Do More Ministry: November 2009 Archives

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November 30, 2009

Compelling church giving statistic

"If members of historically Christian churches had chosen to give 10% to their congregations in 2007, rather than the 2.56% given that year, there would have been an additional $161 billion available for work through the church."

-- Empty Tomb, The State of Church Giving through 2007

How much MINISTRY are we leaving on the table when we refuse to talk about stewardship and generosity?

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November 25, 2009

Pushing the limits of church funding: Change the conversation

It's time to change the conversation of church funding.

STOP ASKING "What do we have to cut to survive?"

START ASKING "What does God want us to do next?"

If we believe...

...that the church is the only institution ordained by God on the day of Pentecost to carry forward the earthly ministry of Christ until His return...

...that the church should embody the hope the world needs to see in difficult times (anyone can be full of hope in good times)...

...that the God we serve today is the same God who provided bread and water for his people in the desert...used a small boy to slay a giant...allowed and old couple to become parents of "many nations"...and that God entered the world as a human, conceived by the Holy Spirit to come and set all people free from their sin forever...

THEN WHY...W-H-Y...

do we walk around as if we believe in a small God.

Sometimes (not always) I think church leaders...don't dream enough...profess in a BIG GOD and practice as if He is small...and far too often miss the opportunity to lead their congregations to a generous lifestyle in the name of...

efficiency...expense management...and practicing "as good as it gets" theology.

People want to be apart of organizations that represent something larger than themselves.
People want to fund causes that are larger than life and embody their core values.
People want to believe that the church is God's plan to build the Kingdom but are too often disappointed by small thinking.

Before the greatest leaders of our faith became GREAT LEADERS OF FAITH...they had to take a deep breath and make a critical decision to change the conversation from what they think they could accomplish to what they BELIEVED God could accomplish through them.

Every one of them took a second to pause (probably more than once) and yet they still chose to follow through.

Even Jesus paused in the Garden and asked if there was another way.

BUT after the question was asked...the decision made...there was no backing down. All the world (and our faith) depended upon it.

The same is still true for Church leaders and all Christians TODAY!

We must change our posture and practice the Gospel we profess. Otherwise we will forfeit our opportunity to share the Good News we have received with a world yet to believe.

Change the conversation. Ask God what's next for your church? Then believe that what God has called you to do, He has already provided everything you'll need to bring that vision into reality.

The CATCH is we must cultivate the gifts of time, talent, and treasure of the people he has given us to accomplish HIS vision.

(Did you really think He was going to give it to you on a sliver platter?)

Read Matthew 9:36-38. Only think about it through the lens of stewardship.

Church leaders...MUST...inspire every community member to change the conversation in their own lives and acknowledge all we have been given, are, and will ever be as God's assets entrusted to us to invest and build the Kingdom.

Only then...can we change the "meta-conversation" and bring into reality the vision He has given to His church.

The CHOICE to operate in survival mode is a decision to G-I-V-E U-P.

Bottom line...survival mode is NOT an option.

What are you doing to change the conversation, inspire generosity among those entrusted to you, and direct all available divine assets toward Kingdom investments?

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November 24, 2009

Pushing the limits of church funding: Build investors

People don't have a GIVING problem. They have a giving to YOUR CHURCH problem.

The fact of the matter is...the person in the pew is the one God has endowed with the resources to fund His church. And that person takes his or her role seriously. They are looking for the best place to "invest" those resources.

Sometimes it's in stuff that is self-serving.
Sometimes it's in other like-minded organizations that look and feel like things the church should be doing.
Sometimes...but not always...(and maybe less and less these days)...it's in their local church.

WHY?

Americans don't have a money problem. At least not compared to...well...um...the REST of the world.

So where does that money go?

Most of the time?....Somewhere else!

It goes to hospital and educational systems. It goes to civic organizations and political campaigns. It even goes to para-church organizations.

BUT far too often (YES...FAR TOO OFTEN) it never makes it's way into the offering plates (or whatever collection device of choice) of the church.

I think it stems from one reality. We aren't treating the people in the pew like the INVESTORS they are.

They...just like we do in our personal investing...want to see a ROI. Maybe that looks different than a quarterly 401(k) report. SO WHAT?

The church leader still has to PROVE an ROI. Why? Because if we don't, we RISK LOSING the dollars God intended for the church due to our own effort and not God's intention.

What are you doing today to offer a "Kingdom investment plan" that returns eternal dividends?

If you don't...well...let's face it...someone else already is.

