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August 7, 2007
People still come first
There's a revolution going on in the world. It's an individual revolution. It's personified in the "iPod" movement. We want to choose who, when, and how much. There was a day when you could create generic messages for broad groups of people and expect to reach a majority of them. But today is different. (Read "Friendraising before Fundraising".) Today is about creating a relationship which first gives you permission to offer a message.
The same is true for church. I once heard a pastor justify his decision to support a group's position within his church because they had greater collective monetary value than the other. (Yes, this really happened. And it happens more than we want to admit.) I believe this very situation is exactly why stewardship has become a synonomous with money.
But we've (church leaders) missed an important element. People give to other people, causes, things they believe in or are moved by. That means an emotional connection exists before their generosity flows.
If we'll spend the time we need to build relationships with people, we'll get their permission to ask for their support. And it will come in the form of money, time, and service. But it never works the other way around.
Posted by bstroup at August 7, 2007 8:25 AM
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