Bill Hybels correctly nailed it a few years back when he said, “Vision leaks!”  He meant that people tended to forget the vision that was cast just months ago.  In the day to day struggle of life other issues would crowd out that vision statement and they would often be clueless as to what their church was about.

As a pastor once a year I would preach a sermon about the vision God had given me for my church.  I typically did that the first Sunday of January.  I called it my state of the church message.  I would lay out what was ahead for us in the next year casting a vision that I thought was compelling and most of all God sent.  I would wonder in May why the church did not understand what we were to be about.   My vision casting sermon had probable leaked out the second they got to the cafeteria for Sunday dinner.

Vision casting can not be one Sunday a year or even the Sunday of launching a campaign or stewardship initiative.  Since vision leaks we must repeatedly remind our members where we believe God has us going and how they can get on board.  As a pastor once told me, “You have to tell a church member seven times, seven different ways, before he or she gets it.”  The “it” in this case is the vision that is the driver for why I stay at church as more than just another warm body in a seat.  Vision when it comes to stewardship is the main driver of why people give.  Vision is what keeps me giving even when the economy is down.  So if your vision pot is leaking you can be assured that the offering plate will have holes in it as well.

Never will vision be more important than in stressful economic times.  Several years ago I coined this truth:

Good Vision Trumps Bad Economy!

When I was younger we played the card game of Spades.  I was never particularly good at Spades which might be why I no longer play.  I never seemed to get the hang off it in terms of strategy or just the sheer luck of the draw of a winning hand.  One thing I do remember vividly about Spades is that you always wanted to have spades in your hand.  You could be playing the ace of hearts and think you were going to win the hand and someone else could throw in the deuce of spades and beat you.  Playing a spade was a trump card that beat all other cards in play.  In stewardship vision is the trump card that affects your ability to raise funds. 

Developing your Vision

There are scores of books on vision and how to develop one.  In fact it has been one of the most written about and talked about subjects in Christian leadership circles for the last decade.  You probable have been to those conferences and have those books on your shelf.  You like me probable formed a team to study and craft a vision statement.  In my opinion we have made vision development overly complicated.  Most vision statements that I see are either trying to be too cute or too broad to ever be effective.  If we were honest most people in our pews don’t know truly what our vision is nor do they really care.  I think this is again due to the fact that we have made it overly complicated.

Please understand that I am not trying to minimize the importance of vision.  It is crucial.  I just think that we have made it too difficult and have muddied the waters not only for ourselves but the people we lead.  I think finding your vision is much more simple than we have made it.

What is in your heart?

Two Old Testament figures come to mind of how to establish a vision.  First David is a prime example of someone that was driven by a vision that in turned drove Israel to accomplish more than they ever dreamed of.  While his son Solomon is known for building the temple it really was David’s dream and vision that began the process.  As we know God would not let him build it since he was a man of war.  However listen to what he tells the leaders of Israel in I Chronicles 28:2, “King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my brothers and my people.  I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark…”  He then laid out his dream and vision.  In chapter 29 he leads the people to give willingly to fund the new temple.  The offering that was given in chapter 29 was a result of a vision David had in his heart and communicated in chapter 28.

Nehemiah is another example of someone that God placed a burden in his heart.  In chapter one after he hears of the disgrace of the broken walls of Jerusalem he, “mourned and fasted and prayed before God.”  In chapter two he is given permission and aide from the King to rebuild the walls.  He begins by inspecting the walls.  Nehemiah 2:12 says, “I set out during the night with a few men.  I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem.”  What was in his heart ultimately led to the walls being rebuilt in fifty two days!

What is in your heart?  What do you get excited about when you dream about the future of your church or ministry?  What keeps you up at night?  Those are the things that are the basis for your vision.  Start there.   Show people what is in your heart not some catchy phrase or acrostic.  People respond to vision.   Money follows vision!

The Three C’s of Vision

While I am not a huge fan of catchy vision statements I do readily admit that how you communicate your vision is crucial.  Down through the years I have counseled on what I call the three C’s of vision.  Evaluate your vision on the basis of these three C’s.

