You remember the old adage, “Don’t put all your eggs into one basket?”  That adage is true when it comes to giving.  Most churches utilize  only one means of collecting donations, the offering.  While I am a huge proponent of the importance of the offering I am at the same time convinced that churches need to provide multiple options for giving.  Americans love choices and the church can easily give people a choice of how they give.

Let’s talk about the multiple options that your church should have.

First don’t abandon what works, the offering, simply make it better!  My feelings are that the offering is one of the most boring times during our worship service.  We need to re-think and re-design how we approach the offering.  We need to make it meaningful and worshipful.  I wrote an e-book called “Elevator Pitch Your Offerings,” to help to that end.  You can get a copy here http://thecharisgroup.org/ebooks/elevator-pitch-your-offerings/  Placing more emphasis upon the offering will help increase your giving.

Set up online giving.  It is  much easier than you think.  Online giving is not simply for large churches it is for every church.  Having an online giving page on your website expands your ability to gain donations.

Set up EFT giving.  Electronic Fund Transfer or Direct Deposit allows your members to set up recurring giving through their bank.  Recurring giving helps people stay current with their tithe and offerings.

Make sure your website is mobile.  Increasingly people are using their Smartphones to access the internet.  If your giving page is not set up so that it can be easily navigated with a Smartphone it will limit the amount of money you can take in.  Again, it is relatively inexpensive to set up mobile websites.

Have an App for your church.  Apps allow people to more easily access all your church information.  A good app should have a giving button or tab that easily connects people to your giving page.  Once again the price point is very inexpensive so that even the smallest church can afford one.

Use QR codes.  QR codes are those weird black boxes you are seeing now on all sorts of things.  Using your Smartphones QR reader you can scan the bar code and be taken to a website.  I encourage churches to put QR codes to their giving pages on their Sunday bulletin allowing people to use their Smartphones to give wherever they are.

Giving kiosks.  Once again the emergence of technology is allowing churches to more easily set up their own giving portals.  Every church should have giving stations by which people can make contributions.  If you don’t want to work with a company that provides kiosks you can set up your own by simply using a iPad.

Giving envelopes.  It might seem old school but envelopes still work.  I encourage my clients to have postage paid metered envelopes that go into direct mailing such as your quarterly statements.  You will be surprised how many checks will come back to you in the mail if you give people this option to give.

The point of all of the above is to make giving easy.  By providing multiple options you increase the opportunities by which people can give.  This in turn will help increase giving at your church.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

PS. If all of the above is lost upon you we here at The Charis Group can provide all of the above services for you at a price that is affordable.  Contact us today to see how you can put your eggs in multiple baskets to raise more money!

The stewardship firm I use to work with had a salesman that once told a church committee that was considering us for a capital campaign, “20% of you give 80% of the money.  We are going to help get the 80% to do their part!”  That sounds great.  There is only one problem, it is a sales statement devoid of facts.

First, while it is popular opinion that 20% gives 80% it really is not quite that.  The percentages vary from church to church.  The reality is that the few give the majority of any churches or ministries funds.

The second more hard reality is that those “80%” will not by and large support your capital campaign anyway.  To some degree this is an issue of economics.  The larger reality is that it is a spiritual issue.  When people give little to nothing to your church it reveals a heart problem not a pocket book problem.  So, how do you expect to get someone who gives $5 a week to your church to pledge to give you some larger amount over three years?

Yet I find that many firms and churches expend an inordinate amount of time trying to get the “80%” to give or pledge.  I still hear pastors and others saying things like, “If everyone would tithe…”  The truth is everyone will not tithe.  Not now, not ever.  That is reality.  I wish they would, I pray they will, I work to get more to give but at the end of the day I have to realize it simply will not happen.  Never has never will.  So, adjust to the reality and move forward.

