Do More Ministry: March 2009 Archives

« February 2009 | Main | April 2009 »

March 31, 2009

What stewardship and giving books are you reading?

Some of the pastors and church leaders I meet with have a "deer-in-the-headlights" look when I begin talking about stewardship and giving. For many, they expect a conversation about capital fundraising campaign. They are surprised when I start talking about fully funded budgets and long-term sustainability.

Part of the reason I started this blog was to capture and broadcast a vital conversation related to the viability of local church ministry that is currently happening within small pockets of people, of which many didn't realize anyone else was having the same conversation.

To stay current and feed my need for good content, I'm constantly reading books about stewardship and giving. Some of them are directly related to church ministry; some are about traditional nonprofit management and fund development.

Here are the three books I've recently read that I think everyone pastor and church leader should read:

1. Passing the Plate
2. Not Your Parents' Offering Plate
3. ROI for Nonprofits

What are you reading? What should I read next?

Posted by bstroup at 9:23 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 30, 2009

Andy Stanley on money

Personal money management is not the primary focus of this blog, but I have to share this video that Generous News posted last week. It's the first in his sermon series "Balanced" where Andy approaches the competition God faces in our lives because of our obsession with money and stuff.

Andy Stanley challenges those in attendance to be "know'in where your money is "go'in" because that's where your heart (i.e. treasure) is.

Extremely practical. Very compelling.

Posted by bstroup at 6:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 27, 2009

Need your vote on upcoming Pastor's Podcast topics

I'm gearing up for another round of Pastor's Podcasts. I have some suggested topics. I'd love to do this "American Idol" style. Please look at the list below and vote by commenting on this post with your first, second and third choice.

(Note: If you are one who refuses to comment on a blog, e-mail me your choices.)

List of Topics

Keys to Strong Giving in a Weak Economy
Building the Kingdom Instead of the Castle - Ministry expansion projects beyond the building
Emerging Trends in Ministry Expansion Campaigns - changes based on the economy and other trends
Overcoming the Challenges of Multi-site Expansion
Finding New Money: The Role of Asset-based Giving in Ministry Expansion Campaigns
All Givers Great and Small: How to Engage All Types of Givers
Ministering to Major Givers
Tax Changes and What They Mean for Giving
Creating a Family Stewardship Philosophy
Let's Hear It For (and From) the Givers - A campaign from the givers' point of view

Previous Pastor's Podcasts:
New podcast for pastors on leading churches in tough times
Pastor's Podcast: One pastor sees debt as ministry opportunity
Pastor's Podcast: Teaching Children About Stewardship
Pastor's Podcast: Capital fundraising in a tough economy

Posted by bstroup at 3:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 26, 2009

One church uses video to capture their stewardship challenge

I stumbled upon Providence Baptist Church's video presentation of their annual stewardship campaign. I was struck by the use of the words "opportunity," "participation," and "personal calling" rather than the typical langugage and vocabulary of a stewardship campaign. The script even says that financial stewardship - giving our tithes and offerings - is just the beginning.

This church "gets it." Providence provides a holistic presentation of stewardship - one that teaches that being a steward means giving our time, talent, and treasures. It connects ministry needs with ministry opportunity and in just three minutes provides a simple, effective call to action.

By the end of the video, I wanted to sign up for something. This is a great example of what is means to creatively "make the ask."

Posted by bstroup at 12:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 25, 2009

Online donors don't come back

The NYT reported in Study Shows First-Time Online Donors Often Do Not Return that first-time online givers are unlikely to return and donate again online with any consistency.

Even though the online gift and the online giver is an attractive audience (online gifts tend to be larger than gifts given through more traditional channels and online givers tend to be higher income earners and better educated), online giving has a long way to go before it replaces traditional methods of giving.

One thing to note before you use this data to discredit online giving as a viable funding channel is that as the culture continues to place an emphasis on the exchange of electronic rather than paper currency, the interest and use of online giving will become more mainstream. Until then, it's important to include online giving as one of many options.

"I think what we're learning is that we need to be less worried about what channels these donors use and offer them a variety of channels through which they can give," said Mr. Smith of CARE.

Is your church using online giving? If so, what trends are you noticing among this segment your membership?

Posted by bstroup at 3:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 24, 2009

Exciting week for LifeWay Envelope Service

This has really been an exciting week.

