - one who is faithful with their time, talent and treasures.
Accepting a position of leadership in any organization involves accepting the responsibility of the position. A contract or agreement merely outlines the expectations and assumptions of the relationship.
If you're looking for a way to inspire your leadership to lead and raise the level of expectation for your average pew sitter, maybe a convenant agreement (or contract) could be a tool to reinforce just how critical it is to have everyone working toward the same goal - fulfillment of the Great Commission through the ministry of the local church.
My guess is that the board members who signed the contract mentioned above were as successful or even more successful at raising money for the organization than in years past.
God has given every church all the resources it needs - the right people, the right talents and the right amount of money. Too often we settle for only a small percentage who choose to get involved and sacrifically invest themselves in the ministry of the church.
Raising the expectation will multiply your ministry.
Posted by bstroup at 11:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 20, 2008
LifeWay poll reveals charitable giving intentions of employees
I just checked our intranet page and noticed the employee poll question of the day: How has the economy impacted your holiday charitable giving?
The response was not surprising. Though, it's counterintuitive. Here are the most recent results:
61.15%
I will give as usual
30.14%
I will give less
8.695%
I will give more
Total Votes: 345
The most surprising one to me was that nearly 10% of LifeWay employees indicated that they plan to give MORE this holiday season because of the economy.
Posted by bstroup at 3:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Building upon the right foundation
Mark Brooks, president and founder of Charis, writes in Deal or No Deal: Build Now or Wait for Economic Improvement? that churches should consider their own personal situation when deciding to postpone or follow through with building plans.
He outlines several areas for consideration. All are good reminders that an economic recession affects us all differently.
I would verify this. The churches I'm talking to have multiple feelings and opinions as to how the economy is or will affect their ministry and particularly their giving. One church told me a couple of weeks ago that their giving is up 30% while another is being forced to consider laying off personnel just to breakeven with last year.
Entering a capital campaign may or may not be the best decision right now for your church. Each church should consider the decision individually.
Perhaps the cost of holding your cards, hunkering down and hanging on until this "storm" passes might be greater in terms of ministry than any capital campaign you might consider.
Posted by bstroup at 3:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 19, 2008
Generous Daily mentions pastor's podcast
Generous Daily mentions our first-ever pastor's podcast.
Thanks, Patrick, for giving some of your time to be included in this project.
Posted by bstroup at 2:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
New funding model applied at Waterfront Community Church
Think how much more ministry your church could accomplish if the dollars in the plate directly funded ministry. What if you could find an alternative way to cover the overhead of your church?
One church decided to think outside the box. The result? A story worth telling your friends about.
"Some people like to see where their money is going," said Semradek, 38, a former pastor at Willow Creek Community Church. "My dream is every time a person puts a dollar in the plate, something happens. When you give, you see a face on the other side that you're blessing."
Waterfront Community Church has sponsors that cover all the administrative overhead associated with running an organization. That means 100% of all giving goes directly to ministry. That's a powerful story for people who are looking to give yet being more cautious than ever about who they give their money to.
Read Christians want say where money goes.
Posted by bstroup at 2:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 17, 2008
Salvation Army now accepting "plastic" donations
The Associated Press reports that the Salvation Army will test peoples' willingness to swipe their "plastic" at the local red kettle instead of dropping their change or a few dollar bills.
The shift is indicative of what most NPOs (this includes churches) are doing. That is, they are expanding their giving options to allow more options/methods for people to give.
When was the last time you discussed e-giving at your church?
Posted by bstroup at 9:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 14, 2008
New podcast for pastors on leading churches in tough times
I recently sat down with Joe Sangl, pastor of financial counseling and planning with NewSpring Church, Patrick Johnson, VP of Strategic Partners and Church Services with National Christian Foundation, Bret Robbe, director of leadership and adult ministry publishing with LifeWay Church Resources, and Ashley Clayton, associate VP for stewardship with the Executive Committee of the SBC to answer the question: How can pastors lead their churches through tough economic times?
It was an amazing experience to sit down with some Christian thought leaders to ask the questions that are being discussed by pastors today and listen to the practical advice that will ultimately help pastors know what the next step is.
I'm pleased to announce that our first-ever podcast is now available for download.
I need your help. The only way this will help pastors is if they know that this podcast exists. Please distribute a link to this podcast to all the pastors you know. The quicker we can provide lifelines to our pastors burdened with the uncertainty of these tough economic times, the better equipped they will be to be the spritiual leader God has called them to be.