Make it Clear

Above all else do your members clearly understand what it is you are attempting to do?  Many years ago I happened to be working in a church in the town that my brother lived in.  The president of the huge national insurance firm that he worked at happened to be a member of the church where I was working with.  My brother one day told the president that his little brother was helping the church the president attended.  The president remark, “Yes I know they are raising funds but I am not sure what it is all about.”  When my brother told me that my heart sank as the pastor was counting on the president of this firm to be a substantial donor like he had been at the local state university in town.  However this man could not even tell my brother what his church was doing.  The vision was not clear.  Is your vision clear?  Can your members easily tell their work associates, neighbors and friends what you are doing and why?  When visions are not clear people will not donate even in the best of economic times.

Keep it Concise

Donors have basically two questions, does this make sense and can you pull it off?  Answer those questions and you will get their dollars.  Remember the old KISS acrostic?  It stands for Keep It Simple Somehow.  KISS is a good advice for communicating your vision.

Several years ago I worked with a church in the Northwest that had just finished working up their vision statement.  On the telephone one day the pastor told me he would fax it to me.  When it finally finished coming through my fax machine it was twenty five pages long!  I laughed when I saw that every point and sub-point was alliterated.  I was not surprised that we had difficulty raising funds around this vision as the people never could quite grasp what it was about.  Your people ought to be able in one to two sentences tell what it is you are about and how you propose to do it.  Remember Keep It Simple Somehow!

Cast it Compellingly

The most important thing of all is to make your vision matter in the hearts of your members.  You have to realize that they have multiple opportunities of where to spend their money including other ministries that are after their charitable gift.  A compelling vision that motivates the heart will even in the worst of economic times cause dollars to come to your ministry.  Show your donors how their gift will make a difference and they will rise up to support it financially.  Fail to communicate your vision in a compelling and passionate way and you will struggle through this economically challenging time.

So, how is your vision?

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

FDR is famous for rallying the country during The Depression by saying, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  I will let the historians figure out if he was successful or not but it did rally the nation at the time.  Once again we need someone to rise up and say that to a fearful America.

We seem to be poised to swallow every fearful and negative piece of news that comes along.  Have you heard the recent news of how we are really headed into a depression and that the Stock Market is about to crash?  The Hindenburg Omen is gaining a lot of attention as a predictor that the Market is about to crash.  Jim Miekka who writes a little known newsletter supposedly came up with an analytical model that would predict a future crash of the Market.  It is named Hindenburg after the famed 1937 German passenger airship disaster.

The Hindenburg Omen is a strange technical analysis pattern that supposedly portends a market crash.  It tracks various data to arrive at a predictive conclusion.  Brian Wesbury wrote, ” it requires at least 2.2% of the market’s stocks to hit a new annual high at the same time at least 2.2% hit a new annual low, while the MaClellan Oscillator falls and the markets 10-week moving average is rising.  And, remember, the number of new highs cannot be more than twice the new lows.”  Confused?  I am but then I don’t have a financial degree.  Nor does the supposed creator Jim Miekka who came up with the theory.

The only thing wrong with the theory is that it is just that, a theory.  The Wall Street Journal states “that significant stock market declines have followed  the indicator just 25% of the time.”  You know even a broke watch is right twice a day.

Listen again to what Brian Wesbury wrote.  He wrote, “Supposedly, this Hindenburg Omen has predicted every market crash since 1985.  Unfortunately, it has also issued many false signals It also seems to be a severe case of backfitting.  Some things appear to work for awhile and then just don’t anymore because they were just coincidence.  This is like saying the Major League Baseball team with the most ex-Chicago Cubs on the roster always loses the World Series.  This was true until 2001, but is no longer.  However, it fits the bias of many baseball fans – the Cubs are cursed.

Despite all of this, one of the TV hosts afflicted with the worst case of Economic Hypochondria, Glenn Beck of Fox, decided to highlight the Hindenburg Omen on his show late last week.  For the record, I like Glenn Beck.  I like the bootstrap story of his life.  I like his near daily disscusion of the spiritual side of life.  I like his conservative world view.

But, when it comes to the economy, he seems willing to grab onto anything that is negative.  We agree with Mr. Beck that government is growing and that this hurts the economy.  But, this does not mean that the earth will be scorched and the economy will not grow.  It does not mean that you should buy gold and head for the hills.  Just because you dislike the party or person in power does not mean that the economy will tank.  The Hindenburg Omen is a bunch of mumbo-jumbo malarkey.  I’m sorry Glenn Beck fell for it.  But, that’s what happens with Economic Hypochondria.”

