Not long ago I met with a church about a possible capital stewardship campaign.  As we talked it was apparent that they were not ready for a campaign this fall.  There major issues that were unresolved.  In our experience any major question that is unresolved will cause donors to push back from fully committing to your project.  They will wait until you have the answers to their questions.  So, our advice to this church was to put off a campaign until those issues were resolved.  All around the table seemed to be in agreement.  My last advice to them was not to think that putting off the campaign meant they had all the time in the world.  Planning for the campaign needed to continue on pace.  We continue to stay in touch with them and I hope that they are continuing to work.

To that end here are some thoughts for you to consider…

• Capital campaigns take longer than you think to successfully pull off.  Six months is the optimum time for a campaign but it could go longer.  Start now to give yourself all the options.
• The public phase of a campaign typically runs four weeks.  The preparation leading up to those four weeks could take four to six months.
• Capital campaigns typically have two windows of opportunity, fall and spring.  Fall campaigns need to be finished before Thanksgiving.  Spring campaigns either need to culminate before Easter or before school lets out.
• The more time you give to the process the better the result will be.
• For a spring campaign you need to have your campaign partner selected by early fall.
• It’s later than you think!

My next book?  I was asked the other day, a mere few weeks after my latest book came out, when I was going to publish my next book.  First the question came from my Director of Marketing.  Then this past weekend my mother even asked about my next book.  The ink is hardly dry on the last one, I have several E-Books I am working to get published, and they want to know about the next book.

I confess that I have been thinking about my next book.  My working title thus far is “The Top Ten Mistakes Pastors Make and How to Avoid Them.”  So far it is simply a few ideas that I will have to fully develop.  The book will be based upon the mistakes that I made as a Senior Pastor of twenty years and my fourteen years of experience in working with pastors.

Here is the initial list thus far.  See any that you have made or are guilty of?

• Believing that stewardship is not their job.  I cannot tell you how many pastors simply feel that stewardship is somehow beneath them.  It is as if they feel money is dirty and thus they should not dirty their hands in dealing with it.  Pastor, as the spiritual leader of your congregation stewardship is your job!
• Failure to develop a stewardship plan of action.  We have plans for everything in the church world.  Sadly, few have stewardship plans.
• Avoiding the subject of stewardship from the platform.  It is not that churches talk too much about money it is that we do not talk enough about it.  When we do talk about it we often tend to do so in a way that is self defeating.  Preaching on stewardship must be seen as a natural part of teaching our flock how to be disciples.  You cannot be a serious disciple and not be a good steward!
• Failure of advance planning.  Too many are captured by the tyranny of the urgent.  Advance planning is not thinking about next month’s sermon series.  Start thinking further down the road!
• Unrealistic expectations of how much they can raise.  Times have changed and what you can realistically raise has changed with it.  Wild expectations can set you up for failure and disappointment.
• Do it yourself campaigns.  You might think it is easy but it isn’t.  Studies have shown that churches that go it alone raise significantly less than those that get help.
• Treating all donors the same.  Every gift matters.  You have to value the Widow’s Mite as valuable as the large gift.  However, treating all donors the same will cause you to raise significantly less dollars.
• Being ignorant of what members give.  Pastors that know what members give do better at raising dollars than those that do not.  While this point is a flash issue with many being ignorant of the giving patterns of your church only handicaps you.  It does not prove your spirituality.  It might point out your immaturity.

The last capital stewardship campaign that I ran as a pastor we had our commitment night at a local hotel.  That night culminated weeks of planning, prayer and preparation.  I remember coming home exhausted and telling my wife, “I am glad that is over with.”  I had just made the number one mistake of capital campaigns.  I thought it was over when in reality it was just beginning.  So weary was I from the campaign that I never mentioned it for weeks or months after the commitment process.  It was not surprising to me now that we took in less than we would have liked.

The number one mistake of capital stewardship campaigns is going silent on the campaign.  This is the biggest mistake of churches during the follow up period.  When the campaign is out of sight to your members it is out of mind.  When it is out of mind then  money ceases to flow into the offering plates.  Your project or budget could be seriously curtailed as a result.  How can you avoid this mistake?  Here are a few key steps of action to take.

