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September 1, 2009
7 questions that reveal if you (and your leadership) are "all in"
I had the opportunity to meet with the staff and lay leadership of a local church today as they were finalizing their strategy for their annual stewardship campaign. One of the most important things that I highlighted and reinforced with everyone present was the importance of the leadership being "all in."
As I looked around the room, I said that now is the time to decide if you believe enough in this church and what your charged with funding to decide if "you're in" or "you're out." That may sound harsh, but the reality is that if those asking others to contribute their time, talents, and treasures to the Kingdom through the ministry of the local church aren't already doing this, then the fire and passion (and credibility) needed to invite others to do the same will be missing.
As many churches embark on their annual stewardship campaign, here are seven tough questions to ask yourself and all church leaders (lay and staff):
- Do you believe in your gut that God is calling you to do big things to build the Kingdom through the ministry of the church you lead?
- Can you clearly articulate and quantify the impact you've had in the past and what your project to accomplish moving forward?
- Are you asking others to give in ways that you aren't presently giving?
- Are you convinced that the programs and ministries your church invests in are producing measurable results that are expanding and empowering Kingdom growth?
- If someone were you ask you why they should contribute to the ministry of your church, are you prepared to respond with why the ministry of your church is the best use of their God-given resources? (By the way ... "just because" isn't a good answer.)
- Are you prepared to ask, in person, others to contribute to your church? (If you don't, someone else ... probably outside the church ... will.)
- Are you prepared to challenge every leader - lay and staff - to contribute at their maximum capacity? (WARNING: This is going to upset some of you. If you get upset, at least I told you so. If you have leaders who aren't contributing or who are exhibiting signs that they aren't "all in," then it's time for a one-on-one conversation. No leader can inspire others to go places they haven't already been.)
Ask the tough questions now. Otherwise, you risk the integrity of the campaign. Don't think the people in the pew don't know who is "all in" and who isn't.
(Hint: It will be UNBELIEVABLY obvious who is "all in" and who isn't. Those who aren't will object to asking the hard questions.)
Posted by bstroup at September 1, 2009 2:03 PM
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