The economy, while out of recession, is growing slower than most predicted.  It seems almost daily that another story hits the press about bad news on the economic front.  Housing is still in a slump and joblessness continues to be high.  The Stock Market while still high remains volatile from one day to the next.  Consumer confidence is wary at best and sometimes near panic.  Since 70% of the spending in our economy comes through consumer spending this is a huge issue.  You can ask the person on the street if they think the recession is over and few will agree that it is.  While the numbers have been on a slow but steady rise for the last two years the confidence across America is one of unease and uncertainty.

Yet amidst this Americans are still spending.  You only have to see the statistics of how the pet care industry continues to increase profits despite and economic down turn to realize we spend money on what we truly love.  This year it is estimated that Americans will spend over $50 BILLION on their pets!  Then watch what happens every time Apple releases a new product.  Cash strapped Americans find the money to stand in a long line to purchase the newest toy that they convince themselves they cannot live without.  All this proves that amidst the caution money is available when people have desires they feel must be met.

Still, it must be admitted that it is tough sledding out there.  Retailers are having to work harder than ever before to get the dollars from consumers that once came so easily.  The same is true when it comes to donations.  Donors are more than willing to give to a worthy cause.  Studies are showing that people are considering increasing their donations this year.  The key will be how to effectively reap those donations.  Churches are not immune to the challenges of this past recession and the economies slow recovery.  So what should you do to combat this fear and uncertainty?  Here are some key points to ponder.

1.  Realize that we live in a new paradigm. Churches use to not have to worry much about the offering.  We simply passed the plate week after week and mostly could manage the affairs of the church without much effort.  Now that has all changed.  Expect it to become increasingly harder to get the contributions that once almost automatically was ours.  The rules have changed and you must change your approach or face increasing declines in giving.  You have to earn the donation it will not necessarily come automatically to you.  One way to earn the donation is by…

2.  Casting a compelling vision. We have said for years that good vision trumps bad economy.  The churches that are doing well with donations are the ones that are doing something for the Kingdom.  Show you are accomplishing huge Kingdom visions and people will rise to financially support it.  It is time you focused on the reason you exist as a church and work to motivate members to faithfully support the cause.

3.  Establish a workable and working stewardship plan. Most churches have little to no plan to address stewardship.  We now offer a detailed stewardship plan for churches through our Turbo Charge Giving Services.  However any plan on paper is useless unless you work the plan.  If you see the need for a growth plan and a missions plan why don’t you see the need for a stewardship plan?  Failing to plan is planning to fail!

4.  Be fiscally responsible. Americans are crying out to Washington to cut spending.  Everyone is being more fiscally aware and responsible.  You can expect that your donors are going to be demanding the same from your church.  Now is not the time to build the pastor a swimming pool with church money.  While buildings are still being accepted as necessary by donors they are not willing for you to build the new Crystal Cathedral.  Your plans must be practical and fiscally responsible.  Show donors that the plan makes sense, or fulfills your vision and that you can pull it off.  Then they will support it with their finances.

5.  Don’t just sit there.  Do something! Pastor, the buck stops with you.  If you don’t own this no one will.  As you sit on Monday morning looking over the offering receipts of the past weekend don’t simply wring your hands about what is missing.  Decide to fight the fears in the pews or chairs and aggressively communicate why your church deserves their hard earned money.  Sitting and complaining about what is going on will not cure what ills your church finances have.  Sticking your head in the sand and  hoping that things will get better will also not solve your problems.  Hope is not a strategy!

I have worked with churches in some of the hardest hit economic areas of the country.  While others have faltered they have endured and even grown their offerings.  If these churches can do that why can’t you?  It is time we faced our fears and did something about it.  As always, we are here to help.  Give us a call today.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Freedom isn’t free.  It cost a price.  Today, Memorial Day, we remember not only our loved ones who have passed but those brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.  Sadly with the focus now more upon a three day holiday we often miss the real reason we have the day off, to honor those who have passed on.  In your rush to the pool, the beach, the lake or to the picnic take some time today to reflect and memorialize those that have gone before us.  Their sacrifice is what made and keeps us free.  We celebrate a day off today because they gave so much.