1.  Use the platform to inform people of the campaign.  While you don’t have to pound on the pulpit every Sunday I would recommend at least once a month a one to two minute update on the campaign and a soft sell approach to encourage people to faithfully give to your campaign.  Tell them what the campaign is doing to help the church fulfill its purpose and vision.  Always give people a reason to give.

2.  Use existing print and communication pieces to keep the people abreast of the campaign.  Every Sunday many churches pass out a bulletin.  That is one way to inform people of the campaign.  Another is your weekly or monthly newsletter whether it is snail mailed or e-mailed.

3.  Quarterly giving statements should include campaign contributions.  You have to send out quarterly statements so why not make them positive reminders about where a person is on their commitment to your campaign?

4.  Special appeal letters.  You might consider making your end of year appeal letter specific to your campaign.  There are many other times of the year where you might consider a targeted letter that can pump up giving to your campaign.

These are just a few ideas that might work for you.  The point is to keep the vision of the campaign front and center before your people. Going silent on a campaign will only mean that the final results will be less than what you had hoped for and certainly less than what was pledged.  Follow up is extremely important.  What are you doing to ensure that your campaign is a success?

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

For the past few days we have watched with anticipation the movement of Hurricane Irene up the eastern seaboard.  Combine this with the earthquake that rocked Virginia and it is not hard to begin thinking of the return of Christ.  Who knows?  Even so come quickly Lord Jesus!

As I have watched the news I have been struck by the advance planning going on.  Hurricanes striking this far up the eastern seaboard are rare.  Still preparations are going on to minimize the impact upon lives.  What can we learn about this preparation that we in the church can carry over into our planning?  Here are some thoughts…

1.  Expect the unexpected.  While it is none the less rare for hurricanes to advance upon New York or Boston there are plans in place for such a disaster.  What plans do you have in place to face major unexpected disasters in your church life?  Life deals us all the unexpected.  Don’t be surprised by it’s surprises.

2.  Advance planning avoids last minute tragedies.  Frankly all the worry could be much ado about nothing.  Yet it plans to plan.  The sad reality is that most churches do a lousy job at any kind of planning beyond next weekend’s service.  Make advance planning a regular part of your thinking.

3.  There is no substitute for education and information.  Our weather science allows us to prepare for and plan well ahead of a hurricane hitting land.  How often have you turned to the news or Weather Channel to see where Irene is?  Your church will be prepared for whatever comes your way if you educate and inform them.  Use every platform of communication possible to get your news out!

4.  In times of crisis people look for leadership.  Every crisis is an opportunity for you to show leadership.  People are looking for someone to lead them through the valleys of life.  Are you prepared to be the leader God has called you to be?

As of my writing this it appears that Irene will not be as strong as feared.  All the preparation might be over blown and overly cautious.  However, remember the old adage, “Better safe than sorry?”  That applies to you and your church.  Are you ready for anything?  Now is the time to prepare for what might be coming ahead for you and your church.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

This is a test.  Which of the following represents worship?

1. Singing choruses and hymns.
2. Preaching or teaching from the Bible.
3. Announcements of upcoming events.
4. The offering.

If you selected 1, 2 and 4 you pass.  If you selected all four then something is seriously wrong with your view of worship.  Yet in most churches in America this weekend worship will come to a screeching halt as we hear about what is coming up at the church.  How is that worship?  Announcements are simply advertisements for your church.  I am often amazed at how many times the same announcements are printed in the bulletin.  Do you think we can’t read?

Sadly many churches spend more time planning for the announcements than they do for the offering.  The offering has become so mundane and boring that we never seem to think about it for what it truly is, worship.  Is it any wonder that our offering plates are increasingly empty when we have not spent time to teach members how to utilize the offering as worship?

Recently my neighbor, who is on our churches worship team attended a worship workshop.  She was telling me how wonderful it was.  After listening to her go on about the impact of what she had learned I asked if anyone talked about the offering and how to improve upon it as an act of worship.  I already knew what the answer was going to be.  Of course no one talked about the offering.  No one even thought of the offering as a part of worship.  When worship experts fail to mention the offering as a part of their presentation it reveals how screwed up our thinking is.  From seminaries to religious think tanks I find very few who think about stewardship as worship.

