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April 24, 2009
State Convention sponsors sustainable funding seminars
Next week I'll be touring through the great state of Arkansas with Denny Wright, the Stewardship Director for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. We have partnered together to provide a seminar for pastors designed to help them build sustainable funding models for ministry.
Here is the schedule:
Monday, April 27
Park Hill Baptist Church
Arkadelphia
6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 28
State Convention Office
Little Rock
9:30 a.m. - Noon
Concord Associational Office
Fort Smith
6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 29
State Convention Office
Little Rock
9:30 a.m. - Noon
Thursday, April 30
Highland Drive Baptist Church
Jonesboro
9:30 a.m. - Noon
Harmony Associational Office
Pine Bluff
6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
There are meals scheduled before every event intended to facilitate one on one conversation in a relaxed environment. Everyone who has registered has been given the participate in the dinner (or lunch). If you'd like to attend but haven't registered, call Cindy Smith today at 501.376.4791x 5114.
I'm looking forward to a great week. I enjoy spending time with those people God has called to lead local churches, the basic building block of our denomination and the primary unit through which God intended that Christians fulfill the Great Commission.
Note: I will be offline next week. So my next post will be May 4.
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April 23, 2009
One church choses hope in the midst of economic despair
This recession has been a nightmare for some churches.
USA Today reports church giving in America dropped somewhere between $3 billion and $5 billion last year. Another report said as many as 20 percent of all churches have cut staffs.
It was no different for Cape Christian Fellowship according to Pastor Gingerich.
The giving increased each of those 20 years, overflowing in the past five years of that run to the tune of a spectacular 23 percent increase each year.
Then, the recession.
But this church's reaction to the economic climate was different; they chose to trust in God. They made some hard decisions: cutting staff, pastor took a voluntary 30% cut in pay, etc. Perhaps the most visible was the looming discussion about their new building project: would they continue to move forward and build or put it on hold?
After weighing their options and a good bit of due dilligence, the church decided that moving forward with their building project would not only stimulate the economy in their community but would be a sign of hope.
"We ought to be the people who bring hope to the world. If we can do that by putting up this building, well, wow! What a statement that makes."
What an unusual (and refreshing) response: hope in the midst of despair!
Pastor, are you hopeful or doubtful that God will continue to be faithful to you and the ministry of your church in spite of the current economic circumstances?
Your people will mirror your response.
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April 22, 2009
Church kept its promise to pay off debt and contribute to CP
Enterprise Baptist Church in Clarke County, Mississippi kept its promise to support the Cooperative Program (CP). Pastor Cothern led his church not only to pay off debt from a recent building project but also to maintain their annual budgeted commitment to CP.
When Pastor Cothern was asked why the church didn't cut CP giving in light of their commitment to pay off capital building debt, he said:
"We wouldn't do that for two reasons," Cothern said. "First, we can't treat the lifeline of our missionaries that lightly. Church staff people wouldn't want that done with their salaries! It's just not right to treat the CP like that. Second, either our process of understanding the will of God together has credibility or it doesn't. If we vote on missions, we are to ask that God's will be done, and how we discover that together is what is important. The process can break down, but if it maintains its integrity, then that is the will of God as we understand it to be. So we obligate ourselves, and not satisfying that is not an option. I would have felt like we were not obeying the will of God."
Read the entire story.
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April 21, 2009
Stewardship goes small
Small churches vary by definition. Of the 360,000 or so churches in the United States today, most of them will fall into the category of small. (Note: This is representative of size of attendance, not reflective of ministry influence.)
Since small church leaders don't usually capture the attention of big conference planners, many miss out on the learning and professional growth opportunities often afforded church leaders in larger churches. I'm always encouraged by those who are working hard to assist small churches in their effort to accomplish the ministry God has placed on their heart.
Impact 2009 is one of those conferences that I recently heard about on Ed Stetzer's blog. There were two things that excited me about this event in particular:
1. It was designed with the small church in mind. The cost is affordable and the schedule designed with the reality that many who lead small churches have other work that they do to pay the bills. This, of course, excludes this group from attending many of those mid-week conferences designed for the full-time staff member.