I remember working on my son’s Eagle Scout project many years ago.  His project was to record every head stone at the National Cemetery in Fayetteville, AR.  They wanted to put the names into a computer data base but needed work recording the thousands of head stones.  The first Saturday the whole troop showed up to help.  The next few weeks it was my son Jon and my wife and I that finished the work.  It was hard work but also moving work.  Often you would come across a head stone of a young soldier who died forever young.  I would wonder where it happened.  I wondered what he was like.  At each one I would say a soft thank you.  I always left the cemetery grateful for those that served and especially those that never came home from the wars our nation has fought.

A few years later with great pride my wife and I pinned gold bars on our Eagle Scouts shoulders.  He served in that long line of soldiers who have guarded and protected our interests.  He got out of the Army as a captain after two tours in Iraq, multiple close calls, some I know about most I will never know and a chest full of medals.  He will forever be my hero.  I will never forget his sacrifice.

I often joke that I could not get my daughter to enroll in ROTC so she did the next best thing, she married an ROTC graduate.  Today my son in law, Captain Nick Cherry serves in the Army and is winding down his second tour of duty in Iraq.  My daughter Amy raises two young kids alone while she waits.  She along with countless other service spouses soldier on in their own way.  They too pay a price for our freedom.  My daughter is the other hero in my life.  I will never forget her sacrifice.

So, today, enjoy the day off.  Spend time with your family.  Hug and kiss your kids.  Slow down and smell the roses.  But do one thing, stop for just a minute and reflect upon those that have gone before us.  In all our rush to enjoy the holiday let’s not forget the real reason for the holiday, to memorialize our past loved ones and those who paid the ultimate price.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

My former boss John Maxwell once wrote a book entitled, “Failing Forward.”  It is a good read about using your failures as lessons to move you forward.  In the spirit of that book I want to share with you today some common mistakes pastors make in hopes that you will avoid them yourself.

I was a Senior Pastor for twenty years before I started in the stewardship ministry.  In nearly fourteen years of serving churches across American from the largest to those that are just starting out I have seen a lot.  The following are some of the most common mistakes that I see pastors make.  Avoiding these mistakes will allow you to more successfully move forward with your ministry.  Here’s my list…

1.  Lack of planning. The number one reason most pastors fail to achieve their dreams and vision is a lack of planning.  This is especially true when it comes to stewardship.  I estimate that 90% of the pastors in America have no plan for increasing funding to their ministry.  Sadly in many other areas they fail to plan.  Failing to plan is planning to fail!

2.  Not starting soon enough. Not starting projects and plans soon enough is one of the most common mistakes that we see.  I am not sure if it is the tyranny of the urgent but too many pastors wait until the last minute to plan and initiate projects.  If I could say one thing to pastors it would be, start sooner as it’s later than you think.

3.  Lone ranger mentality. Too many pastors attempt to go it alone.  The world’s greatest golfers have coaches to help them stay at the top of their game.  If the likes of Tiger Woods have coaches why don’t you?

Most do it yourself home projects look just like that, you did it yourself instead of hiring a professional.  The same is true in church life.  I have seen countless do it yourself campaigns run that failed miserably.  Going it alone and doing it yourself will only lead to failure.

4.  Underestimating the challenge. There are so many different issues to deal with when it comes to project development.  One of the most common mistakes that pastors make is thinking that it is not all that difficult.  They then attempt to go it alone often making huge mistakes.

5.  Unrealistic expectations. The typical pastor thinks that he can raise far more money than is realistic.  Part of the problem lies in our comparison of other churches.  We think, “If my buddy across the state can raise X amount then surely I can do the same.”  It is an apples to oranges kind of comparison.  Unrealistic expectations set you up not only for disappointment but they can cause you to make needless mistakes in planning.

6.  Going cheap. The number one reason why churches and pastors do not get the help they need is they don’t want to pay the money required.  Recently a church decided to run their own capital stewardship campaign to “save’ money.  They raised a million dollars less then their last campaign and had significantly fewer commitments.  They saved a few thousand dollars only to lose a million!  With savings like that they are headed for trouble.

Guys like me don’t come for free.  I do have bills to pay and I like to eat.  While we might cost you money up front I can assure you that our fees will be more than made up by helping you avoid mistakes AND raise more money.