How should this temper your view and guide your time and decisions as a pastor?  Here are some thoughts…

• Set realistic expectations.  One of the biggest mistakes I find in stewardship is unrealistic expectations.  Stop dreaming and face reality!
• Don’t treat all donors alike.  George Barna in his book “How to Increase Giving to Your Church,” writes, “Effective fund-raising churches refuse to treat all people as equals – and people truly are not when it comes to giving.  Most of these churches develop some kind of segmentation strategy in which they categorize the congregation into types of donors.”
• Spend more time with your top end donors to raise more money for ministry.  This isn’t favoritism.  You are not giving them special parking slots.  These donors give to vision and they need to personally hear your heart and passion.  You should have a specific strategy for all those in your top end.  By the way you would be surprised how little a person has to give to be in your top end.
• Never give up on the other “80%.”  I am not contradicting myself.  I am simply stating that when it comes to time management you are better off spending your time with those that will more readily give than those that will not.  However in your teaching and preaching our desire is to make disciples.  Disciples give.  Work to make disciples of the other 80%.  Simply realize that this will take time and if your campaign pledging is mere weeks away the 80% will not be spiritually ready.
• Even the little that the 80% gives can still be significant.  I wish they tithed.  I wish they gave more.  However their small gifts can add up to hundreds and even thousands of dollars to your budget or campaign.  So don’t discount any gift.

Many years ago I heard my former boss, John Maxwell say, “You cannot get a person who is a 2 in some area of their life to move to be an 8.  At best you might get them to move to be a 3 or a 4.  Your goal is to work with those that are 6,7, and 8′s and improve their leadership ability.”  The same can be said of your donor base.  Work with those that have the most potential to improve not those that consistently stay at the bottom.  In the end you will raise more money.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

One of the biggest reasons churches do not raise the money they need is that many pastors are afraid to talk about money let alone ask for it.  No preacher wants to be “that preacher,” the one who always talks about money.  So, the pendulum swings in the opposite direction and many pastors never talk about money.  I preached recently at a church where the former pastor had never preached on giving or money in his entire twelve year ministry there.  Would it surprise you to learn the church is struggling to make budget?

One reason why most preachers shy away from talking about money is fear.  I was reminded of this as I was reading my quiet time a few days ago in the book of I Samuel.  I read where King Saul had failed to fully obey God’s commands because as he said, “I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them.”  His disobedience ultimately cost him his crown.  While your failing to talk about money or asking for donations might not cost you your job it will mean you will raise less funds and be challenged to do the ministry you dream about.

Why is it that pastors are so afraid to talk about money?  In my book, “Stewardship Myths,” I wrote the following about why pastors fail to talk about giving…

“It’s unpopular and we like to be liked. No preacher wants to hear, “All you ever talk about at church is money.” I think the bottom line is that we like being liked and don’t want to do anything that will cause the above statement to be reinforced. So we go out of our way to not mention money.

It often makes the leader uncomfortable. Closely akin to the above point I find that many don’t like to talk about stewardship because it makes them feel uncomfortable. They struggle dealing with difficult topics knowing it will rub some the wrong way.”

In my new book soon to be released, “The Top Ten Stewardship Mistakes Churches Make,” I have a chapter entitled, “Falling to the Fear Factor.”  In that chapter I talk about two major reasons that causes pastors to fail to talk about money.  The firsts is that we don’t want to drive “seekers” away.  The second is we have heard that “some” of our members grumble.  Here is what I wrote with regards to this small yet vocal minority of the church…

“How many times has a church been stopped in their tracks by “they?”  Who are “they?”  You know who I mean.  ”They” are upset with your talk about a stewardship campaign.  ”They” think the church mismanages the funds.  “They” think any talk about giving is one talk too many.  “They” certainly get their feathers ruffled if “they” think you know they are not giving!  Guess what?  The “theys” of church life are the ones who are not giving.  Any talk of giving causes guilt pangs within them.  So, they grumble to friends and others and those rumors make their way up line.”

Basically what happens is that preachers out of fear have failed to preach the whole counsel of God.  Could this fear of what people might say be one reason for the steady decline in giving?  We need to remember that Jesus talked more about money and possessions than any other topic!  It is time we stop allowing the tail to wag the dog.  It is time we stop letting the carnal of our church hold back the mission of the church.  It is time preachers get over their fear of talking about money.  People have problems with money, the Bible has answers to that problem and we need to preach and teach that to help our people.