Last Friday I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Doyle Chauncey with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia. They have designed some very innovative approaches to stewardship, particularly as it relates to new church starts. I'm grateful to Jerry Sutton (now a preaching professor at Liberty Theological Seminary) for opening the door for this conversation and look forward to the opportunities ahead.

Last Saturday, I presented at a one-day Pastor's Conference hosted by Don Campbell at the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. It was a great time. My presentation centered on building sustainable funding models for ministry. After my session, several leaders expressed interest in exposing their church leaders to this message. I was very encouraged.

Today, I made a trip to Kentucky to visit with Alan Witham at the Convention office. He and I met recently at the Stewardship/Cooperative Program meeting in Nashville in February. We talked at length about what we are doing to provide churches with systematic tools that -- when used in concert -- work together to produce measurable results. Alan is building a "best practices" guide for Kentucky Baptists as it relates to stewardship and isleading his team of strategists through a comprehensive approach to stewardship and giving that will offer pastors what they need to be successful in funding the ministry God has called them to do.

More good things to come.

Posted by bstroup at 8:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 20, 2009

Teaching children stewardship

I was completely surprised this week as I was reviewing the analytics Google provides me for the Do More Ministry blog. Three of the top five key words people searched on and found my blog were related to teaching children stewardship.

I have a couple of questions for those of you searching on this topic:
1. What specifically are you looking for?
2. Are you finding it or frustrated that you can't?

Posted by bstroup at 8:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 19, 2009

Church Marketing Sucks considers the message of giving

Church Marketing Sucks posted some great thoughts about how giving functions with the Worship experience at your church, what message it sends to your membership, and what - if any - changes should be made. I would encourage you to go read the post, read the comments, and consider how you can become more strategic about giving in your church setting.

Note: Sometimes becoming more strategic means building in educational opportunities to teach and remind our membership why we give, the giving options the church makes available to them, and what those gifts accomplish.

Related Posts:
See Pulpit vs. Pew on Tithing

Posted by bstroup at 8:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 18, 2009

Freely reveal or be forced to uncover

There is a great article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy yesterday highlighting that the level of financial disclosure among nonprofits varies greatly. This is balanced by a growing demand from the public and/or donor base to know all the "ins and outs" of the organizations they currently support or are considering doing so.

It won't be long before this same issue confronts the church. Are you ready to lay all your cards on the table? If you did, how do you think your membership would respond?

It's coming. Get ready.

Posted by bstroup at 8:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 16, 2009

Stewardship and Giving Video: Top tithing tunes

Thanks to Tithe Stewardship & Church Tithing and to Monday Morning Insights for pointing to one of the funniest "infomericals" I have ever seen.

Enjoy!

Posted by bstroup at 11:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 13, 2009

Web-based stewardship conversations

I have been attending Webinars regularly on various subjects for the last two years. In a previous life and previous venture, I would use Web tools for product demonstrations and collaborative conference calls.

I'd like to try this for those of us who have been given the responsibility of stewardship and giving in our respective organizations. And I think Web based tools may be a great asset. These tools eliminate the need to travel and facilitate a conversation or learning experience that anyone can join either "live" or access recordings on demand.

The great thing is that Dimdim is free. Many of us are facing expense cuts but rarely does that come with a reduction in expectations. If we could still accomplish workgroup activity without having to travel - even across town - this makes the effort that much more profitable and preserves our time (and money) for other things.

Are you familiar with the Webinar format? Would you be interested in participating or leading such an event? What topics would you want to discuss?

More to come soon.

Send me your thoughts.

Posted by bstroup at 4:09 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

March 11, 2009

9 steps to survival in a challenging economy

Mal Warwick writes about Fundraising in Tough Times for the Stanford Social Innovation Review, a publication from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. This fundraising giant points out 9 things that every nonprofit (that includes churches) should do RIGHT NOW to hedge against the impact our spirialing economy will have on giving.

One suggestion that jumped off the page for me was implementing online giving. If you're not already - at the very least - talking about online giving, you are leaving money on the table. Electronic transfer of funds is quickly replacing the use of paper money and checks. Churches should be seriously considering adding this as an option for your membership.

Remember, giving is not about you but your membership. Offering Envelopes, Online Giving, etc. are all systematic tools you can strategically use to encourage faithful, consistent giving among your membership base.

Are you currently using online giving? I'm interested in how you're using it as part of your overall funding plan and what level of acceptable or use it has reached.