Do any of these mistakes show up in your life?  Now is a good time to correct course and chart a new path to success.  As always we are here to help.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Most pastors hate to talk about money, giving or to have anything to do with stewardship.  Study after study confirms this.  In my over thirteen years of working in the stewardship field it has been my observation that pastors like to talk about or be involved in stewardship much like they fear going to the dentist.  You know you ought to but it sure is not fun.  However when your tooth is killing you there is nothing that stands in the way of getting the help you need.  For many it takes an ache in their teeth to get them to the dentist.  Often if they had gone earlier they might not have had to endure the pain they did.

Remember the old Frame oil filter ad that said, “You can pay me now or pay me later?”  It successfully illustrated that consistent changes of oil and proper maintenance of your car could help you avoid major costs in repairs.  The same can be said when it comes to stewardship.  When it takes a back seat to other affairs of the church it is only going to come back and bite you.  Here are some thoughts about what might happen if you put stewardship planning on the back seat.

1. You rob your people of the blessings God has in store for them. Malachi 3 talks about the tithe but it also affirms that God will open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing upon those that tithe.  Ignoring preaching on stewardship might make you popular with the masses but in the end you are only hurting them.
2. You endanger your ministries stability. The headlines are filled with stories of church cut backs.  When dollars are not coming in you cannot do the ministry you once did or that you feel led to do.
3. Your staff suffers. In marriage one of the greatest pressures is finances.  The same pressure exerts itself upon your staff when dollars are tight.  All of a sudden they not only have to worry about funding their ministries they have to worry about their paychecks.  Many fear losing their jobs.  How can you effectively minister if you are worried about your future?
4. Your family suffers. Ultimately at some point it all comes back to you.  You may have to take a cut in pay or freeze your salary.  Who wants to go home at night and explain why the family vacation is being called off or even something worse?
5. You suffer. When any of the above happens your joy in ministry and life decreases.

So, what is the answer?  Here are some thoughts.

1. Move stewardship to the front seat. Stewardship should be a part of your weekly staff meeting and planning.  Give the time weekly to think about where you are and where you need to be.
2. Develop a plan of action and work your plan. Those who do not plan are planning to fail.  What is your stewardship plan?
3. Work to create a climate of generosity in your church. Churches don’t talk too much about money they actually don’t talk about it enough.  When they do they often do so in a way that is counter productive.  Work to make giving a natural part of the disciples of your church.  In the end this climate will fuel your ministry into the future.
4. Own it! The reason why stewardship so seldom gets mentioned in the church is that no one owns it.  Make it your responsibility and then it will get done.  The buck stops with you!

All of the above sounds easy.  The truth of the matter is that few if any preachers are trained in Bible College or Seminary to know how to approach stewardship.  What pastors learn they learn by accident or own their own.  Still the tools are out there to help you.  You simply have to be motivated enough to take the steps needed.  If stewardship is a back seat issue for you it will not be long until it costs you.  It’s better to take the time and effort now to address your stewardship needs than to suffer for it later.  You can pay now or pay later.  Which will it be?

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

PS: Need help?  Take a look at our new Turbo Charged Giving resources on our website.  We now offer extensive help with a variety of stewardship needs.  We have a plan and a price that is just right for you.  At The Charis Group we are more than just a capital campaign company! Call us today to see how we can help you and your church.

Recognizing the need for ongoing help in the area of general stewardship The Charis Group developed plans and services through our Turbo Charged Giving Services. We are not just a capital campaign company.  Our trained stewardship consultants have helped hundreds of churches.  We can help you.  The following is a key list of our offerings.  We know we can help you increase the amount of money you raise through our services.  Through the list of plans and services below find what works best for you.

Stewardship Enhancement Plans – We have a plan for every church setting!

One Year Giving Plan

This service is designed to help churches address their regular budget offering needs seeking to strengthen their base immediately and long term.  The services provided in this one year program are:

Stewardship Evaluation – Assessing Strengths, Weaknesses and Opportunities

• Financial Analysis – Analyzing past giving and projecting future capabilities.  This is done twice during the year.
• Budget Review – Looking at spending patterns in an effort to help better manage the funds the church is entrusted with.