Remember, when you preach on giving it is not about money.  It is about missions, ministry and obedience.  When was the last time you preached a stewardship message?  If you have to think about it then it might have been too long ago.  Don’t succumb to the fear factor.  Don’t be afraid to ask for money.  In doing so you are fueling the dreams and visions God has given you.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

The best way to raise funds at your church is by utilizing the power of the pulpit!  For those that have done away with the pulpit let me rephrase that.  The best way to raise funds at your church is by utilizing the power of the platform!    Yet few churches use this free and easy tool.  From the platforms and pulpits of American there is a virtual silence on stewardship.  Could that be one reason why giving as a percentage of income has fallen from 3.11% in 1968 to around 2.3% now?

Every church has at least two opportunities every week from their platform in which to increase their giving.  The sermon and the offering.  To raise funds you need to…

Preach on it!  The sad reality is that many pastors miss this opportunity as they fail to preach on giving or stewardship.  One study showed that only 32% had heard a sermon in the last year on stewardship.  At more and more churches there is less and less preaching on stewardship. One of the best studies on the power of preaching and giving comes from the classic George Barna book,  ”How to Increase Giving in Your Church.”  He found that churches in which pastors preach…

• Single messages about giving raise more money than do churches in which no stewardship takes place.
• Two or more nonconsecutive messages do not have any advantage over churches that only preach on stewardship once a year.
• Two or more consecutive messages about stewardship raise more money than do those churches that only hear one message a year.
• Churches in which pastors preach two or more consecutive messages about stewardship matters raise significantly more money than churches that hear two or more nonconsecutive stewardship messages.
• 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.

If you want to increase giving in your church plan now to add a stewardship series into your preaching schedule.  You might just make budget this year if you do.

Pass the plate!  With the rise of the Contemporary Church movement many churches stopped passing the plate in an attempt to try and attract unbelievers.  Ironically many of the largest and fastest growing churches in America do pass a weekly offering plate.  If you are not passing the plate you are missing the opportunity to fully fund missions and ministry at your church.

Yet the offering is one of the most boring moments of our time of worship.  Most churches never even give any thought or planning to the offering time.  It has become an after thought.  I believe we need to rethink our approach to taking up the collection.  I wrote an e-book entitled, “Elevator Pitch Your Offerings,” that gives you 52 one to two minutes stewardship messages.  It sells for only $9.95 which means that each message costs you less than $.20.

The premise of the book is to get Christian leaders to think about how they set up the offering.  It provides helpful directions and then gives 52 timely messages that any church can use.  While I would love to have you purchase the book the more important thing is that you re-evaluate how you set up and take your offerings.  It really is not hard.  It simply takes some thought and planning.

Start this week thinking about how you can use your pulpit or platform to enhance giving at your church.  There are many ways to educate and inspire your members and attendees to give.  The two best will always be the offering and the power of the spoken Word.  Are you using those tools effectively?

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

PS.  If you want more information about my book, “Elevator Pitch Your Offerings,” you can check it out here http://thecharisgroup.org/ebooks/elevator-pitch-your-offerings/

The economy has greatly impacted the results of capital stewardship campaigns.  If any stewardship firm tells you the average of what you can raise in a capital stewardship campaign is one and a half to three times your annual operating budget you need to dismiss them immediately.  First, there has never been an independent study of the results of capital campaigns.  So no one really knows what the average is or was.  The vast majority of firms basically fudge their numbers to tell you something that looks attractive.  They also fail to tell you that three times is extremely rare and ALWAYS driven by large gifts.  Does Bill Gates or Warren Buffett go to your church?  No, well you had better set your sights lower.

The hard reality is that the economy has impacted capital campaigns.  The following are my observations about what we are seeing as a result of the economy and its impact upon campaigns.