Review the entire E-giving catagory.

Posted by bstroup at 4:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 10, 2009

Virginia Baptists host sustainable ministry conference

If your a pastor or church leader in Virginia, you need to know about the upcoming Building Sustainable Ministries Conference on March 21.

It's FREE!!! (And that includes lunch and snacks!)

I'll be leading the session on building sustainable funding models for ministry. It's "light" in theory and "heavy" in practical application. If you're interested (or frustrated) in learning how to achieve fully funded ministry budgets, it will be worth your time.

Contact Don Campbell at 800.255.2428 x1223 for more information.

Posted by bstroup at 4:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 9, 2009

A Small Change talks about translating tweets to dollars

Jason has a great post today on A Small Change about Translating Tweets to Dollars. We talked about the concept in A "Twestival" approach to Lottie and Annie special offerings last week.

Our ability to harness the power of new media to fund the ministry God has called us to do will multiply the resources available which will in turn empower us to do more ministry.

Are you considering using Twitter as a key tool in your funding strategy? If so, tell me how you plan to use it, and I'll post it to encourage others to think creatively.

Posted by bstroup at 1:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 6, 2009

One church says "lose your job, get your contributions back"

This is a bold move.

It requires trust and respect from both sides of the table: the church and the church member.

It asks both parties to act in faith and share the responsibility.

If you're sitting in the pew, would this encourage you to give in the midst of an uncertain employment and economic climate?

If you're standing in the pulpit, would this change how you spend available funds, evaluate your spending based on "return-on-investment" and result in better communication of the ministry accomplished?

Of course it would.

Maybe this is the solution we need to overcome the fear that seems to be lurking around every corner.

Would you do this in your church?

Why not?

Posted by bstroup at 10:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 4, 2009

Pastor's video testimony on the results of stewardship emphasis

One pastor describes the measurable impact a four week stewardship emphasis had on his church. The church was considering closing its doors, but ended up with a surplus of available funds.

Have you had a similar experience? Send me your story or video or use the "comments" option at the bottom of this post.

(Note: This video was recorded by Denny Wright, Stewardship Crusader for the Arkansas State Baptist Convention. Keep fighting the good fight and helping pastors lead their churches to fully fund the ministry God has placed on their hearts.)

Posted by bstroup at 11:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 3, 2009

Believe it or not: Parachurch giving up, Church giving down

The Christian Post reports survey results that reveal 7 out of 10 evangelical ministries report little to no loss in donations during Q4 2008.

This absolutely dispels the rhetoric that has been surfacing out of fear that seems to be hovering over the nonprofit world in light of our struggling economy. But that's not the breaking news that caught my attention. Here it is: While parachurch ministries were relatively unaffected, church giving was down.

"In fact, some of our members [Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability] had the strongest fourth quarter they've had in years and ended the year debt-free."
"...found more religious Americans (those who attend church most frequently) sustaining their giving at a higher rate than more secular Americans."

"...36 percent of frequent churchgoers said they were forced to reduce charitable donations...."

What do these three statements reveal?

1. The people in your pew have money to give.
2. The people in your pew are still giving that money to somebody.
3. The people in the your pew are deciding if they will give their money to you (i.e. your church) or a parachurch ministry.

When asked why parachurch ministries seemed to do so well in such a bad economy, the response was increased communication and a growing interest in helping "the poor and disadvantaged."

If you still don't get my point, let me say it like this: Just because people have money to give and attend your church doesn't mean they are going to give it to you. People are looking to join a cause or organization that is demonstrating measurable ministry results that clearly connect need with opportunity.

Are the people in your pew giving their money to you or to the local nonprofit down the street?

It's a sobering question. Are you brave enough to ask it?

Posted by bstroup at 4:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 2, 2009

I hope this makes you DO something

Have you ever read something and responded with a "yes" or "he gets it"? That my was reaction to 5 lessons churches must learn to survive by Chuck Warnock posted on his blog Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor yesterday.

I'm not sure I could have said it better myself, so I'm not going to try to.

Just read it.

Consider the implications of what Chuck has written about on your church's ability to create a sustainable funding model for ministry.

I hope this gets you excited. I hope this spurs conversation. I hope this makes you mad. I hope this causes you to DO something.

Not doing anything is not a viable option.

Posted by bstroup at 9:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack