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November 21, 2008
Should your church leadership sign a contract?
One fundraising professional asks her Board to sign an annual fundraising contract.
The contract asks board members to specify contributions they would make in four areas: making a personal financial donation; arranging meetings, hosting parties, and other donor "cultivation" activities; helping to secure big gifts from others; participating in events; and "other" fund-raising activities that each board member can suggest on their own.
The brief article explains that there was some prep and follow up work involved, not only on behalf of this fundraising professional but also the executive director and chairman of the board. (This is a good reminder that success and organizational health are dependent upon more than one or a few people.)
So what does this have to do with church?
Your leadership should be in positions of leadership because they have pledged their allegiance to the staff and to the church. They should have more "invested" in seeing the ministry of the church multiply than the average person in the pew. These are your pace setters, and the ones everyone else in your church will observe.
Bottom line, it's critical that your leadership be willing to model every aspect of what it means to be a good steward - one who is faithful with their time, talent and treasures.
Accepting a position of leadership in any organization involves accepting the responsibility of the position. A contract or agreement merely outlines the expectations and assumptions of the relationship.
If you're looking for a way to inspire your leadership to lead and raise the level of expectation for your average pew sitter, maybe a convenant agreement (or contract) could be a tool to reinforce just how critical it is to have everyone working toward the same goal - fulfillment of the Great Commission through the ministry of the local church.
My guess is that the board members who signed the contract mentioned above were as successful or even more successful at raising money for the organization than in years past.
God has given every church all the resources it needs - the right people, the right talents and the right amount of money. Too often we settle for only a small percentage who choose to get involved and sacrifically invest themselves in the ministry of the church.
Raising the expectation will multiply your ministry.
Posted by bstroup at November 21, 2008 11:54 AM
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