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November 23, 2009

Pushing the limits of church funding: Check your numbers

We measure everything. EVERYTHING.

Personally...we have bank statements...investment returns...utility bills based on cost per use...etc.

Corporately...we have P&Ls...D&Bs...trends...etc.

Why do we STOP MEASURING when we come to church. I'm not talking about "pastoral" perception that begins with..."we think" or "it seemed."

We should expect more from ourselves. We should demand MORE accountability.

The pastor is in a unique spot. He is trained to parse the Hebrew and Green language of Scripture and to preach. BUT (and this is a big one) he is held accountable for...

dollars in the plate...

and people in the pew.

Don't believe me. Does the finance committee get blamed when giving is down? Does the assimilation commitee get blamed when the attrition rate exceeds the rate of acquisition?

NO. T-H-E-Y don't. The pastor DOES.

If you're held accountable, then you are responsible. Thus, this "numbers stuff" is not SOMEONE ELSE'S problem...it's yours! (And if you don't take ownership, it will own you!)

When was the last time you reviewed the giving habits of your membership? (Not to see if there is enough money to pay the bills and last until next Sunday. BETTER! Am I (as pastor...spiritual leader...the primary one responsible to facilitate spiritual formation in the lives of my congregants) ensuring I'm cultivating a generous people - in time, talent, and treasure.

That's measurable. And...news flash...generosity is a matter of the heart, not the pocketbook. BUT the pocketbook is the best tool we have to measure the behavior of the people who profess "saved by grace."

Maybe...just maybe...if you're people aren't generous...or aren't becoming generous...you should revisit the whole "salvation as free gift from God" conversation and use that as an introduction to generosity.

C-H-E-C-K Y-O-U-R N-U-M-B-E-R-S. NOW.

It will tell you more than you ever imagined. Even about stuff that is...well...hard to measure.

This is KINGDOM business.

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November 20, 2009

Push the limits of church funding: Break the Silence

Read this:

"Money has demonically usurped the role in modern society which the Holy Spirit is to have in the Church" - Thomas Merton

Wow! Wonder how that happened?

When the church is silent on the subject of money and funding, the Christian has no alternative lens to compare what others are saying.

(Yes, the church is responsible to talk about money. Period. There is nothing to argue about.)

Start TALKING. Get LOUD.

If we remain silent, the end result is this:

Money God intended to fund the work of the Kingdom...

will find its way to other organizations...doing good things...lead by good people.

BUT it won't go to fund the work of the Church. Don't believe me? Just ask a few people you know if they split their tithe between the church and other organizations.

You'll be surprised at their response. And they see nothing wrong with it.

Why? (Really, why should we be surprised?) Because we've been SILENT.

H-E-L-L-O. Problem. Major Problem.

What will you say...this weekend...at your next gathering...to break the silence about money, stewardship, and generosity?

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November 19, 2009

Push the limits of church funding: Survival Mode Off

Survival Mode...now that is a great strategy for funding. NOT!

Here is the problem with survival mode. In the NPO world (that includes churches) we place a high degree of value on efficiency which means we do as much as we can on as little as possible.

There is NOTHING inherently wrong with that. It's always important to ensure our expenses are in line with our revenue.

What IS inherently built into that mode is a LACK OF investing. Investing involes risk. Risk sometimes leads to REWARD...

and sometimes it leads to the "F" word...F-A-I-L-U-R-E.

For-profit companies believe in RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT. They know that have to build in a system of failing if they are ever going to SUCCEED.

When churches decide to slip into survival mode...they STOP innovating...being creative...looking for new opportunities...new ventures. And they simply exist.

Wonder why you're having trouble finding leaders who are passionate about what your church is doing? (Are you passionate about what your church is doing?)

Maybe you've flipped the switch (even unintentionally) to survival mode.

Let me give you a hint: TURN IT OFF. Right now...And after you've turned it off...

BREAK IT OFF so you never have that option again.

There is nothing that will kill a church's ability to fund its ministry than operating in survival mode.

Rule #1...(It doesn't really matter what Rule number it is.)...People don't want to fund an organization that is only interested in self-preservation.

Better...people WON'T fund self-preservation.

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November 18, 2009

Push the limits of church funding: Get beyond small thinking

After spending nearly a MONTH in the field talking to pastors in various part of the country talking about church funding, I'm convinced that FAR TOO MANY are thinking...

small....

instead of T-H-I-N-K-I-N-G B-I-G!

We say we are people of THE WORD. Our Bible is full of the impossible:

Abraham and Sarah are too old to have a son.
David is too small to fight Goliath. (Later, he's too young and ordinary to be King.)
Paul is an unlikely champion of the faith.

(There's more. I promise. Read it for yourself.)

Yet these stories fade when we are asked to believe the impossible. When we are asked to believe that God can fully fund (and over fund) our ministry budgets WITHOUT REGARDS for the American or World economy.

So what do we do? We SEAL OUR FATE by professing a big God and live as if He is small. We...

Worry. Fret. Pace. Sweat. Wonder. (All over the WRONG STUFF!!)

Where will the money come from? And when that happens we take our focus off of vision...direction...purpose...context...(the core necessities of funding)

AND we allow ourselves to be trapped by what we can see. We fight over how we will split the dollar instead of believing that God has intended MORE for us.

We can only DO MORE MINISTRY when we practice our profession in a BIG GOD.

NEWS FLASH...NOT EVERY CHURCH IS STRUGGLING.

Some churches are posting ridiculous gains in overall giving...and investing in more ministry than they ever have. I heard from one pastor recently who is nearly $100k over in receipts to date!

Get beyond small thinking. And you'll find a VERY B-I-G G-O-D who is able to help YOU...

DO MORE MINISTRY!

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November 17, 2009

Generosity explained by a child

Elijah Offering Video from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

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November 16, 2009

A big THANK YOU to @jsangl

Just wanted to send a big THANK YOU to Joe Sangl for his recent guest post series "5 Reasons to Start a Debt Ministry." If you missed it:

Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - Part ONE
Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - Part TWO
Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - Part THREE
Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - Part FOUR
Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - Part FIVE
Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - Part BONUS

If you're church is looking for an organization that can help you become strategic in helping your church establish a debt ministry, you need to call Joe...TODAY! You should also consider reading his book I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. and using his small group resource in your church.

Helping the people in your pews (and the people in your community) deal with debt and free them to do as Joe says "more than they ever though possible" opens the door and builds bridges to those looking for answer but would never consider the church as a subject matter expert.

Since the Bible spends so much time talk about money (more than salvation), we ought to talk more about it more than we do in our faith communities. (Some churches are silent on the subject!) Start a debt ministry, and I promise the results will blow your mind. I did it in a small church I pastored part-time recently. It expanded our ministry reach beyond our wildest imaginations, and it provided a place of service for a few people who didn't "fit" in the traditional Sunday School teacher role.

Again, thanks to Joe for helping us lay the groundwork on the Do More Ministry blog!

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November 13, 2009

Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - BONUS

Bonus: What does a full-functioning debt ministry look like?

A full-functioning debt ministry should certainly be developed in a way that it is manageable by your team, but it should include each of the following components.

Preach on Sundays
1. According to a LifeWay Research of 3,500 Southern Baptist senior pastors, only "65 percent of pastors had preached on financial stewardship during the previous year." If God's Word speaks about money more than love and prayer combined and we are told that our hearts will follow our money, we MUST be speaking about it.
2. Four Sundays a year is good starting number.
3. Preach about giving, saving, spending, owner vs. manager, heart follow money, and planning.

Teach practical classes
1. Provide a "next step" every single time you preach about money. Many people struggle with taking a spiritual principle and applying it to their life. This next step can help them.
2. A budgeting workshop, estate-planning, a walk-through-the-Bible study on money, or one of the many Sunday School or small group study resources can be very effective.

1-on-1 assistance
1. Many people will still need 1-on-1 help. They are too overwhelmed by their financial situation to face it by themselves. A trained financial counselor who can help individuals through tough situations is essential. It is an outstanding place to provide ministry!

The I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. team is passionate about helping others accomplish far more than they ever thought possible. We provide full personal finance ministry solutions including development of money messages, speaking on Sundays, teaching live personal finance workshops (2-hour Financial Learning Experience; 6-hour Financial Freedom Experience), and training financial counselors on-site (Financial Counseling Experience). We also provide books and group studies, including Joe's book, I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. and its related six-week group study. For more information, contact their team HERE.

Learn more about Joe Sangl.

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November 12, 2009

Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - Part FIVE

Part Five: Evangelistic Opportunity

I believe that the current financial struggles being experienced by America has provided the top evangelistic opportunity in decades. Think about that for one minute.