I have to agree with Wesbury on Glenn Beck, he is a fear monger.  Not only that but the other day while driving and bored out of my head I listened to his show.  He spent his time trying to convince us of ancient civilizations that were present in America even before the Indians.  Right.  That is straight out of the pages of the Book of Mormon, the church Beck adheres to.  Evangelical Christians know better.  We should know better than to fall for hyped up fear mongering no matter what the source.

Frankly I think some people will not be happy until we are in a depression.  This past recession has not been easy but we are pulling out of it.  While the recovery is slow there are some signs of hope.  My real fear is that we will talk ourselves out of a recovery by listening to stupid baseless theories and headline grabbing TV personalities.

As Christians we need to realize that even if we plunge into a depression God has not somehow vacated His throne.  Now is the time for Christian leaders to stand and announce that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.  Then we need to act on our words and begin walking by faith.

We need leadership.  Where are our leaders?  Be the leader of hope in your world today!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

A few posts back I wrote about why do it yourself campaigns typically fail.  From time to time I get some push back about what I write.  I try to answer each objection looking at what is written to see if they have a valid point and if I need to change a statement or point of view.  After my post about do it yourself campaigns I received a rather long email from a pastor that took exception to my remarks.  It appears he thought I was not giving pastors the credit they deserved.  My point was that pastors by and large do not receive adequate training in the area of stewardship and thus fail.  This particular pastor gave the example of how he led his own capital stewardship campaign and was successful.  His success led him to believe that all pastors have the ability to raise their own funds.  While I am glad for him but the facts are that few pastors feel confident in the area of stewardship.  Those that do claim to have a grasp of stewardship almost without exception get help from some place.  Either they buy a manual or they use some other type of program or material.  While there are always exceptions to the rule I do contend that most do fail and lack of training is often the reason.  I know this not only from practical experience but also from numerous studies.

The book, “Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money,” gives extensive documentation on the lack of training by clergy.  They say, “Clergy discomfort with talking about and training for handling money is a well established fact.  One national survey of clergy, for instance, showed 77 percent of U.S. clergy are extremely satisfied with their seminary training on theological and liturgical issues, but a mere 7 percent are similarly satisfied with their seminary training on financial duties.”  So on the one hand we have ignorant pastors poorly trained by their seminaries in dealing with one of the key aspects of church life.  To compound this problem is the lack of continuing education pastors commit to after their formal training.  Again the authors of “Passing the Plate,” quote a study of pastors that found, “when asked about their level or interest in taking continuing education courses on various subjects, courses on finances ranked the lowest in clergy interests among all continuing education possibilities.”

Perhaps the most troubling reason for why so many pastors fail to take leadership in the area of stewardship is they think it is an out of bounds subject for them.  Numerous studies have shown that clergy are uncomfortable talking about money.  Loren Mead in, “Financial Meltdown in the Mainline?” writes that…

“Most congregations live with an unspoken rule:  The clergy will not address personal spiritual issues about money.  The clergy are allowed to talk – a little – about church budgets and contributions to the church; but everything else concerning money and people’s personal dilemmas about it is off limits.  The laity will respond by trying to make sure there is enough money to run the show…Everyone knows there is nothing the pastor dislikes more than having to pay attention to finances.  Some pastors make a virtue of being “above” all that concern for filthy lucre…Under the rubric that money is “secular” and that the pastor’s work has to do with the “sacred,” clergy have written a brief that permits them to avoid leadership in the financial management and leadership of the congregation.  They have accepted a functioning job description that excludes any concern for what I contend is one of the dominant spiritual issues every parishioner has: how to deal with material resources.  This means that clergy not only give little leadership to the financial life of the congregation, but also set up a climate that sets little value on the functions of financial management carried out by others…It means that pastoral abdication of one of the most troubling dimensions of living in our society.”

It is my contention that the pastor is the key to raising funds in a church.  Sadly for either lack of education or that talking about money is unpopular or just not their “thing” too many pastors miss this all important key to success.  Bill Easum and Bil Cornelius in their book, “Go Big,” write the following, “Don’t delegate raising money to someone else.  Others can help but the lead pastor is the primary fund-raiser.”  They conclude their chapter on giving by saying, “Never shy away from asking for money because you are asking for the greatest mission in the world – God’s mission to save creation.  You should never be embarrassed.  The one who should be embarrassed is the one who refuses to give!  As a leader, if you allow finances to hold your church back from reaching your community, they you just allowed finances to become your God.”