2. There is a segment on stewardship. (YES!) Of all the subject matter that could be discussed, stewardship is at the forefront of the minds of small church leaders. These are leaders who live the closest to the tension between the ministry that needs to be done and the limited funds available to provide that ministry. It's encouraging to know those who conceived this conference recognize the conversation on stewardship is one worth discussing.
If you're in or around the Nashville area this weekend and don't already have plans, consider attending Impact 2009.
P.S. If you do attend and learn something about stewardship and the small church you'd like to share, please e-mail me your thoughts and we'll get it up on the blog.
Posted by bstroup at 6:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 20, 2009
Pastor's Today highlights important articles on church and money
Pastor's Today e-newsletter highlights some important articles related to church and money in this week's issue. If you haven't signed up to receive this e-newsletter, you should consider doing so.
LifeWay Research finds economy challenging churches but providing opportunities
15 Ways to Increase Your Church's Offerings
Keys for Overcoming Your Church's Financial Crisis
Five Ways to Prevent Conflict over Church Finances
How to Establish Financial Policies for Your Church
Overcoming Four Coming Church Financial Firestorms
How to Establish Financial Review Practices for Your Church
5 Ways Your Church Can Help Individuals during Hard Financial Times
Church Financial Health Can Reduce Skepticism and Cynicism in an Older Church
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April 17, 2009
Church makes compelling stewardship appeal via e-mail
I subscribe to e-mail blasts from many different churches. It helps me stay in touch with what's happening in local churches.
I received this particular e-mail recently from a church who I've worked with personally. They have been incredibly successful at funding their budget year after year. Judging by this letter, you can see why.
I thought I'd share it with you. I've removed any specific names because I think other churches could use this as a template to do something similar. Traditional nonprofits are consistently making these types of appeals. It's time the church did too. AThose churches who are sending these types of appeals are seeing very positive results.
[My wife and I] are in the throws of refinancing our house. I genuinely hate dealing with money stuff. Yes, I know, we don't say "hate," but there's just no other four letter word I can use. Some folks can sketch an idea on a dirty napkin and turn it into a small fortune. I can take a small fortune and turn it into car repairs. But love 'em or hate 'em, money issues are a big part of life.
We've all heard how the Bible talks about money more than heaven or hell and that the issue isn't personal poverty or wealth but stewardship. Our volunteer leaders and staff are working so hard to be the best stewards we can possibly be of all the resources freely given to Kingdom work at [this church]. So many people sacrifice so much to support the work of this church family and for that we who serve here are eternally grateful.
During this down turn, or crisis, or recession or depression or whatever the media is calling it this week, the staff and volunteer leaders on the stewardship and personnel committees have identified numerous ways to save in programming and personnel dollars. Savings in programming include decreases in Sunday School literature, childcare support, seminars, conferences, camps, volunteer leadership training and appreciation events. We've cut events such as mission trips in high school, staff training in preschool, and dozens of other needed programming investments in every ministry area between and beyond.
In personnel, we've worked with extra care to find ways to save money without deleting positions. That's been a challenge for us - as it has been for so many of you. In support of the effort our staff has forgone raises, a long standing Christmas gift, and contributions to retirement. We've instituted a hiring freeze and are dividing time between ministries to get the job done. Some people think we have too much staff. If [this church] were the little church they grew up in years ago they would be so right. But it takes a lot of hard working dedicated people to lead a small city like [this church] on a mission to change the world. We are blessed with an amazing group of selfless servant-leaders.
Through all the challenges we've faced over the past two years, we have continued to reach people for Christ, to see growth in Sunday School and in worship, and we haven't lost one staff member to another ministry (though I know our staff is heavily "courted" by other churches).
We are so close to turning the page and beginning a new chapter in the life of our wonderful family. To those who have been so giving and faithful and supportive through the years, thank you. That's not enough to say, but it's all there is to say. Thank you.
