If you follow NASCAR you will know that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not won a race in a long, long time. In May of 2011 in a NASCAR race Earnhardt was mere feet from putting an end to the longest losing streak of his career. He had it in the bag but he ran out of fuel. In what was a frantic finish to NASCAR’s longest race in history, Earnhardt got the lead right after the restart of a green-white-checker overtime finish to the Coca-Cola 600. Then it happened. In the blink of an eye, Earnhardt went from ending a 104-race winless streak to paving the way for Kevin Harvick to win his series-leading third race of the Sprint Cup season. Earnhardt lost because ran out of fuel a half mile from the finish line.
Have you ever run out of gas? It never happens at a convenient time. You never run out of gas next to a gas station. It is always an inconvenience when we run out of gas. There you sit with all that power under the hood but it’s useless without fuel. A car that will virtually take you anywhere you want to go without gas in the engine is nothing more than a glorified paper weight.
Can you imagine what would happen if the church ran out of fuel? I’m not talking about gasoline in the tank or food in our stomachs. I am talking about the finances that fuel the ministries at your church. Think of how many lives are touched through your church including your family! We all love our church and we love the ministries of our church. Yet without our members’ faithful and sacrificial donations we would quickly run out of fuel.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian about our calling as Christians. He wrote in I Corinthians 9:24, 25 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” Losing a NASCAR race is bad but losing out in the race of eternity is far worse.
What are some of the top mistakes that churches make when it comes to stewardship?
- Failing to Ask. It is not that churches talk too much about money we don’t talk about it enough! Churches that make their budgets are not afraid to focus on money and giving.
- Asking to fail. When we ask we often do it in a manner that leads to failure rather than success. Most “asks” are driven by guilt. Effective “asks” are driven by vision. Good vision trumps bad economy. Give your donors a reason to give!
- Lack of planning. Churches have plans for everything why not a stewardship plan? If you don’t have a plan you are planning on failure.
- Continuing business as usual. Times have changed and your approach to giving has to change as well. Cash and checkbooks are disappearing. How people give is quickly changing. Go mobile or go home!
- Lack of pastoral involvement. The buck stops with you! Churches that are financially successful are the churches that the pastor is involved in the process.
How is your churches fuel tank? If a NASCAR racer runs out of fuel he loses out on the trophy and a large check. However life goes on. For the church the results are far more devastating. We are in an eternal race. We are battling the principalities of this world for Christ’s Kingdom. We dare not fail. Our trophies are not made of metal but are the destiny of the souls of men, women, boys and girls. We must keep our tanks full.
Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group
PS. Free Giving App Webinar Thursday January 26th at 3 PM EST. To register go to https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/616662598
Find out how you can Turbo Charge Your Church's Giving!