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January 13, 2009
A call to action for all church leaders
The title of the first Chapter of Not Your Parents' Offering Plate is Survival of the Fittest. The first two sentences capture the inherent need to rethink our approach to church giving.
"In American today, there are over 1.8 million nonprofit organizations, and over one million of these are 501(c)(3)s. There are about 370,000 churches. Just ten years ago, in 1995, there were 600,000 501(c)(3)s and about 370,000 churches." (pg. 1)
The author continues with some sobering words for church leaders:
"If you are not prepared to compete with over one million nonprofits, you will lose." (pg. 7)
The people in your pews are paying attention - perhaps more now than they have in a long time - to where every dollar goes. They want to know that every dollar given in the name of charity is being squeezed and spread as far as possible. If you're church isn't demonstrating measurable results, then you'll lose dollars. In turn, those dollars will be redirected to other charitable alternatives.
Don't assume that those who have always faithfully given to your church will continue to so. And the belief that the tithe is only for the church is quickly disappearing as well. Many Christians see little difference in giving to your church and any other NPO. Right or wrong, it's our responsibility as church leaders to act on what we know and ensure that the organizations we are called to lead are fully funded and sustainable.
The ball's in your court, pastor. What's your next move?
Related Posts:
Book Review: Not Your Parents' Offering Plate
The senior pastor is the chief fundraiser
Posted by bstroup at January 13, 2009 2:19 PM
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