To those who attend regularly but have yet to take even the very first step toward God's call to biblical stewardship, I do understand. Really, I do. My mortgage guy suggested I sell an organ to decrease one of our many college loans. In spite of the challenges, I have never met anyone who regrets choosing biblical stewardship over some other plan for handling God's money.
Please continue to pray for your staff and volunteer leaders as we walk through these days of deeper faith. We need you prayers and your faithful support. God is so faithful. Thank you for your faithfulness to Him and His dear Church.
See you Sunday,
Mr. Executive Pastor
What are you waiting for? Get writing!
Related Post:
Mark Beeson talks straight with Granger members about money
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April 15, 2009
More than 80,000 copies of New Testament distributed to date
It's always exciting to see something evolve from an idea into a success. It's gets even better when you get to play a part in the process.
Ashley Clayton with the Executive Committee of the SBC, Phill Burgess with Holman Bible Outreach, and I teamed together to create the It's A New Day New Testament. Our hope was that churches would use this Bible in their efforts to address the spiritual dimension of personal debt.
All of this took place nearly one year before the economy began spiraling out of control.
The front of this New Testament includes 30 days of devotions prepared by Crown Financial Ministries. The idea was that this would be a tool that connected stewardship with Scripture and offered an entire congregation who committed to participate in the It's A New Day program a plan for studying the same Scripture every day for 30 days. Each Sunday the pastor prepares a themed message that is supplemented with supporting Sunday School or small group material.
To date, more than 80,000 copies have been distributed.
I'm grateful for how God is using this tool through the ministry of the local church to impact people's lives as they gain a biblical understanding of personal money management and achieve financial freedom. My prayer is that, ultimately, churches will use this emphasis to talk about eternal freedom too.
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April 13, 2009
Fundraising is Beautiful Podcast: Partner with your donors
Thanks to Jeff Brooks with Donor Power Blog for pointing me to Partnership (not marketing) with donors.
Here are some key thoughts from the podcast:
1. Non-profits are moving from marketing to donors to providing information to them.
2. Relationships are moving from mass scales (direct marketing) only to one-on-one relationships.
3. Donors want to connect with the point of impact, not just great stories.
4. Begin seeing donors as shareholders and investors.
5. Donors understand that success involves failure. Too much good, to perfect of a picture becomes suspect when people know you have to fail in order to succeed.
6. 20% of programs non-profits are operating today aren't working and need to be cancelled or retooled.
7. Transparency takes time but will be required to generate long-term financial support.
8. Acquisition of new donors is important but is second to retaining donors.
The ideas capture the philanthropic revolution that is happening among those who sit in our pews week after week. We must return the "power" of our organizations, our churches back to the lowest common denominator. If we don't, we risk losing our best givers.
Gone are days when people will give to the church with no interest or care in what happens to it once it hits the offering plate.
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April 9, 2009
My answer - Should churches offer "premiums"
Now that you've had a chance to respond to Should churches offer "premiums" to encourage online giving, I want to lay out a few of my thoughts on the issue.
First, I don't think the church needs to be in the business of gimmicks. We already do enough of that. We toss "books" of printed paper at visitors and guests. We have welcome committees and welcome packages that weigh as much as a gift basket from Harry and David. So, in a sense, churches are already offering premiums to prospects.
What we are learning is that no one choose to invest their time, talent, and resources because of a premium they are offered. People choose a community to join and contribute to because of the people they meet and the relationships they build. It's an emotional process; it's an emotional investment.
Second, premiums come in many forms. The traditional non-profit world uses products as premiums. The reason premiums are so effective is that they give the existing or potential new donor a reason to take action. When it comes to church giving, there are few "call to actions" outside of the offertory or the occassional special offering.
Fundraising for special events is one thing. Raising funds to support an ongoing operational budget for a complex ministry is a completely different thing. It's the difference between a sprint and a marathon.