Then note what they say about capital fund-raising.  They write…

“On a side note, if you are going into a major capital fund-raising campaign to buy land or build a new building or expansion, we recommend using a professional capital campaign company.  We recommend leaning on their expertise, because just like you look to a general contractor to use his or her expertise to build, so you should use those gifted in raising funds.  They don’t make “the ask” for you, but they better prepare you for using the right approach, timing, and strategy.  There is a significant difference between what a church raises on their own, versus those who bring in an expert.  Very few pastors have successfully navigated a giving campaign without using an outside expert.  Humility is big in fund-raising – being willing to admit that capital campaigns are not your expertise makes you teachable, and when you are teachable, God can do some amazing things through you.”

Harry Truman is famous for the saying that the buck stopped with him.  The same is true when it comes to raising funds.  The buck stops with the pastor.  Sadly too many pastors fail to realize they are the key to opening the door to raising funds in their church.  Don’t blame the economy for your lack of funds if you have not taken your God given position as the lead fund raiser at your church.  You are the key to success in funding.  Make sure your are not missing the key for your church.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Yes we can!  That line was used repeatedly during Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008.  That campaign will go down as one of the best run in history.  No matter what you think of his policies or how well he has governed, one thing remains, he can campaign.  Yes we can became a rallying cry for his supporters.

When it comes to raising funds during these challenging economic times too many are pessimists.  The pollsters and the press have spent the last year telling us how much giving has declined and how many churches are struggling.  The reality, revealed by Giving USA, showed that giving to religion declined only slightly last year by .3%.  While any decline is difficult the declines we are seeing are not the kind that make you want to jump out the window.  It is time somebody said to the question can you raise funds, yes you can!

Yesterday I was at Christ Church in Fairview Heights, IL just outside of Saint Louis.  This contemporary UMC church is breaking the rules when it comes to the current view of giving during the recession.  Their giving has actually gone up the last three years.  They are on pace to see it increase again this year.  At the same time they are winding down a capital campaign that is on pace to exceed the pledge.  Don’t tell them that you cannot raise funds in a recession, they are doing it.

I am currently working on my next book which will be a practical guide to increasing a churches offerings.  The idea from the book came from a post and webinar I did entitled, “How to Turbo Charge Your Giving.”  While I have not committed to making that the title it will none the less be the thrust of the book.

Chapter one at this point is entitled, “Yes You Can!”  In that chapter I will trace the historical data on giving during recessions proving factually that you can raise funds.  I will give examples of churches like Christ Church I mentioned above and others.  During this challenging economic times we have helped churches in some of the most severely hit areas by the recession raise funds.  If they can do it what is your excuse?

My chapter on Yes You Can is meant to lay the most important foundation towards increasing your giving, the belief that it is possible.  If you do not think something is possible you will never try.  Too many have assumed incorrectly that there is little or nothing they can do to increase giving during this time.  That mistake is too often self fulfilling their assumption that giving would decline.   By believing it will decline and doing nothing to keep it from declining you assure that it will decline.

My goal is for you to ignore the media.  Ignore the Christian pollsters who paint a negative perspective.  Ignore your buddy across the state whose church is struggling financially.  Ignore everyone and everything but the main thing for you as a pastor, your church.  I want you to believe that you can increase your giving.  I want you to work hard to that end and pray harder for giving to increase.  Then against the common view of the day, your giving will increase.

Is is possible for you to increase the giving level of your church?  Yes you can!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

The headlines tell of impeding doom.  Investors worry about double dip recession.  What are we to make of all this?  There are those that disagree with the prevailing view.  One such economist is Brian Wesbury.  I have mentioned his writings before but I think given the recent fears that are circulating that some balance is needed.  For those that care for an alternative view Brian writes a regular blog post that can be found here

http://www.ftportfolios.com/retail/blogs/Economics/index.aspx

Here is what Wesbury wrote today in a post entitled, “Politics and Pessimists.”  It is worth reading.  He wrote…

“Politics and economics don’t mix well.  When unemployment is high, no politician in their right mind would say “things are getting better” – even if they are.  And when your party is out of power, no matter what the economy is doing, it’s always good to point out some data, or forecast, or sector that is not doing well.  As a result, there is no political constituency for economic optimism and this has created an awfully pessimistic environment.

Add to this political quagmire the largest pool of assets and asset managers ever to be deployed on the side of short-selling and what you get is at least a serious case of denial, or at most a willingness to ignore or obfuscate anything that might be positive about the economy.

Don’t take this in the wrong way.  The US economy has its problems – we don’t deny that.  But, the recession has ended, growth has returned and signs point to an acceleration in the growth rate ahead.