People have been chasing after all sorts of idols. They have been defining themselves by their home, vacation home, motorcycle, car, sports car, 401(k), job, position, school, and savings account. Most of these items, if not all, have failed them over the past two years. The house has suffered a dramatic loss in value, the vacation home was foreclosed upon, and the cars and motorcycles have been repossessed. The 401(k) has been smashed.

Wealth, the very foundation of many people's self-worth, has failed them.

We have the one thing that will never fail them! We have God's Word which provides everlasting truths about money, but way more importantly, we have Jesus who is the HOPE OF THE WORLD!

When I look at Jesus, the number one way he reached people was through physical and real issues. The lame man? He made him walk. The blind man? He made him see. The dead man (a serious physical issue)? He made him live. We can reach our community through a Debt Ministry and help them through a tough and real issue and point them to the life that is true life! Hallelujah!

Learn more about Joe Sangl.

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November 11, 2009

Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - Part FOUR

Part Four: Schools Are Not Teaching It

It is a fact that most schools are not teaching people how to manage money. They focus primarily on teaching people skills and knowledge that they can use to earn money. We can complain about this lack of teaching, or we can start teaching it ourselves.

Since we have the Word, we have the best personal finance guidebook ever written. We need to teach it. It is not just a money issue. It is a spiritual issue.

In order to fund the vision, we need to teach practical personal finance skills so that we can honor God with 100 percent of our money. It is important for us to teach tithing, but it is just as important that training is provided for managing the other 90 percent. God owns it all! We need to teach budgeting, how to become debt free, investing, insurance, the importance of a plan, giving, sacrificial giving, prayer-filled decision-making, and the importance of couples working together to communicate about their money management.

People are desperate for financial help. A debt ministry will help people walk into freedom.

Learn more about Joe Sangl.

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November 10, 2009

Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - Part THREE

Part Three: Broke people cannot give

As pastor, you are providing the vision and next steps that God is leading your church to take. That vision will require money - lots of it - to happen. For the next building to happen, there must be giving. If you are to provide a food shelter for the community, it will require money. Medical missions trips take money. Whatever the next step is for your church, it will take money.

Christ-followers should manage their money differently - and it should be noticeable. Yet, many Christians have fallen prey to the "more stuff - bigger stuff - shiny-stuff-syndrome." They have pledged away all of their future income to purchase stuff that they could not afford any other way. The result is a perpetual state of financial brokenness. They do not save money for known upcoming expenses (car repairs, property taxes, vacation and Christmas) or emergencies (sickness, job loss or appliance failure).

It also means that they will be unable to give much toward the next step of the vision. The average household has between $500 and $1,000 per month in non-house debt. If you include the house payment, the average household has between $750 and $2,000 per month (or more) in debt payments. What else could they do with this money? How much more could they SAVE? How much more could they GIVE?

A lack of giving is due to one of the two below reasons:
1. Heart Problem
2. Lack Of Wisdom

We cannot force a change of heart, God does that. We can, however, teach the Word and provide practical next steps for people to take such as a personal finance group study, stewardship class, or basic money skills workshop.

Teach people to become debt-free, challenge them to give and see the vision be funded!

Learn more about Joe Sangl.

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November 9, 2009

Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - Part TWO

Part Two: The Bible

The Bible is FULL of financial wisdom that people need to hear, learn and apply. A debt ministry could be founded on the book of Proverbs alone.

Proverbs 22:7 shares the fact that "borrower is servant to the lender." God does not intend for anyone to remain in bondage.
Proverbs 13:22 states that "a good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children." Most people are not on track to leave an inheritance for their children, let alone their grandchildren.
Proverbs 13:11 tells us "he who gathers money little by little makes it grow."

A debt ministry will equip people to become debt-free and use the freed up money to invest (both in God's kingdom and for their family).

An effective debt ministry will do two key things:
1. Teach people biblical principles from God's Word
2. Provide examples for practical application of each principle

As an example, look at Proverbs 21:5. It states "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty." The biblical principle is to "have a plan/avoid making hasty decisions." A practical application could be to teach people how to prepare a written budget before each month begins. This provides a "plan" and helps them to avoid hasty decisions.

Teach the Word. Connect it to practical ways to apply that knowledge.

Learn more about Joe Sangl.

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November 6, 2009

Guest Post: 5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry - Part ONE

Part One: People Are Hurting

Job losses, pay cuts, and massive home price deflation has been felt across the nation. Those who have had 401(k)'s have seen them reduced to 201(k)'s. People are hurting. Statistics show that over 70 percent of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. From surveys conducted in the Financial Learning Experiences our team teaches, we have learned that 24 percent are already behind on at least one bill.