Let me share some advice.  If this week you have spent more time on the ads you will insert into your worship service than you have in how to take the offering up you are part of the problem.  Don’t complain when you have budget shortfalls.  You have shown by the time you invest into the service what is important to you.  You are reaping what you sow.  My prayer and hope is that this weekend you will begin to make the offering what it truly is, an act of worship.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

PS:  I have a new e-book called Elevator Pitch Your Offerings.  If you are interested you can email me.

As I write this I am sitting in my office away from my office, Starbucks.  Today for the first time I paid for my coffee without pulling out my bill fold or using my Starbucks card.  I used my iPhone to pay for my drink!  What today is new and novel to me will in a few years be the way things are done.  Experts are predicting that in not too many years we will not use our billfolds and cash will be a thing of the past.

For those of you who like me are new to this let me explain.  I have an iPhone.  On my iPhone I have a Starbuck’s app.  The app has all my card data on it including a weird little bar code picture.  I simply held up my iPhone to the scanner and it automatically withdrew the price of my drink from my account.

You will be seeing this technology more and more.  Soon everything and every transaction will occur this way.  While you might think that strange your grandparents probably never could conceive of a day when they would not write checks to pay their bills.

So, how does this apply to the offering?  If more and more businesses are utilizing this new technology fewer people will be carrying around cash, checks or even a billfold.  Already few carry around a check book or vast amounts of cash.  We are already a plastic generation for better or worse.

So, this Sunday as you pass the same gathering tool that has been used by the church for decades, a plate, basket or bucket, fewer people are prepared to give.  The other day a guy told me he only writes one check a month, to his church.  If his church had online giving he would not even write one.

The times have changed.  Has your approach to the offering?  Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the offering.  I am simply saying that we had better think of a way to technologically match where our donors are.  I laughed the first time I saw an ad for a giving kiosk.  I am no longer laughing.  Soon someone will invent an offering plate that has a scanner on it.  It is probably already out there.

Our message is eternal and unchangeable.  Our methods must change to meet the demands of our society.  What are you doing to address the technology of our day?  If you are not thinking about this your offerings could be in trouble!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

I just got back from taking my bride of thirty five years to Italy.  I had wanted to do something with all my Delta miles and to my amazement I could swing two free tickets to Florence for us.  It was a quick five day trip but we packed a lot into those five days.  It was a huge success.

As I was flying home looking down on the Italian coast line and reflecting upon what had made the trip so enjoyable I came up with four key things.  I then realized that the keys for having a great trip can also be keys for success for churches.  Our trip was successful because of these four keys.  What can you learn from our experience that can make your “trip” in your church a success?  Here are the keys to having a successful vacation.

1.  Advance planning.  We probably have almost as much fun planning for our trip as we do taking the trip.  While this trip was a bit of a whim we still had a couple of weeks to plan ahead.  That made all the difference in the world.  One of the greatest shortcomings of churches is their lack of advance planning.  Advance planning is not thinking about what comes next weekend!  Are you regularly thinking ahead?  Successful churches practice consistent advance planning.

2.  Get expert advice.  Part of our advance planning is reading guidebooks, blogs and web information before we go.  Here are our standard experts we use…

• Rick Steves Guidebooks – I call it the travelers bible.  We follow Rick’s advice and he has never steered us wrong.
• Trip Advisor – This a great place to find reviews written by real people of their experiences.  We ate at great places due to following the advice of fellow travelers.
• Locals – We asked our hotel staff about their recommendations and it proved a great help.
• GPS – What a wonderful invention!  I made countless wrong turns but my GPS always got me where I wanted to go.

What expert advice are you getting?  I am always amazed at the churches who think they can do it themselves only to fail.  Don’t go it alone!  Get expert advice.

3.  Flexibility.  When you travel you have to expect the unexpected.  Sites you want to see will be under construction.  Places you want to eat at will be closed for the summer.  The same is true when it comes to your planning.  Even the best laid plans can unravel.  Being flexible can and will help you be successful.