For example, the pessimists are all talking about the fact that real GDP will be revised downwardly to an annualized growth rate of about 1% in the second quarter.  What they don’t tell you is that this low number was caused by a 35% surge in imports.  That’s right, consumers and businesses bought more from overseas (lot’s more), and since imports are a negative in the GDP accounts, it made the economy look worse.  When we adjust for this, American households and businesses increased their spending at a 4% annual rate in the second quarter – over and above inflation.  In the last 20 years, this measure, which looks at just spending by domestic purchasers, increased at an average 2.8% annual rate.  In other words, despite high unemployment and low consumer confidence, spending grew rapidly in the spring.

So, what about the future?  First, consumers are in a better position to spend today than at the start of the year.  The personal saving rate is now at 6.4%.  Excluding spikes due to special temporary government transfers, this is the highest level since 1992.  Meanwhile, due to longer hours and higher pay per hour, private sector earnings are rising.  So far this year, real (inflation-adjusted) cash wages are up at a 3.4% annual rate.

Second, business balance sheets are chock full of cash, earning essentially zero return, that can and will be put to work enhancing productivity.

Although some analysts bemoan lingering excess capacity, they need to look more closely at the data.  In the past year the real economy has grown 3%.  During that time, the utilization of industrial capacity has climbed from 68% to 74%.  That climb, in part, is due to falling capacity as the capital stock depreciates.  One more year of 3% growth, and capacity use could be at 80%, which is higher than the average in the past 30 years.

Forward-looking companies can see this already and have already started investing, which is why investment in equipment and software is up at more than a 20% annual rate so far this year.

Third, home building remains at such unsustainably low levels that it can support both a rebound in construction and a continued rapid drawdown in excess inventories.

In the end, the underlying forces of economic growth have turned the corner.  At the same time, the Fed is accommodative and unlikely to change its stance.  These two factors alone will prove the pessimists wrong.

Finally, the political winds are howling toward a divided government.  The odds of putting off a tax hike in 2011, and possibly reversing healthcare legislation cannot be ruled out.  Add this to the mix, and the future could get a sharp boost to the upside that makes short-sellers very uncomfortable.”

I thought it might do us all some good to read someone else for a change rather than the prognosticators of gloom and doom.  While we certainly have a ways to go there are some signs that recovery is ongoing.  Don’t let those that preach gloom and doom discourage you from attempting great things for God.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

For the last two plus years I have had to listen to the so called experts and others blame the economy on the supposed decline in giving to churches.  First of all the decline in giving to religion is more exaggerated than documented reports show.  Giving to religion actually increased albeit slightly in 2008.  Last year giving to religion declined but only by .3%.  This is far from what many predicted with their wildly inaccurate polling and surveys.  I have watched in amazement as the leading Christian pollsters in America asked the wrong questions to the wrong people at the wrong time to give us the wrong forecast.  Then when the facts came out refuting their projections we were greeted with silence as to why this missed the mark in their predictions.

Projections from Christian pollsters I believe have helped formulate an overly cautious mood in pastors and leaders.  The press ignores positive news and focuses upon the negative.  Thus across the land most pastors will tell you that the economy is stressing their giving.  Pastors and church leaders have pulled back plans for expansion and ministry advancement for fear of the unknown.  If you ask the reason for plans being placed on hold they will tell you its the economy.   The economy has become the scape goat for many pastors to explain away any declines in giving or moving forward.  It is time we stop blaming the economy on the state of the church.  We have lost years of growth potential as a result.  We have listened not to the voice of the Spirit but the reason of the age.

While it is true that many churches have seen a decline in giving it is equally true that other churches have seen increases or held their ground.  As we work with churches across the country we find that while economic conditions can impact giving it does not mean ministry has to cease.  It also does not mean that you cannot raise funds during a recession.  As I wrote in a previous post, people find ways to spend money for what they truly want.  You need only to look at Apple and McDonald’s for proof.  If your giving has drastically declined the fault might not be in the economy but in a lack of leadership or in the failure to cast a compelling vision.

Those churches that are weathering this current recession are doing so in part because of the following…

Their leadership of the church is above reproach.

The people love, respect and trust their leadership.

They have a compelling vision that motivates people to give.

They are showing progress on fulfilling their vision giving people satisfaction that their gift is making a difference.

They are unashamed about preaching and teaching stewardship as an integral part of being a disciple.

