Do More Ministry: Church Giving Matters Archives

August 28, 2009

@Christbooknotes reviews Church Giving Matters

I'm grateful to Christian Book Notes for his kind and thought review of Church Giving Matters.

August 10, 2009

Belmont University takes note of Church Giving Matters

Read Alumnus Publishes Book on Church Giving.

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August 5, 2009

Joe Sangl reviews Church Giving Matters

Joe Sangl is one of those guys you meet and never forget. He has a crazy passion for the church and helping church leaders establish debt ministries in their communities. Think about it, pastor. What if you could help 5% or 10% of your community enter a financial revolution that changed their life forever? Think about the bridge that would build with people (skeptics, unbelievers, and believers alike) that demonstrates your church offers practical, relevant advice that improves their quality of life and ... oh yeah ... also shows the way to life forever with our Creator. (Can a conversation on debt really lead to a conversation about salvation? YES!)

Joe is leading a crusade to empower the church to mobilize its membership for ministry. Check him out. Spend 3 minutes on his Web site, and I promise you'll want to give him a call.

I'm proud to know him and call him a friend. And I'm grateful for the book review he posted on his blog today.

Posted by bstroup at 9:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 15, 2009

Church Giving Matters - Book Review

Bill Townes is a friend and peer. We both share the mission of helping churches navigate the waters of ministry and money. He recently reviewed my book, Church Giving Matters, in his e-mail blast to church leaders. If you don't currently subscribe to his Understanding the Times: NAMB Periodic Nonprofit Tax/Accounting Update e-newsletter, you can do so via e-mail. I would encourage you to do so. He not only points out important information, he offers commentary that explains its implications on church ministry. I'm grateful for his kind words.

Ben's book provides a timely and relevant analysis of the challenges related to sustaining effective and vibrant ministry in light of the current economic realities facing our churches. This thought provoking book will challenge church leaders to evaluate the effectiveness of their ministry in relation to other community nonprofit groups which are competing for church member's tithes and offerings.

Ben explores the impact of social networking and web-based appeals for donations that offer donors a cafeteria of choices (beyond the local church) for their charitable gifts. Stroup also encourages a balanced scorecard approach to sharing the story of the measurable impact of church ministry in order to develop and encourage givers. He suggests churches are now in the position where they must justify, through transparent and accountable financial practices, why they deserve each individual's charitable donations. In fact, the IRS tells us that over the last three years, 182 new nonprofit organizations were created every day in the U.S. and they are all competing for the same constantly shrinking donor base!

Ben challenges the common misperception that stewardship education is only a one Sunday a year emphasis. He encourages a biblical, lifestyle approach to stewardship that sees everything we have as a gift from God. Perhaps the most important question Ben asks church leaders to consider in the life of their ministry is:

SOURCE: Bill Townes, CPA, MBA serves churches through the North American Mission Board. Bill's ministry is made possible through your gifts to the Cooperative Program and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.

Posted by bstroup at 6:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 23, 2009

Signing copies of Church Giving Matters at SBC Convention

For those attending the SBC Convention, I will be signing copies of Church Giving Matters in the CrossBooks Publishing booth at 1:00 p.m. today. If you're not familiar with the book, please take a few minutes to read a preview.

The LifeWay Convention Store sold out yesterday. For those still looking to get their hands on one, stop by the Executive Committee booth this morning. They have a limited number of complimentary copies available for pastors.

Also, be sure to ask about a complimentary copy of Ashley Clayton's new book too. (He and I will be signing books at the same time.)

Posted by bstroup at 7:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 1, 2009

"Church Giving Matters" strikes balance between money and ministry

I'm excited to tell you that my first book, Church Giving Matters, was released last Friday. Currently, it's only available through the CrossBooks Bookstore. It will be available through Amazon and other online retailers in about 2-3 weeks. It should appear in retail stores in a couple of months.

(If you're attending the SBC Convention later this month, it will be available at the Convention LifeWay Christian Store.)

This book captures and compiles my conversations with pastors and church leaders across the country related to money and ministry and is the product of more than two years of concentrated effort to help churches fully fund the ministry God has placed on their hearts. The ever-increasing complexity of local church ministry is demanding more money while the rules of funding ministry are changing. It's the responsibility of the pastor to strategically evaluate and implement a plan to ensure the funding exists to fulfill the ministry God has placed on his heart.

I covet your prayers as the ideas I've been working out on this blog are now available in book format with hopes that those who don't read blogs might also benefit from the collaborative and collective effort to empower church leaders to generate more money for more ministry.

(Special pricing for bulk orders and for non-profit organizations is available. Call 1.866.879.0502 or e-mail Matt Monroe for more information.)

Posted by bstroup at 11:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 18, 2009

Preview new book Church Giving Matters by Ben Stroup

My first book, Church Giving Matters, will be available very soon. I wanted you to have the first opportunity to preview the book. My hope and prayer is that this book will ignite a conversation on stewardship and giving that results in more churches operating with fully funded budgets. It's time to stop asking what we have to cut to survive and start thinking about what God wants us to do next.

Click here for a PDF Preview of Church Giving Matters by Ben Stroup.

Church Giving Matters will be available to purchase June 1 through the CrossBooks Publishing bookstore. It will soon (could take up to 30 days) be available on Amazon.com, Google, etc. but there is a slight delay in that process.

If you're planning to come to the SBC Convention this year, I'll be there signing books. (Specific times will be announced soon.) I'd love for you to stop by and say hi. I always enjoy talking to people who follow the blog.

While a national sales campaign will soon launch featuring LifeWay's new imprint, CrossBooks Publishing, and Church Giving Matters, I hope you'll take a few minutes to preview the book and pass it along to a few people you think might benefit from this material. Word of mouth marketing is still the most effective way to promote anything.

Note: If you have a blog that focuses on church administration, leadership, financial development, stewardship, giving, etc. and would like to review the entire book, please e-mail me. Once the book is "live," I'll forward you a complete electronic version to read and review. And be sure to send me a link to your review too.

Posted by bstroup at 4:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 5, 2009

Sustainable Ministry PowerPoint Presentation

I've received several e-mails asking for the PowerPoint presentation I used during last week's seminar on sustainable funding. I'm also learning my way around Google Documents as a way to share, present, and collaborate on documents. I thought this might be natural opportunity to attempt to address one request and experiment with technology all at the same time.

So, here it goes.

Let me know if you have any difficulty accessing the presentation.

Also, I'd welcome any feedback or questions you might have related to the presentation itself. (Maybe one day I can learn how to merge a recorded audio version of this presentation with the slides itself...maybe.)

Posted by bstroup at 3:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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.

Posted by bstroup at 8:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 12, 2009

You need to know

You need to know that I'm finishing up a book project. I can't say much about at this time. (I promise I'll reveal more details when appropriate.) For anyone who has ever written a book and been subject to a publisher's deadline, you understand how consuming this effort can be. It has tapped me out not only in time but also creativity, so my mind hasn't been as fresh as it normally is when I sit down to write my posts.

I hope you understand. I appreciate your faithful reading!

Posted by bstroup at 12:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack