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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 March 3, 2009 4:32 PM
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