They have created a positive stewardship climate.

They have a plan of action for stewardship and they work their plan.

They have not sat back and let the recession be what dictates their decision making.

They don’t blame the economy!

A couple of weeks ago I was outside of the Detroit area meeting with a church that just opened up their new sanctuary.  I told the pastor that I tell people around the country about this church that built in a state that perhaps has been the hardest hit by the recession.  I say, “If they can build a multi-million dollar sanctuary in Michigan, what is your excuse?”

It’s time we stopped blaming the economy!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

All we seem to hear about these days is how bad the economy is.  From politicians to the press we are barraged every day with statistics, figures and stories of an economy that is tettering on the brink of plunging us into another Great Depression.  At the least those prognosticators of doom say we are in for a double dip recession.  Yet if you look hard enough you will find evidence that Americans are still spending money.  Consider…

3 million iPhones were sold in the first three weeks of its release.

77% of those sold in the first three days, about 1.5 million phones, were upgrades.  In other words people with perfectly good iPhone 3′s that just had to have the latest from Apple.

The cost of a iPhone 4 runs between $200 to $400 just for the phone.  That does not count your AT&T fees on top of that.

Apple announced that iPad sales topped two million in less than 60 days since its launch on April 3.  Sales continue at a brisk pace so who knows how many they have sold by now?

iPads sell for between $499 to $699 before you add any feature or apps or pay AT&T for connectivity fees.

So tell me, if times are so tough how is it that Americans find the money for this luxury.  While having a phone might be argued to be a necessity upgrading for the sake of having the latest is not.  The lines on the day the iPhone was released were huge.  Many stores were sold out after only a few hours.  Despite the iPhone’s problems with its external antenna it is reshaping the smart phone arena.  The same can be said for the iPad.  Both are cool devices.  My point is not to be critical of Apple, its products or its sales.  My point is that in the midst of what is suppose to be our most challenging economic time since The Great Depression people are spending money.

If you really want an example of how Americans spend money for non essentials consider the Pet Economy.  It is estimated that Americans will spend $47.7 BILLION on pets in 2010.  That is more than the gross domestic product of all but 64 countries in the world.  It is double what we spent just a decade earlier.  If times are so tough why are we continuing to shell out money for our pets much of which goes for items other than simply feeding Fido?

I could go on and on but I think you get the point.  We have money for what we want.  We find a way to buy the things we are passionate about.  There is perhaps no more passionate person about their product than an Apple customer.  Talking to Apple customers about why you choose not to buy the iPad or the iPhone is like talking to a Jehovah’s Witness.  I had that experience today in my drive way with a JW adherent.  I have had similar conversations with Apple devotees.  I am happy for the Apple people but content as a PC and Blackberry Verizon guy.  I sometimes envy the passion Apple people have for their product.  I wish church members had the same passion and excitement for Christ.

Which brings me to my ultimate point.  If only the church could inspire the same kind of commitment and passion to what we do then I believe our giving problems would go away.  Why do we let our members become passionate about Apple or Fido or the Georgia Bulldogs but lukewarm about our mission?  I have said for three years that good vision trumps bad economy.

Apple creates the passion in their customers that make them want to stand in line for an upgrade they really don’t need spending hundreds of dollars.  Why is it that we cannot or will not communicate what we are about in such a compelling way that people will sacrifice the new iPhone to give to our eternal cause?  I submit that the fault is not with our “product.”  The fault is in how we communicate what we do and who we do it for.

Even in this challenging economic time people are spending money.  If your offerings are down it might not be the economy, it might be something you are not doing.  Too many churches are using the excuse of the economy to explain giving shortfalls.  The real answer might be much closer to home than we would like to admit.  After all if times are so bad why are iPhone’s selling so fast?

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

I was a pastor for twenty years before I entered the stewardship field.  For most of those twenty years we lived in a parsonage.  While I did not have a house payment I did not own a house.  In time the church I pastored agreed to provide me with a housing allowance so that we could purchase our own home.  We decided to build our own home in order to save money.  You can buy plans and books to do that sort of thing.  Quickly we learned that there is a reason you hire professionals to build your house.  We ultimately abandoned our dream of building and bought a home already constructed.

Home Depot and other stores like it make a fortune off of people who want to fix up their own homes.  This do it yourself or DIY approach works well for many tasks.  Still there are some things and sometimes that the job is better left to a professional.  You can almost always spot DIY work.  Do you want a house built by preacher or one built by an experienced builder?  I want my preacher to explain Sundays passage and I want my builder to build my house.  As one of my friends use to say, “Skill to task.”