Stewardship Education and Enhancement – Helping to implement a plan of action that will result in a strengthened stewardship environment.

• Proposing a plan of action to stimulate current donors and develop new donors
• Help in implementing long term programs that lead to better Christian stewards.
• Continual monitoring of the plan of action.
• Providing help with writing appeal letters on a quarterly basis.

Summer Giving Plan

Summer is typically the most challenging time for churches to meet their budget needs.  We help you devise a plan of action that will increase your funds during the three most challenging months.

Annual Budget Campaign Plans

Does your church hold an annual campaign for pledges to the operating budget?  Are you tired of doing it the same old way and getting the same results?  Our annual campaigns give you a fresh approach and fresh ideas to make your next annual campaign more fulfilling and successful.

Communication Services

Elevator Pitching Your Offerings

The offering is one of the most boring times in any church service.  Less thought is given to the offering than any other part of the worship service.  Our Elevator Pitch services gives you a weekly one to two minute talk that will help your offering time sizzle.  The goal is to make offerings more worshipful, meaningful, fun and successful.

Bulletin Inserts

One of the easiest ways to communicate stewardship information is through the weekend bulletin that you hand out.  We provide compelling inserts that will increase what people give to your offerings.

Mailing Services

Whether you use snail mail, email or both you need well thought out and written materials.  Our Mailing Services package provides quarterly giving letters, end of year appeals and special occasion appeals.  Make your appeal mails and emails pop and sizzle for greater impact and return.

Financial Services

Financial Giving Analysis

We will analyze past giving to your church to determine your strengths and weaknesses.  This anonymous review will enable us through our years of experience to give you a good idea of what could be capable in a capital stewardship campaign as well as give advice on how to increase your offerings.

Objectives:

• Document the last two full years of giving.
• Analyze any capital campaigns results.
• Compare strengths, weaknesses and trends.
• Analyze each giving segment for growth and capacity for the future giving or capital stewardship campaigns.

Outcomes:

• Documented reports will be given to your church showing our analysis of giving.
• Your church will have a clearer picture of the trends in giving to their budget.
• Your church will have a better read of what their pledge capacity might be for the upcoming campaign.
• Your church will have a better understanding of the various giving segments of the church and how each can impact any upcoming campaign.

Loan Packaging

As a result of the Crash of 2008 it is increasingly difficult for churches to acquire financing from loan institutions.  While we cannot loan you the money you need our Loan Packaging services can help you form a position of strength when talking to lenders.  Utilizing our Financial Giving Analysis and other key information that banks look at we give you a report that puts your church in the most positive light.

All of the above plans and services have price packages available for churches of all sizes.  Get the help you need for a price you can afford and Turbo Charge your giving today!

We are more than just a capital campaign company!

Contact us today to get started Turbo Charging your giving.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

I asked a pastor the other day if his church had an App?  He asked me, “What is an App?”  I think he was kidding.  However if you have to Google what an App is then you might already be in trouble.  If you don’t know what Google is then I know you are in trouble!  The world in which we live is fast changing and if we don’t keep up we will find ourselves left behind.  More is now being done online and electronically than ever before.

When was the last time you wrote a letter with pen and ink?  When was the last time you wrote a check?  When was the last time you took your check book to church with you?  Do you use cash or your debit card to pay for things?  Is your phone clipped to your belt and do you use it for more than simply dialing home?

Now think about this.  As you rise to collect the offering this weekend how many people in the congregation do you think brought their checkbook with them?  How many have significant amounts of cash on their person?  Would it not make sense to give your attendees a way to give that fits the lifestyle that most now accept as the norm?  Might one reason offerings are declining be that we have not adjusted to the manner in which people can give.  Have we unknowingly made it difficult for people to give?

The Social Media Explosion

One area where many churches are behind the curve when it comes to receiving donations is through the use of Social Media and the Internet.  Facebook, Twitter and text messaging are on the rise in terms of organizations receiving donations through them.  The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently reported that 60% of big charities say Internet fund raising is stronger so far in 2011 than a year ago.   They also reported that online giving in 2010 rose 34% for the nation’s largest charities.  It is time that churches realize what the non profit sector already knows, online giving is the future and the future is now!