What if instead of a coffee mug or the classic church t-shirt, the church offered experiences? What if the premium was every new giver this Sunday will be given a partial (or full) scholarship to participate in some mission project? It's so easy to restrict ourselves to thinking of premiums in the traditional way. Premiums are simply a tool to generate a response and only work when coupled with a compelling call to action.
Third, churches need to reconsider the methods they use to generate the funds they need to accomplish the ministry God has placed on their hearts. Premiums are one way to begin thinking about things differently. It forces the church leader to consider those things that only the church could offer a potential donor, especially the opportunity to become personally invested in the ministry of the church.
Capture the heart of the giver, and you'll create a long-term donor. Growing your base of long-term donors creates a more sustainable funding model.
Many church leaders still assume that Christians automatically reserve the tithe for the church alone. This simply isn't true. If churches don't respond, the dollars of the people who occupy our pews will be funneled to those outside the church who make a more compelling ministry case.
Finally, I want to suggest to you that one benefit of online giving (which was the context of the research cited in yesterday's post) is that people who don't visit your church campus are able to easily contribute to the ministry of your church. This is an entirely new dimension of funding that I don't think many in church leadership have considered.
If we believe that the internet is a ministry tool, why exclude those who find spiritual nourishment from your Web ministry (online sermons, tools, Bible searches, etc.) from contributing to the organizational needs of your church? Or, what if you have a parent of a child who has been changed by your ministry who wants to contribute but doesn't go to your church or doesn't go to church at all? What if this tool, if encouraged, becomes the bridge between you and this individual?
All churches have "premiums" that they can offer to encourage participation and grow their giving base. The question is will you do the hard work, the necessary creative thinking to find those things that inspire others to become a part of what you are doing? Better yet, is what you are doing so compelling that others want to join you in your efforts and fund your ministry?
Posted by bstroup at 3:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 8, 2009
Should churches offer "premiums" to encourage online giving
I recently subscribed to a magazine that offered me a free gift if I completed the transaction by a certain date. This is what the direct marketing industry calls a "premium." And its wide acceptance and use confirms it works.
Traditional non-profit fundraising appeals have also utilized this technique. Just listen to the latest public radio or television membership drives, and you'll hear: "All members giving at "x" level, get "y."" The bigger the giving, the better or "more valuable" the gift.
As the fundraising world looks to the internet as the new frontier, some are wondering if this mainstay approach to growing your giving base will translate into the digital giving experience too. According to one study, the simple answer is yes.
Recent research confirmed that this technique still works. In most cases the best results come with the increase of new givers, the most difficult and costly segment to recruit. Nonetheless, the research also confirmed that a premium helped increase the average gift or overall response from current or existing donors.
"Offering a premium significantly boosted response rates and average gifts for two of the four organizations. The other two organizations saw a significant increase in either the response rate or the average gift. On average, response rates rose by 95% and average gift size increased by 37% when a premium was offered.1 That translates to nearly twice as many new donors, on average!"
Should the church consider employing this technique as well? As churches seek to expand their giving base to fund their complex ministry budgets, is there room within the practice of the church to offer a premium to attract new givers and encourage more consistent and larger gifts from existing giving base?
Before I answer that question, I want to hear your thoughts. Hit the "comments" button below or send me a reply via e-mail.
Posted by bstroup at 12:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 7, 2009
Ed Stetzer talks about money and ministry
LifeWay Research recently released the results of the impact our current economic state is having on churches. It's positive and consistent what we have previously discussed on the blog.
One might think that churches are barely staying alive, but the opposite is true. Stetzer's research shows that evangelical churches are doing surprisingly well in these tough times. Certainly, churches need to manage the organizations they lead wisely. But tough times force us to ask the hard questions that often lead to more strategic ministry practices.
I still fear that many church leaders are tempted to slip into "group think" and give up. The most important posture we can take to settle the uneasiness of the people who sit in our pews is to show what it means to "faith" our way through life.
Paul wrote, "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." (Heb 11:1, HCSB)
It's time to change the conversation from "What do we have to cut to survive?" to "What does God want us to do next?"