When it comes to capital campaigns for the purpose of raising funds for buildings or to pay off debt there is a rise of do it yourselfers.  The major reason churches opt to run their own capital campaign is that they think they will save money.  Many who have engaged firms in the past feel like they know enough to do it themselves the next time around.  Typically these campaigns fail to reach their full potential.  Why is it that DIY campaigns fail?  Here are some reasons for thought.

Raising funds is not as easy as it seems. It sounds simple to do it yourself.  I always think that when it comes to repair around the house.  Often however when I tear into something I find out it is more complex than I thought.  The same is true for raising funds for a capital campaign.  There are so many factors to think of and be prepared for.  Too often a church doing their own campaign will make fundamental mistakes that ultimately cost them thousands of dollars.  If raising funds were easy there never would have been stewardship firms in the first place.

As we struggle through this last recession the dynamics of raising funds have once again changed.  Your donors view things much more differently than they did a couple of years ago.  While it is not impossible to raise funds now it is more challenging.  Attempting to raise funds in the same old way will set you up for failure.

Pastors are not trained in stewardship. Never in all my theological education do I ever remember a class on stewardship.  What I learned I learned from books and experience.  Ninety nine percent of pastors in America are under educated in the area of stewardship.  While well meaning those that attempt to raise funds on their own often shoot themselves in the foot.  They simply do not have the training or experience that a stewardship firm brings to the table.  That lack of training and experience can and will cost you thousands of dollars raised.

Pastors and church leaders don’t have the time to commit to run a campaign. Doing a capital campaign right takes time.  Too often pastors, staff and church leaders do not have the time to commit to the process.  When you do it yourself you tend to rush through key elements of a campaign.  The result is a less than successful campaign.  Engaging a stewardship firm does not mean you will never have to spend time on the process.  That is a mistake that many pastors make.  Engaging a firm does mean that the time you spend on a campaign is spent wisely.  Having a partner frees you to work in other areas of ministry while your stewardship consultant tends to the details for you.

Doing it yourself provides no accountability. One thing we do is keep our clients focused upon the task.  Through regular check ups we help keep the campaign on the front burner of the church.  My experience is that left alone most churches and pastors forget all about the campaign.  Campaigns need attention throughout the giving period.  Most make the mistake of thinking that after the pledging is over the campaign is over.  In reality it is just beginning.  A stewardship firm can help keep you accountable so that the campaign does not get forgotten.

A programmatic approach to campaigns brings disaster. The majority of churches that attempt to do their own campaign typically re-use materials from their last campaign.  I once used a pastor friend to lead a campaign.  He simply copied the materials from a firm that he used years ago and kept doing the same thing over and over again and again.  Once I had a church ask if at the end of the campaign process they could keep the manuals.  I laughed and said, “You are planning on using me this time and not using me next time aren’t you?”  That was exactly what they were planning on doing.  Their thought was that all they needed was a program inserted into the church calendar to help them raise funds.

Programs don’t raise funds.  The program side of a campaign is the easiest part of the campaign process.  We even give the manual away to those that are bound and determined to do their own campaign.  If all you want is a campaign manual that is available for free from us and for a few hundred dollars from Rick Warren.  Again, due to the complexity of our times it takes more thought, effort and time than ever before.  You don’t do church the same way you did it in 1970.  Why would you attempt to raise funds with a program that was designed in the 1970′s?  Yet I find many churches that are attempting to do it themselves with outdated and out of touch programs that fail to raise the dollars they need.  Worse yet the process so turns off their members that it makes any future fund raising all the more difficult.  You don’t need a program you need a strategic partner!

About a year ago I was at a Sunday School social when one of the members of our class asked what I did.  When I told him he told me he was on the stewardship committee of our church.  He remarked that for the churches first campaign they had used a professional stewardship firm but had decided on the last campaign to save money and do it themselves.  They pledged a million dollars less doing it themselves than when they used a professional.  I have heard that story time and again.  While you might not like to pay our fee we can and will in the end save you money.  There are just some things that you don’t do yourself.  Raising funds is one of those things.

There are some things in life that you can DIY.  Raising funds is not one of those things.  We are experts called by God to partner with you in this crucial time.  We would love to help you build the best financial house possible.  Call us today to see how we can help.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group