We are called to help the hurting and broken. A debt ministry will help equip people with biblical principles and practical tools so that they can gain traction in their financial journey and honor Him with 100 percent of their money! It is a practical way that church leaders can serve their church and community.

People are hurting. They are asking questions. The Bible has the answers.

Learn more about Joe Sangl.

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November 5, 2009

Guest post series from Joe Sangl (@jsangl) begins TOMORROW

I'm really excited to announce that tomorrow begins a new guest blog post series from my friend and fellow Kingdom Crusader Joe Sangl, founder of I Was Broke. Now I'm Not.

I've asked him to give pastors and church leaders...

5 Reasons To Start A Debt Ministry

(Do you REALLY need to be convinced of the need? Amazingly...too many pastors still don't GET IT!)

Just in case you're still "on the fence" about the potential ministry opportunity involved in starting an ongoing debt ministry, here is a sneak peak at his five reasons:

1. People are hurting
2. The Bible
3. Broke people cannot give (share the numbers if people were debt-free)
4. Schools are not teaching it
5. Evangelistic opportunity
BONUS!: What does a full-functioning debt ministry look like? BONUS

I am so excited about this series! Joe is passionate about helping people accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances. He believes that when people are financially free, they are much more likely to do exactly what they have been called to do - regardless of the income potential.

With that intro...

see you tomorrow...and the next day...and the next day.

You don't want to miss this!!!

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November 4, 2009

"Multiple funding options" on the mind of church leaders

What began as a blog post included in the "Guest Post" section of Church Solutions turned into an article ("Beyond the Offering Plate") in the November issue, and will now be featured again as the "top clicked through" content for "Guest Post" features in the December print edition.

A special thanks to the readers is in order!

I may have found the subject matter for book #2. It seems that others are looking for ways "outside" the often fickle funding that comes from the offering plate to support the growing complexity of local church ministry.

I'm grateful for the opportunity the editors at Church Solutions and the readership have given me. It confirms that I'm not just some crazy guy "crying out in the wilderness" eating weird food and wearing funny clothes like John the Baptist. (OK. So maybe I am.)

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November 3, 2009

Allen Walworth presents on funding ministry in tough times

Allen Walworth presented to Cornerstone Knowledge Network (a group of church leaders and people who support church leaders) on the subject of funding ministry in the midst of tough economic times. Great material. Great message. I wanted to share it with you. I hope you leave as hopeful as I was knowing that God is NOT bound by our present economic condition.

Here is his presentation in slides.

Here is the audio version of his presentation.

Enjoy!

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November 2, 2009

3 steps to increasing your church's giving capacity

We spend a great deal of time pointing to the faithful giving of the few and trying to convince those who will never give to "think about" giving. Neither one of those objectives is off base. In fact, they are necessary. What does get overlooked is the largest population among the people in our pews who ARE NOT giving at their maximum capacity.

Why not?
1. One segment is in so much debt they can't see straight.
2. One segment is out of debt but doesn't have a habit of giving.
3. One segment has a habit of giving but not tithing.
4. One segment is faithfully tithing but has never been challenged to be generous.

We need to spend more time unlocking the giving potential of the people already present in our pews. So what are three steps to increasing your church's giving capacity:

1. Know your giving data.

Sorry. There is no way around this one. You are going to have to look at numbers and segment your population and quantify the giving habits of your membership. The information that lies in the numbers will tell you more than can imagine. Pay close attention to one, three, and five year trends. You have to establish a baseline before you can begin to measure progress.

2. Implement a plan.

There is nothing new about this step. Define what steps you will take as church leaders to cultivate encourage the practice of stewardship and cultivate a culture of generosity in your church. No plan = More of the same. (And if you're satisfied with where you and your church are today, you should save your church the trouble and fire yourself!) Those churches who consistently realize fully funded ministry budgets are also insanely specific about how they teach and encourage faithful giving.

3. Measure the results.

You will need to establish a few metrics to use as a measuring stick to determine whether or not your plan is having a sustained impact on the giving habits of your church membership. Metrics are different for every church and should be tied to the overall vision and focus of the church. Measuring progress (quantitatively) is so important because you can't manage what you don't measure.

Bottom line, increasing the giving capacity is a year-round effort, doesn't "just happen," and is vitally important to your church's ability to fulfill the unique vision and purpose God intended.

Get to work! We have a Kingdom to fund and build!

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