• The economy remains on everyone’s mind thus creating continued unease and worry about the future.
• Asking people to make a three year pledge when they are uncertain if they will have a job in three months is one reason why pledge amounts are off.
• More people are moving away from pledges to simply giving as they feel they can afford additional donations.
• Those that do pledge are much more conservative in the amount they put down on a card.
• These donors typically finish their pledges early and more easily.
• High Capacity donors are more conservative in their pledge due in part to the volatility of the Stock Market.
• The percentage of pledge to budget ratio is more like one times a churches annual operating budget.
• The vast majority of capital campaigns are debt reductions due to the fact that lending to churches is still tight.
• Debt reduction campaigns are typically less effective than raising dollars to build.  In part this is due to the fact they are are second, third or fourth consecutive campaigns.

Those are a few of the major realities that we have seen in the last few years.  As the saying goes, “It is what it is.”  However this does not mean you cannot raise funds.  Here are my recommendations based upon the observations listed above…

• Churches need to readjust their expectations to the new realities caused by the economy.
• Excitement about a project does not mean your donors have any additional money to give to it.
• Raising one times your budget is better than raising nothing!
• Waiting until the economy gets better simply means you are losing money.
• People will give if you cast a reasonable and compelling vision.
• While the percentage of those that pledge is lower, studies show that those that pledge give more than those that do not.
• Follow Up is more important than ever to gain additional dollars from those that did not pledge and those that finish early.
• If you are in a multiple campaign situation each successive campaign takes more creativity and work and frankly raises less than the first campaign.

Let me be clear and say that even though it is more challenging today to raise funds for capital projects it can done.  You might have to adjust your expectations but it does not mean you have to delay your project or put off the campaign.  It is more difficult.  However don’t let the times dissuade you from follow God’s leading.  Always remember, good vision trumps bad economy!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

PS.  Did you know we give away our campaign manual for free?  Why would we do that?  We believe the true value of what we do is not in our manual but in the expertise we bring to the table.  To get your free manual go here http://thecharisgroup.org/free-manual/

Is online giving really important for a church?  Matt Branaugh is the Director of Editorial for the Church Management Team at Christianity Today.  He recently wrote a blog on “Five Online Giving Lessons For Churches.”  You can find the link of that post listed at the end of my article.  It is a good post and raises questions that we in the church world need to consider.  Matt is a good writer and I say that not because he often reposts my stuff but because it is true.  While I will let you read the post and arrive at your own conclusions I do want to weigh in with some observations.

If you read the post you will find at the bottom that I added a comment.  Matt and I are on the same page for the most part though I think I view the importance of online giving a bit differently.  Matt in his post called online giving a sliver.  While I agree that online giving is small at present it is growing and will at some point be larger than what a church takes in weekly through the offering.  In my comment I stated that several of my clients, churches, see 30% of what they receive come electronically, either through kiosks, online giving or automatic withdrawals.  My fear is that too many not only do not see the potential of online giving but miss the fact that how Americans do commerce has changed and will continue to change.  More and more we are depending on cash and checks less.  There are countless studies that show this.

My position, one that has drastically changed in the last year, is that the typical church goer arrives at church without their check book or much cash.  So when the offering plate is passed they have little or nothing to contribute.  This is true not only for Millennials, Gen-Xers, but for old dudes like me.  Only your disciplined church attendees come ready to give.  To increase giving and to reach the other half of your attendees you have make giving easy.  Thus my push for electric and online giving.

Having said that let me say that some of the questions Matt raises are good for continued thought.  Here is my list from not only his original post, his reply to my reply of his post and our Twitter conversation of yesterday.

Are the amounts coming in electronically representing gains beyond what was previously collected–or are the collections just the same dollars received in a new way?  The honest answer is that no one has done a definitive study on this.  Admittedly the number of churches that we work with is small compared to the over 350K in America.  So, only time will tell whether or not this increases giving.

However, my observations are two fold with regards to IF electronic and online giving increases giving or not.  First, studies do show that building consistency with your donors increases the amount of what they give.  Recurring payments allow members to make the first check out to God so to speak and thus eliminates missing a Sunday and then forgetting to make it up the next Sunday.  Secondly, allowing people to give online or electronically addresses those that never carry cash and thus increases the likelihood of any donation from them.  This may be small but it could represent a 1% to 3% increase which for many churches is significant.