4.  Just do it!  Our trip was successful because we went.  We know people who want to go to Italy but only if they can stay a certain number of days.  Some laughed that we were only going five days.  In their minds it was not worth that quick of a trip.  However we just spent five great days touring Tuscany and they still have not gone.  You have to have an adventurous spirit.

Biblically this is called faith.  All too often churches play it safe never stepping out in faith.  If you risk nothing you will attain nothing.  Stop thinking and dreaming and start planning and doing!  I spent days thinking about using my Delta miles for this trip.  Finally I just had to hit the enter button and do it.

How long has your finger been hovering over the enter button of your next project, program or ministry initiative?  Stop dreaming and start working on that plan today!

You can use these four lessons in your church to help make your “trip” a success.  As always we would love to be your travel guide.  Call us today.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

As you read this I am in Italy celebrating with my wife our 35th wedding anniversary.  I used all my Delta miles to get us here for a quick five day visit of our favorite country.  I love to visit the sites here soaking up the tremendous art which more often than not is found in churches.  The churches are amazing in terms of architecture and beauty.  There is one thing wrong with them however.  They have become more of a museum than a place of worship.  Worship still occurs and I am sure for some it has an impact.  On the whole most Europeans avoid church.  I am not sure if it were not for tourism if many of the churches would still be open.

My friend Gene Mims the pastor of Judson Baptist Church in Nashville, TN wrote a book a few years back in which he described the various churches that exist today.  One church he describes was the Museum church where the pastor is only a curator keeping the doors open for the sake of maintaining tradition.  If you don’t think that can not happen here in America then you are mistaken.

I have worked with Museum churches.  They are impressed with their heritage more than they are fueled by a passion for Kingdom growth.  Not long ago I talked with a pastor who was frustrated by his churches unwillingness to move from their land locked downtown structure so that they could continue to grow.  This pastor had found a great new location at a fabulous price.  It would have positioned the church to continue to reach the next generation.  Those plans were derailed because in part the historic church had once had a world famous preacher preach at the church.  The church has ceased to worship the living Lord and instead is worshiping a long dead religious icon.  At some point this once thriving church will exist only as a museum to something in the past.

How can you avoid becoming a Museum Church?  Here are some practical advice…

• Stay passionately in love with Jesus.  We serve a risen savior not a dead one.  As I tour Italy I tire of images of Christ on the cross.  He is alive!  The only thing you can truly change about your church is you.  If you are on fire your flame will spread to others.
• Focus on building up people not on buildings.  I love the art work of the churches here in Italy.  The only problem is that I fear the focus on people has waned.  Building are important but they are only boxes that serve as tools for ministry.  If I want to go to a museum in America I don’t go to a church.
• Never mistake the building for the church.  Much like the point above, we must realize that the church is not the building but the people.  When buildings become the church in our eyes we fight to protect the structure and ignore the people we are called to reach.
• Be a tabernacle not a temple.  The tabernacle could be pulled up and taken to where the people were going.  The temple was stuck in one place that the people had to go to.  Take your meeting place to where the people are.
• Honor the past but focus on both the here and now and the future.  Without the saints that went before us where would we be?  However we live in the now and are called to continue to build the Kingdom.

I am reminded of what my pastor Tom Elliff, who is president of the SBC’s International Mission Board said once.  He said, “Christianity is always one generation away from extinction.”  As I tour the empty churches of Italy I am reminded of how close we in America could become just like Europe.  Don’t become a curator of a museum!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

You have probably heard the phrase “trickle down economics.”  The concept is that when businesses and wealthy people do well then their wealth trickles down to the rest of us.  Much has been made of this by our politicians who are always trying to make class warfare a ticket to election.  Yet the phrase does indeed have merit to it from a historical stand point.  When business does well in America the wealth is spread around.  I won’t argue the point here as we try not to be political.  However I do believe in the concept especially as it relates to your offering plate.

Let me illustrate.  I am now a small businessman.  It is weird for me to think of myself this way.  I still think of myself as a minister who helps churches raise funds.  However, we do exist to pay our bills and feed ourselves.  We believe in the concept of tithing.  To us that is the minimum and we try to give beyond the tithe.  So, my church benefits by an increased tithe when our business does well.  When we struggle our tithe is less.  I call that trickle down giving.