Your Churches Online Strategy

Do you have an online strategy?  Few churches do.  It is not as hard as it seems.  Here are some basics that you need to consider towards building an effective online strategy.

Electrify your data base! I don’t mean electrocute your members.  I mean you need to make sure you have up to date email addresses on all your members.  I would also seek to gain their Twitter username and be listed as their friend on Facebook.  Additionally I would seek to have their cell phone numbers in my database as well.

Design and implement an online page on your churches website. This is key for online giving.  It should be easy to find by making it very visible.  It should be easy to understand in terms of use.  Additionally it should give multiple ways in which people can give or set up giving.

Build a Facebook page for your church. You don’t need professional help to do this.  You can then post pictures of what is going on at the church so that your donors can view them.  Use Facebook to show what you are accomplishing for the Kingdom.  Opportunities to give can be listed here.   It should contain a link back to not only your website but your online giving page.

Start a Twitter account for the church. You can say a lot in 140 characters.  Many of your younger donors spend a great deal of time communicating back and forth with Twitter.  Use Twitter as a way to drive people’s awareness of your offering needs and link it back to your online giving page.

Invest in Giving Kiosks. Remember when I asked above if you carried your checkbook with you to church?  Most people now use plastic to pay for everything.  Wise churches are realizing this and placing giving kiosks throughout their buildings that allows people to give in ways they are use to.

These are just a few ideas that you need to begin to implement immediately.  Hardly any of the above were on our radar five years ago.  There is a new wave crashing upon us.  We can either get out our surf boards and catch the wave and enjoy the ride or get crushed by it.  I am hoping you have your board ready because, Surf’s up!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

I was a Senior Pastor for twenty years before I started in the stewardship ministry over thirteen years ago.  In the last thirteen years I have worked with hundreds of pastors across this nation.  I have sat in Joel Osteen’s dining room talking about stewardship and days later sat in the office of a pastor who was thrilled that his church just broke the 200 barrier.  From large to emerging churches, from north to south and east to west, in a multitude of settings I have spent hours with the pastors of this nation.

I have become concerned at what I am seeing.  More and more pastors are stressed out and feeling pressure.  I sense the joy of ministry has been robbed by many of the pastors that I work with.  I am seeing depression and burnout written upon their faces and in their voices.  Certainly not every pastor I work with or come into contact with is experiencing this but enough are to cause alarm.  Few talk about it and there is virtually little written about it.  It none the less is a reality.

What is the cause of so much stress among pastors? Here are a couple things that I find lead to stress, depression and disillusionment.

1. The church growth movement. We should work and pray for all our churches to grow.  Yet what does it mean to have a growing church?  Who defines what growth truly is in a church?  Sadly our focus in on numbers in the American church.  Did we run more this Sunday than last?  Are we averaging more in attendance than last year?  Did we baptize more, take in more dollars, have more events with more people or larger buildings?  Too often numbers dictate how we view success.  Where in the New Testament it that mentioned?

While we are to go and make disciples nowhere in the New Testament is the size of the church ever mentioned with regards to whether or not it was successful.  I fear we are basing success in American churches more on numbers than the fruit of the Spirit.  We may well find out in eternity that many of the “growing” churches were simply made of wood, hay and stubble.

If you base your success on attendance it will only be a matter of time until you run less than you did last Sunday or last year.  Then the result will be self recrimination, doubts, blame and fingering pointing.  From there it is a slippery slope towards discouragement, depression and perhaps even leaving the ministry.  Numbers do not necessarily mean success or failure.  Don’t base your sense of self worth or success upon them.

2.  The comparison trap. Too many pastors base how they are doing upon how the church down the street is doing.  They look at all the “successful” pastors speaking at conferences or writing books and inwardly long for that kind of esteem and life.  When I was a teen I attended one of the fastest growing churches in America.  Our pastor said at that time, “Our success is based upon everyone else failing.”  He did not mean it boastful but as a reminder to us that success is vain and fleeting.  If you are continually looking at the denominational rolls to see where you rank you have succumbed to the flesh.  The comparison trap will always lead to disillusionment given time.  If you want to compare your church to any church compare it to the church in Acts.  Compare it to at Philadelphia.