Isn’t the concept of a cashless society more theory than actual reality?  It is already here.  Conduct your own study.  The next time you go to Starbucks or McDonald’s watch the percentage of transactions that are cash or plastic.  Read the papers.  Recently the headlines talked about how Sweden is moving towards a cashless system.  A recent Rasmussen survey found that 43% of Americans went a week without using cash.  They found that convenience of using a credit or debit card apparently is ruling consumer preferences.  So, it might not be true in your house but it is the trend of America.

I don’t believe that any time soon we will see the elimination of cash or checks.  I simply believe that we have reached a tipping point where fewer use them.  We have certainly come along way in the last twenty years.  What will the next twenty bring?  Churches need to admit the obvious and adapt to meet Americans preferred way to do financial transactions.

Won’t setting up e-giving be time consuming and costly especially for small churches?  It could be but it is easier than you think.  While many think this is only something that large churches should do or could afford to do it is cheaper than you think.  We are as a firm quickly moving to provide this service for churches.  Already we help design Apps for under $500 for set up and $39.95 a month for hosting.  You will find that setting up online giving is not that expensive.  The major hurdle for churches is simply believing that it is worth their while to establish this system.

Some will always prefer the physical act of giving as a part of our worship.  This is to me one of the greatest challenges of electronic and online giving.  How do we keep it from losing what giving truly is, worship?  I frankly as of yet do not have a good answer.  I firmly believe in the offering and that it is a part of worship.  Giving online does diminish that somewhat.  How as a family can you teach giving to your children when they see you pass the plate without putting anything in it?  Some churches have encouraged putting in an empty envelope stating that you gave online.  One church lets members who give by kiosk put in a receipt of their gift.   More thought needs to be given to how we can make online and electronic giving worshipful.

Don’t put all your eggs into one basket.  Matt and I agree firmly on one thing, churches need to provide multiple options for members to give.  While online giving might be small no amount of money should be discounted.  Americans love options and that holds true when it comes to giving.  Give your members multiply options by which to give and you will increase the amount that is given.

So, is online giving important for a church?  I believe it is.  While some will benefit more than others ALL churches need to consider online giving.  We might be closer to a cashless society than you think and it is in your best interest to begin the infrastructure to support the way your members do business.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Read Matt Branaugh’s post here http://blog.managingyourchurch.com/2012/05/five_online_giving_lessons_for_1.html

The best athletes work to get better.  My friend Jimmy Washington once visited the training camp of the Indianapolis Colts the year after their then quarterback Peyton Manning had been named the NFL’s most Valuable Player.  What impressed Jimmy was watching how Manning was personally coached on his technique and plays.  Here was the best quarterback in the league working with coaches to improve his game.  Manning is not alone in having coaches work to make him better.  The best always work to get better.

Which leads me to my question, who coaches you?  If you are like most pastors, myself included, you spent hours in college and seminary studying.  Most of what we studied essentially stayed in the classroom.  I never can recall anyone in my churches asking about the Council of Nicaea or any other thing that I had studied so hard about.  The vast majority of our colleges and seminaries under train our ministers for the reality of church life.  Little of what I learned in college or seminary was actually applied to real ministry when I was a pastor.  My guess is that the same is true for you.

So, what most pastors and Christian leaders have to do is self teach themselves.  It is one reason why there are so many conferences, books, webinars and other post educational offerings to pastors and Christian leaders.  All of these are an attempt to fill a void in the education and preparation of our ministerial staffs.  Your college and seminary gave you a good base.  It is now up to you to build upon that base.  If you are not ever learning you are in trouble of becoming ineffective.

The Lack of Stewardship Training

Nowhere is this more important than in the realm of stewardship.  One study showed that 77% of U. S. clergy are very or extremely satisfied with their seminary training on theological and liturgical issues.  A mere 7% are similarly satisfied with their seminary training on financial duties.  The same survey revealed that 83% of U. S. pastors are very or extremely satisfied with their experience of pastoral duties, while only 33% are similarly satisfied with their experience in handling financial matters.  However, when asked about their level of interest in taking continuing education courses on various subjects courses on finances ranked the lowest.