How many small businessmen and women do you have in your church?  How many members salaries are based upon what they sell or make?  Your members give based upon how their business is doing.  When business is good they give more.  When business is poor they have less to give.  So you have a vested interest in how your business people are doing.  What are you doing during these challenging times to encourage your business people?  Here are some things I would encourage you to do.

• Work hard to understand what it is like for your members who are in business for themselves.  Read something other than the sports page!  Be aware of their issues.
• Go visit them.  Talk to them.  Ask them what they are facing.  What are their fears?  What challenges exist for them?  If I were you I would make it my goal to meet with at least one person a week who owns their own business or is a business person.
• Pray with them and for them.  Why not take one or two to lunch or coffee.  Ask them how you can pray for their business.  Then pray for them right there in Starbucks!  Keep a business prayer journal of requests given to you.  Write them down in their presence and tell them you will continue to pray for them.
• Start a small group meeting of your business people.  They don’t care if you don’t know beans about business.  You know about leadership so focus on developing leadership with these men.  Find some good books to read and discuss.  Allow them to network with one another and build each other up.  This could even be a means of outreach for you.  What your business people need to know is that you care for them.

Frankly most pastors are intimidated by those that we feel have wealth or are in business.  What that means is we ignore these people and their needs.  What you fail to realize is they are just like every other member of your church.  They need ministering to just as much as the next person.  Few ever get the kind of ministry that they need.  Sadly not one minister throughout this whole challenging time of the economy has ever asked me how they can pray for my business.  Don’t let that be said by the business people of your church.  When they are blessed financially they in turn return that blessing.  It’s called trickle down giving.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

The best course of action for your church might be to delay your next capital stewardship campaign.  You might find that a surprising comment coming from a guy who to a large degree makes his living helping churches with their capital campaigns.  We live by the mantra ,It is better to be right than on time!  What we mean by this is that when you are asking donors to cough up even more money you had better have all your ducks lined up.  Any unanswered question could cause them to push back on committing dollars to your campaign.  Getting the campaign right can mean the difference in hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The following list gives you some thoughts of when it might be best to delay your campaign.

It’s August and you have not yet started on the campaign.  Good campaigns take six months on average to pull off effectively.  They can be done in less time IF all your planets are aligned.  Why hurry something this important?

There are major questions you have not answered.  I once asked a committee what banks were telling them about potentially loaning them five times their annual budget for their project.  The reply was that they did not think it would be a problem.  Think is not a strategy.  Donors will ask that question and if you don’t know the answer they will wait to give significantly until you have an answer.  The financing question is simply one of many questions you need to have answer for.

You don’t know the questions donors are asking.  It’s the unknown unknowns that derail campaigns.  Some questions you know you need answer to like the above point.  There are other issues that the people in the pews, or chairs, might have that could cause you to raise significantly less if you are not aware of them.  For this reason we take the time to do a good feasibility study to uncover key issues well before a campaign launch.  Few companies do this.  It takes time to do it right but the results can save you from blowing your leg off.  Once the campaign is in progress it is usually too late to resolve issues that come up.

The need is not pressing.  One of our clients is working on a campaign to pay down debt.  They have a significant cash reserve from which they can pay their monthly payments from while we work to fine tune the campaign process.  There were questions their donors had that needed to be resolved before we launched the next campaign.  Their need for money was not pressing and three months delay is not going to break them.  If you don’t need money immediately then our advice is to slow down the process and do it right.

These are just a few of the reasons it might be good for you to delay the commitment process of your campaign.  However please understand that this advice is only to delay for a few months not indefinitely.  Even if you decide against a fall campaign and move out to a spring campaign you need to understand that the campaign process has already begun.  Don’t make the mistake when you delay your campaign of thinking that you no longer need to work on the campaign.  We are in the process now of beginning to work with clients on their spring campaigns.  These campaigns have a greater likelihood of being successful.  They also will not press the staff and leaders into hurry up mode.  Hurry is the death of good campaigns!

So, if you are thinking about a fall campaign it could be a good idea to delay the commitment process until spring.  You still need to be working on getting your ducks lined up.  That is where we can help.  Call us today.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group