What should be the basis of how we evaluate success?

1.  Faithfulness. We live in a day and age when several Mega Church pastors have failed.  One day they were deemed a success based upon the size of the congregation.  The next day their sins were publicly exposed and their faithlessness revealed.  They now are viewed as failures.  What we need more than anything is pastors who are faithful to Jesus first and foremost.  Pastors who though sinners work hard at daily following Christ.  As a result they stay morally pure.

We need faithfulness to holding fast the doctrines of our faith.  Success is found in faithfully proclaiming the whole counsel of God.  Your success is not based upon people responding but upon you being faithful to preach the Word in season and out.  If you want to be a success focus on daily being faithful and stop worrying about everything else.  In the end all things other than your personal walk with Jesus is out of your hands.  So, take care of what you can take care of, you!

2. Fruitfulness. Faithfulness leads to fruitfulness.  Are you daily demonstrating the Fruit of the Spirit?  I have know some pastors who yearly led scores to Christ but were out of the pulpit as mean as snakes.  Were they successful because they baptized more than others in their town or denomination?  There is indeed the fruit of the fruit, people coming to know Christ.  Yet even here we cannot use that as a basis for viewing ourselves as a success or failure.  The prophets in the Bible often preached with few if any responding to their message.  Were they failures?  Let’s start evaluating our success on the fruit of the spirit not numbers.

Many years ago when I finished seminary I was still at the small country church I pastored.  I saw a lot of my buddies move on to bigger churches in larger towns.  My town of 225 looked very small.  Did anyone know where I was?  Did anyone care?  Had I been forgotten in the back waters of ministry?  Was I a failure?  I remember well one day crying out to God about this.  A phrase came to my heart that I believe came from God.  It says, “Success is being where God wants you to be, doing what He wants you to do, when He wants you to do it.” I sat back and realized I was where He wanted me to be.  I was doing all I knew He wanted me to do when He wanted me to do it.  There was nothing else I could do but continue to trust Him.  I was successful.

Pastor, focus on what really matters in life.  My gut feeling is that you too will find, no matter where you pastor, or what size of church you have, that you are successful.  In the end our goal is not to be on the platform at some conference but to hear our Master say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant!”

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

At times I just want to jump up and scream, “Get over “it” pastor!”  The “it” is the fear of talking about money.  Too many pastors fearing they will become “that preacher,” the one who always talks about money, then never talk about money.  What a disservice not only to the church but to your members.  Consider that the New Testament has about…

• 500 verses on faith
• 500 verses on prayer
• Over 1,000 verses on giving
• 19 of Jesus 38 parables deal with giving
• 1/10 of the book of Matthew deals with stewardship and giving!

So, if the New Testament talks so much about giving and stewardship why are you not preaching the whole counsel of God?

Repented studies have shown the benefits of a pastor preaching regularly on stewardship.  The bottom line is that the more you preach on stewardship the more dollars you will raise.  Don’t shy away from preaching on stewardship.  The challenge is to do so effectively.

Your approach on stewardship preaching

1. Don’t run your people through the guilt gauntlet. Trying to bring a guilt trip on your members might raise the offering that day but it will not change their long term habits.  It will simply cause them to tune you out and assume that you are just like all the other preachers they hear about.  All you ever talk about is money.  That is not true of course but it is a defensive mechanism designed to help them feel better about their disobedience.  Sure they ought to give because it’s commanded.  Your laying into them will not bring them to change.  Besides that is the work of the Holy Spirit.

2. Get them to focus on their priorities. I do think it is instructive to show them that the real reason many members do not give is that they have misplaced priorities to begin with.  How else can you explain the fact that we spend so much money on getting our pets manicured and pampered?

3. Teach total stewardship. You have to have a long term plan to teach total stewardship.  If you never teach stewardship do not be surprised during tough economic times when your offerings go down.  Teaching stewardship is not going to drive people away if you do it correctly.  In addition you need to supplement your stewardship preaching with practical programs that can help such as Crown Ministries or Financial Peace.  We will talk about that in later chapters.  As pastor these and other programs need your support and encouragement from the platform.