So, do you see a problem?  Pastors admit they do not feel trained in the area of finances and stewardship and they don’t feel satisfied in how they have handled these areas of ministry.  Yet they really don’t want to learn how to get better at this?  Could this be one reason giving has continued to decline from 3.11% to 2.38% of Americans disposable incomes?

The number one stewardship mistake of churches is the disconnected pastor.  You might not like that statement but in my nearly 14 years in the Stewardship field I can tell you this is true.  The churches that struggle the most with giving are the ones where the pastor shows little or no interest in stewardship.  If the pastor is not concerned with giving who will be?

One way to correct this is to have a coach.  More and more of what we do as a stewardship firm is simply coaching pastors.  From large churches to small we help pastors get better in the area of stewardship.  Here is what three of my clients recently sent me with regards to my coaching of them…

“Mark Brooks has provided for us an incredible depth of knowledge, intriguing insights, and does it all in an interesting way.  As a former Pastor, his theology of stewardship comes only from the Word of God, being interpreted through the context of the local church. Mark communicates with people and churches with both conviction and compassion. You will not be disappointed with Mark Brooks,”

Dr. Ronnie W. Floyd, Senior Pastor Cross Church The 66^th largest church in America

“Mark Brooks has been a key partner as we have grown from 200 to 1700.  During that time our giving has increased by over 170%. His wisdom, knowledge and insight remain invaluable.”

Shane Bishop Senior Pastor Christ Church The Eighth fastest growing UMC church in America

“Mark Brooks has helped our church raise millions of dollars in both capital campaigns and for our yearly budget.  His coaching has helped lighten my load as a pastor and made me more effective in ministry.  I am blessed to not only call him my stewardship coach but also my friend.”

James Washington Senior Pastor Phillips Temple One of the largest African American churches in America

These guys are some of the best at what they do and yet they are working to get better.  They each have seen the value of having a stewardship coach.  What about you?  Who coaches you?  Contact us today to find out how to get your own affordable coaching.  We take your best and make it better!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Facebook is all the buzz right now.  Not only are they about to go public and reap Billions of dollars, by August of 2012 it is projected that Facebook will hit 1 Billion users!  Many of those billions are members of your church. Out of the current nearly 900 million users worldwide 161 million are from the U.S.  Do you connect with your followers via Facebook?  If not you could be missing one of the best ways to tell your churches story and connect with your members.

Why should your church use Facebook?  The numbers above should be reason enough.  Also we have to realize that Facebook is THE social media tool of the majority of people in America.  It is the electronic version of the water cooler or the neighborhood porch.  It is where America gathers to talk about family, fun and what ever is on their mind.  It has become America’s scrapbook.  Facebook gives you a window into the lives of millions of people.  Facebook is how we catch up with old friends, keep relatives updated on the kids and grand kids and how we journal the story of our lives.  Why would your church NOT have a Facebook page.

Apart from the above reasons churches should love Facebook as it is free and easy to use!  Facebook is perhaps the world’s cheapest marketing platform in the history of the world.  Your church can spread the news of what you are doing to your members.  Having a Facebook page allows them to connect to all the ministries of your church.

How to Raise More Money Using Facebook

One of the best ways to motivate people to give is to show them what dollars given to your church accomplish.  I always advise our clients to tell their story.  A good vision trumps a poor economy all the time.  Show people what your ministries are accomplishing and they will give and continue to give.  Here are some practical ideas for you to consider…