Do you agree with the research? Is it descriptive of your church?
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April 6, 2009
Experts offer advice on what works when it comes to funding
I came across this article and posted it via my Twitter feed like I do so many others. I received very positive feedback, so I thought I'd share this article with my readers who may not follow me on Twitter.
Check it out: Focusing on What Works: Veteran Fund-Raising Consultants Offer Their Ideas.
Two elements of success identified in the article are:
1. Understanding which fund-raising efforts are productive and which are not. Pastors and church leaders should be obsessed with this. Productive efforts create "evangelists" who will spread the word about your church as they spread The Word.
Because we typically don't do a good job at measuring results in church life, we end up relying on perception and intuition. No one should manage any operation or organization - including churches - based on intuition alone. It's important for us to constantly and consistently evaluate the results based on the investment (not just money, but time and energy too). Perhaps less is more.
2. Proving to donors what their money will do. The key word is "proving." You can't prove anything without evidence. What evidence can you provide your "investors" that you are taking their capital and achieving high "eternal" returns on their behalf?
The people who sit in your pews want to know how their money is being used. They want a say in the process. More important than ever, they no longer blindly trust you to do what's best. That level of trust has to earned not once but over and over again.
Showing your membership that you can make good decision, invest wisely, and yield a strong return will result in faithful giving and giving in larger amounts.
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April 3, 2009
Church raises $19M in 24 hours
Wow!
Can you imagine that happening this week at your church?
Four services. 22,000 people. $19M.
And where did this take place? The United States? Saddleback? Willow Creek? Nope. Try Singapore.
What this means is that the limits of "what can be" have just been extended. A new expectation has been set.
The most important lesson here is this: it's possible to raise more money through our regular Worship services than we are collecting today - even in the midst of a struggling economy.
Are you satisfied with your church giving today? Do you have more money than you know what to do with? If not, what will you do today to make tomorrow's giving different?
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April 2, 2009
When was the last time you said "thank you"?
Sometimes we get so busy "making the ask" that we forget to thank those who have already given. What we miss is the opportunity to acknowledge and cultivate the first-time giver into a regular donor.
I can't remember the last time I heard a "thank you" from the pulpit. We spend a great deal of time making appeals to fund the ministry God has given us to do. This is absolutely essential. Equally important is that we remember giving is an emotional, relational process. Just like we thank others when they do something on our behalf - even little things - pastors and church leaders ought to consider building in a systematic way to thank every person who contributes to the ministry of the church.
I wonder how much money has been left "on the table" or - worse - diverted to places other than the church because no one in the church ever took the time (even something as simple as an automated e-mail) to say "thank you."
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April 1, 2009
Offering Envelopes are "an old technique that still works"
Mark Brooks and I sat down to talk about church stewardship and giving. (By the way, you need to e-mail him about the financial analysis tools he created and uses with his clients. It's one of the best I've ever seen. The level of detail and intelligence it gives the pastor is unmatched.)
One of the things I learned during our conversation was how much he believes in offering envelopes, contributions statements, pastoral letters, etc. He believes these systematic tools - when used strategically - will significantly impact a church's ability to collect the amount pledged during a capital campaign. But he doesn't stop there. He also encourages the church to continue using these tools after the campaign is over.
Occassionally, I come across people who are skeptical of the offering envelope. They believe it is of little value and merely a relic of a previous generation. My intuition used to lead me to the same conclusions. But here is where that theory breaks down:
1. Many who think offering envelopes are "useless" are also faithful givers. They will give no matter what - even if they were asked to give only in pennies. The strength in the offering envelope is in its ability to expand your giving base and inspire a response.
2. Nearly every other traditional nonprofit organization spends a great deal of money printing and using envelopes as part of their fundraising strategy. Why? They work! (Even if a member gives online, the offering envelope is a subtle prompt to log on and donate.)
The results speak for themselves. Based on my experience and the data I've seen, those churches who use offering envelopes typically have a larger giving base (stability) and generate more contributions consistently when compared with those that don't (sustainability).
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