4. Dedicate a whole series to stewardship. Barna  has proven series on stewardship is better than one stand alone sermon.  The series does not have to exclusively focus on tithing or giving.  Talk about the stewardship of time, talent, treasure and testimony.  While any series is better than no series I feel that the first of the year is a better time for this to be placed than the dead of summer.  A series on giving is nearly two and a half times more likely to experience an increase in giving than preachers who only talk about stewardship once a year or on two non consecutive times in a year.

5. Give them a reason to give. If you show your members why giving will benefit them you will see them give more.  Here are a couple of thoughts to that end.

A. God’s blessing – Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given unto you…”  Malachi says with regards to giving that God will, “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

B. Making a difference through their gift – Studies have consistently shown that people give when they see the need and feel their gift will make a difference.  Your task during these times must be to cast a compelling vision of your ministry.  Help your members see why and how their gift matters and they just might by pass Starbucks on the way to church so that they can give when the offering is passed.

It is a myth that churches talk too much about money.  The reality is that they don’t talk about it enough.  Often when they do they do it in a manor that is offensive or ineffective.  As you analyze the offering from this past Sunday ask yourself if there was anything else you could have done to improve the level of giving?  Start by getting over your fear of talking and preaching on the topic of money and stewardship.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

PS.  We are launching a new venture at The Charis Group called Turbo Charged Giving.  One thing we offer is one to two minute offering talks to elevator pitch your offerings to the next level.  Contact us today for more information!

George Barna’s recent release carries the headline, “Donors Proceed with Caution, Tithing Declines.”  The study done in April of 2011 shows the lingering impact of the past recession.  Technically the recession is over but emotionally it is impacting Americans on a daily basis.  It is showing up in the offering plates of churches across America.  Here are some chilling facts that Barna reveals…

• 77% of Americans reported being personally touched by the nation’s financial difficulties.
• 30% have reduced their donations to churches.  24% have stopped giving altogether; 17% have decreased their giving 20% or less; 7%  have lessened their donations by 20% to 45%; 12% have decreased their giving by more than half.
• Tithing is down to 4% after being relatively stable the last decade of between 5% to 7%.
• 3/4 of Americans believe the economy will take at least two years or more to get back to normal.

David Kinnaman, the president of the Barna Group said, “The economic downturn influenced donations later than it affected other aspects of our spending.  Once it kicked in, though, donors have cut back significantly in their giving to churches and nonprofits.  Now, even as the economy shows some signs of improvement, donors are still reluctant to return to their previous levels of generosity.  They may be less shell-shocked than 15 months ago, but they are still cautious.”

What Should You Do?

While studying polls and research is interesting and enlightening there is only one church you really care about, yours!  What can be done in the face of this cautiousness and potential decline?  Here are some thoughts…

1. Don’t just sit there do something! The churches that we are working with are not seeing declines in their giving.  Most are actually seeing an increase.  One key reason is that they have a stewardship plan and they work their plan.  If you simply wring your hands about how bad it is you will become a statistic of decline.  We work with churches in some of the hardest hit economic cities who are thriving despite the downturn in the economy.  You too can thrive.
2. Creating a positive climate for stewardship helps eliminate downturns in giving. The churches that have weathered this economic storm the best are the churches that have not shied away from preaching and teaching stewardship.  At these churches it is expected that members give.  The pastors don’t apologize when they ask for money.  They don’t shy away from preaching on money.  As a result they have been able to continue on with what they believe is God’s direction for their church.
3. Cast a compelling vision. Good vision trumps bad economy!  We have been saying this for three years now.  It is true.  People give to what they believe in.  When Apple can continue to sell their products despite a recession the Church should be able to motivate people to give.  Show your members the positive things the church is doing for the Kingdom and they will give.  Give people a reason to give with a vision that motivates and inspires them.
4. Cut the fat! Lest you get a Tea Party movement in your church you need to show wisdom when it comes to the budget and spending.  Kinnaman pointed out that “churches and nonprofits with the most effective responses to the downturn are those that have reduced their operating costs without undermining their impact, enabling them to remain effective with less revenue.”  Show fiscal responsibility and donors will cheerfully continue to support your cause.