• First get a Facebook page for your church and begin posting continual updates and pictures.  There is nothing worse than an out of date web page or Facebook page.  Use the tool and it will bring results.
• Consider a page for each major ministry of your church.  For instance you might have one for your Children’s Ministry, one for Student Ministry and one for Senior Adults.  Yes, Senior Adults are one of the fastest growing segments of Facebook.  My 83 year old mom spends more time on Facebook than I do!
• Regularly mention your Facebook page in all your other links and announcements.  You have to drive traffic to your page.
• Make sure someone on every church event is taking pictures.  Nothing tells your story like pictures of your members involved in ministry.  This alone will keep members coming back to the page.
• Use Facebook to announce upcoming ministry and mission events.  You might show pictures of the same event from last year.
• Every time you have a major event post news of the event and pictures for people to see.
• Allow your people to contribute to the pages and thus open up an interactive communications avenue for everyone in your church.
• Frequently make statements like, “Without the faithful donations of members like you, mission events like this would never happen.  Thank you for your gifts!”
• Have a link on your Facebook page back to your giving portal so that people touched by your story and pictures can give to support that work.

The bottom line is to tell your story and link ministry to giving.  The more money we raise the more ministry we can do.  Facebook is a tool with unlimited potential to get your message out.  By connecting with your members to what you are doing and showing them how their gifts matter you will set the stage to have your appeals for money be more readily accepted.  So, what are you waiting for, get a Facebook account set up now!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

PS.  I am taking my own advice and working on The Charis Group’s Facebook page.  You can find us here http://www.facebook.com/TheCharisGroup

If you don’t know what Twitter is you might be showing your age.  Or you might not be paying attention to what is happening around you.  Twitter made the news last year as protesters in Egypt and other countries used it to get the message out about their positions.  So you should have by now heard about it.

Twitter, founded six years ago, is one of the most popular instant messaging platforms that allows a user to post messages of only 140 characters.  Those messages are called Tweets.  Twitter has become so popular that many feel it will eclipse e-mail as the primary form of online communication.  While I am yet to get on that band wagon I do believe in Twitter and use it extensively.

I once knew a pastor who remarked that Twitter was the most narcissistic thing he had ever seen.  That pastor has long since given up that view and now tweets regularly.  In fact at a recent conference he held at his church he continually fired out tweets of key points the speakers were saying.  I know because I was following his tweets.

If you are not on Twitter you need to be.  If you are not using Twitter to help increase giving at your church you are missing one of the easiest and cheapest ways to communicate with your members.  Let me give you a few reasons why you should be on Twitter.

First, it’s where many of your people are getting information.  Consider the following…

1. Twitter reached 500k users 1 year and a half after launching
2. Twitter reached 1 billion tweets shortly after 3 years.
3. Today Twitter easily has more than 250 million tweets per day.
4. Twitter recently eclipsed 500 million total users and is on track to have 250 million active users by the end of 2012.

Second, it is free to sign up and easy to use.  It is so easy even a caveman could do it!  I know that is someone else’s ad but it is true.  The only challenge is that you have to limit your message to only 140 characters.

OK, so that is why you should use it but how would you use it to increase giving?  Twitter allows you a platform to tell your story.  One of the best ways to motivate people to give is to show them how their gift makes an impact. Consider this tweet…

This coming wk 100′s of kids will attend VBS here and have their lives changed forever.  Your gift helps make that happen!  Thanks 4 giving!

That is exactly 140 characters.  Spaces count so you have to be creative.  Notice, wk for week, 100′s for hundreds, 4 for for.  Or here is another one …

Snow made it hard for many to attend. Did you know you can give online? To do that go to www.yourgivingportal.gothere

Obviously it will not look exactly like that.  In fact Twitter will shorten the web link allowing you to still type in enough of your message AND use the link to direct people to where you want them to go.  You could use Twitter to drive people to your sign up pages for events but also to your online giving portals.

You can also get free programs that post Tweets even while you are asleep.  I use a tool called Buffer to post my tweets throughout the day.  It is free and you can find it here http://bufferapp.com/  There are other tools like it and having them simplifies things are allows you to be more effective in your tweets.  For instance the minute I finished writing this post I set up through my Buffer account tweets announcing this post.  I was thus able to do other things while Buffer did the work for me.

With Twitter about the only thing you are limited by is your imagination and well saying it in only 140 characters.  As I think about it if you are a preacher you might need to enlist someone else to do this as most of us cannot say hello in 140 characters!