One thing that this new study reveals is that the angst of the past recession will be with us for some time to come.  You cannot afford to put off your plans for growth for when donors outlooks might improve.  You can and should work now to head off this cautious spirit that has swept our country.  Just because the church down the street is struggling does not mean your must also.  Start today with your plan of attack to head off the downturn.  As always, we can help from annual giving to capital campaigns.  Call us today to find out how we can make a difference for you.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

A few years ago we were engaged to work with a church that had run multiple stewardship campaigns.  Their last campaign was run by what was then the largest firm in the US.  As we did our feasibility study we asked respondents what they did not like about the last campaign.  The overwhelming answer was the testimonies where people shared the exact amount that they were going to pledge.  After we reported our findings to the pastor he announced in all services that for the next campaign no one would reveal the amount they were pledging.  Spontaneous applause broke out in every service.  Revealing what you are giving towards the campaign serves no good purpose and can in fact back fire on you.  Our advice is to never share the amount you are pledging.  This goes for the pastor and the laity.

Some Major Push Backs From Announcing a Personal Pledge Total

In my polling of people and from our experience there are several major consequences of announcing a personal pledge amount.

1. If that is the amount they are looking for you can count me out! The typical testimony comes from someone who commits a large amount.  Rather than motivating others it has the tendency to discourage people from giving.  They assume that the campaign is a big gift campaign.  I once had a pastor’s wife share her testimony during one of our training meetings.  She shared how they had decided to pay off their cars and not purchase new vehicles.  She then excitedly announced that by making their usual monthly car payment amount to the campaign they could give $15,000 over the length of the campaign.  Afterwards a team member approached me and said, “If that is the amount of money they are talking about I can’t participate in the campaign.”  I assured her that all gifts mattered.  Even though the pastor’s wife meant well and her testimony was humbly shared it none the less caused some to view what they could potentially give as insignificant.  Announcing amounts of your pledge runs the risk of alienating vast numbers of your donor base.  Don’t do it!
2. I feel guilty about my small amount. This is much like the first obstacle.  Here the person sees their gift as inconsequential and feels pressure to come up with more.  They feel that their sacrifice is not enough and they often feel a sense of guilt.
3. They could give more than that. What you think is a significant gift someone else might think is not that large at all.  I know where they live and what kinds of cars they drive.  They could easily do more than that.  This response and those like it are essentially saying, “I am not impressed.”
4. What a braggart. Many times testimonies of how much a person is going to give rubs people the wrong way because they think it shows off wealthy people and what they have.

More often than not testimonies that share specific amounts back fire and do more harm than good.  So what should you do?

Focus on Principles Not Practices!

The principle is that you want your congregation to understand that it will take sacrifice to get to where you want to be.  To do so it is not important that you the pastor or your leaders share what they are going to give.  It is important that you share with them that you are in this with them.  You must communicate that you are not asking them to do what you yourself are not doing.  You must communicate that this vision is so important that you are willing to sacrifice to achieve it.  Your testimony of sacrifice will lead others to think about what they can sacrifice.

Once I had a pastor share his testimony of his families commitment to the new sanctuary.  He talked about how they as a family had been praying and discussing at dinner each night the importance of having a new sanctuary.  They talked about what they believed they could afford to give and the fact that they wanted to give sacrificially.  He then told of how his family loved camping and had been saving for years to buy a camper.  As they talked about their commitment each family member agreed that giving to the campaign was more important than getting out of their tent.  They decided they would rather reach people for Jesus and give the camper fund to the campaign.  The pastors testimony, without sharing a specific dollar amount, caused those in attendance to begin thinking about what they could sacrifice.

After the meeting a young couple approached me and said, “We have started saving for a new house.  After hearing our pastor share his testimony we have decided to put off that new house and give the money to the campaign.”  Without ever sharing a dollar amount the pastor had caused others to think about their own ability to sacrifice.  Today that church worships in a new sanctuary that has allowed them to grow as a congregation.

Our advice is to never share a specific dollar amount during the pledge drive.  It is unnecessary and potentially damaging to the overall effectiveness of your campaign.  There are better ways to motivate your congregation to make a commitment.