I would use Twitter for all kinds of communications at my church.  While it will not hit all your members it will hit enough to be worth the time and effort.  Don’t bombard your Twitter followers with too many messages.  Also, while I recommend using Twitter to increase giving to your church I would also advise to use those messages wisely and in a timely manner.

We have so many platforms upon which to tell our story of the amazing things in ministry your church is doing.  People give money to ministries that are making a difference.  Tell your story on Twitter and see if it does not help increase your offerings!

By the way, please follow me on Twitter.  I am @StewardshipMan

Mark Brooks aka @StewardshipMan

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Giving to the church has continually declined from 1968 when Americans gave 3.11% of their incomes to the church to now giving around 2.3% of their incomes to the church.  Despite popular opinion the economy has had little to do with this decline.

In the 1980′s we saw a mass movement away from emphasizing giving with many churches following the Contemporary Church Movement’s de-emphasis of even taking up an offering.  The typical church spends more time before the offering is taken up telling people that they don’t have to give than we do telling people why they should give.  In many churches today we have made it harder to give not easier.  I cannot help but wonder if this is not one reason giving declines year after year?

One of my life goals is to see churches increase what they take in thus enabling them to do more ministry.  One easy way is to re-examine how churches take up the offering.  Let me suggest four simple, easy but effective ways that you can use to increase the amount you take in your weekly offerings.

First, Pass the plate!  If you are not passing some plate, bucket, basket or other means by which people can put money in you are losing funds.  I find it interesting that when I visited one of the most contemporary churches in America, North Point Community in Atlanta, they pass offering buckets.  They have done this since their beginning and have grown to now be the second largest church in America.  They still attract Seekers even though they pass the plate.  So, pass the plate and you will increase your offerings over night.  Passing the plate is one way to make giving easy and it will increase the amount you receive.

Second, Preparation is the key to success.  Why is it that we understand this in so many other areas of Christian ministry but fail to apply this when it comes to the offering.  Here is a test, how much time last week did you spend thinking and planning the offering?  Most if they are honest will have to say very little or none.  Could it be that our thoughtless approach to the offering is one reason giving continually declines?  This week spend some time thinking about how you can improve the offering time during your services.

Third, Position the offering for success.  I am not simply talking about where in the service the offering is taken up.  While that is important what I mean is what you say leading up to the collection.  Most churches simply call the ushers forward and then pray.  You should consider using sixty to ninety seconds to focus in on why giving is important and why it matters.  Last Sunday night at North Point’s Gwinnett Church the pastor got up and read an email from a family telling the story of how the preschool ministry at North Point was such a blessing to their kids.  He then said, “When you give to our offering you are helping support the ministry of our preschool program.”  He linked giving to ministry.  Give people a compelling reason to give and they will give.

At the end of this post you will find a PS listing my e-book, “Elevator Pitch Your Offerings.”  I wrote fifty two one to two minute stewardship messages that will position your offering for success.

Fourth, Prayer is the fount through which dollars flow.  Do you spend time praying for the offering?  I don’t mean the thirty seconds we pray before we pass the plate.  I mean how much time during the week do you pray that the offering will meet the needs of your ministry?  Why is it that our most powerful tool as believers is seldom used with regards to seeing our giving increase?  You should be weekly if not daily be lifting up your offering needs to the Lord.  We pray people will respond to our preaching and teaching.  Why should we not pray that people will respond to the offering?

We need to understand that the offering is not an intrusion into worship it is worship.  If we do not place the importance upon the offering we are not only endangering funding our ministries but we are watering down the Gospel and cheapening discipleship.  These four steps can help you put the offering back to its proper place of worship.  The end result will be more money to do more ministry!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

PS.  I have taken the work out of preparing stewardship messages with my book, “Elevator Pitch Your Offerings.”  It is an e-book that is down loadable and sells for only $9.95.  I have seen other books of this type sell for much more.  This simple but effective book gives you 52 different messages you can use in your church.  I guarantee that it will improve your offering time and help you increase what you bring in weekly.  To find out more go to this link  http://thecharisgroup.org/ebooks/elevator-pitch-your-offerings/