The Fido Impact

Is Fido robbing money from your offering plate?

Could your member's dogs be taking money out of your offering plate? While that might seem fantastic it could indeed be happening to your ministry. All we hear about today is how the economy is impacting charitable giving. Charitable giving only increased by 1% last year and it looks to be heading for a decline this year. I have contended that if it comes down to feeding Fido or giving money in the offering plate you are the one who will be missing a meal not Fido!

To me this reality tells us more about our priorities than about how much the economy is impacting donors. Don't get me wrong I fully agree that people are feeling the effects of this challenging time. I just know that money is continuing to be spent. To give you a good idea of where some of our disposable income is going, income that could be going to your offering plate instead, I have come up with a new set of economic barometers. These measure areas of spending that we as Americans could do without if we had to. It will give you some idea of how the money that is not going into your plate is being spent. Consider my new economic impacts vying for your charitable dollar.

Disposable Income Index

The Pet Index. Americans last year spent $41 billion dollars on their furry friends. That amount is estimated to go up to over $43 billion this year. 63% of Americans have pets. While I don't advocate starving Fife or Fido I do think we have gone a bit crazy with all the pampering of our pets. Ask your members how much they spend on their pets as opposed to how much they give to your ministry. Which is the better investment?
The Candy Index. I was amazed by an article the other day that talked about candy as being inflation proof. Americans spent $29.1 billion on candy in 2007 and the estimates are that it will go over the $30 billion mark this year. When your offering plate is empty your donors might have a Snickers hidden in their purse!
The Fast Food Index. In 2004 the fast food industry alone reported sales of almost $230 billion! Look at a breakdown of the top chains below:
1. McDonalds (Oak Brook, Illinois)...US$21.6 billion in 2006 revenues
2. Yum! Brands including KFC (Louisville, Kentucky)...$9.6 billion
3. Starbucks (Seattle, Washington)...$7.8 billion
4. Darden Restaurants (Orlando, Florida)...$5.6 billion
5. Brinker International (Dallas, Texas)...$4.2 billion
6. Wendy's (Dublin, Ohio)...$2.5 billion
7. Burger King (Miami, Florida)...$2.1 billion
8. Domino's Pizza (Ann Arbor, Michigan)...$1.6 billion
9. Applebee's International (Overland Park, Kansas)...$1.3 billion
If your offering plate is empty I wonder if your donors will eat at Mickey D's on the way home?
The Entertainment Index. Three entertainment areas I track are movies, video games and music. Combined these three comprise $33 billion! Americans spent $10.8 billion on movies. This summer your members are lining up to see The Hulk on Saturday night and passing the plate by without putting money in because the economy is hurting them financially. Consider also that Americans spend $11.6 billion on video games and $10.6 billion on music. This does not count cable or other forms of entertainment to keep us amused.
The Recreation Index. We spend billions on recreation. Consider that membership to health clubs in 2007 increased by 5% to bring their total to $18.5 billion! Now imagine what we spend on bowling, softball, golf, camping, fishing and all the other outdoor activities that we indulge in. When your members say they can not give to your ministry I wonder if Dad's green fee for Saturday's round of golf was the reason?

What do you do with this knowledge?

Here are some thoughts that might be helpful to you.

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 its commanded. However your laying into them will not bring them to change. Besides that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
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?
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.
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.
1. Godís blessing - Jesus said, "Give and it shall be given unto youÖ" 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."
2. 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.

I am not advocating that Fido go hungry or that no one in your church not play golf or have any fun. I am just suggesting that there are dollars out there even in this challenging economy. It may be harder for we as Christian leaders to harvest those dollars but it is possible. Donít give up on your dreams. By casting a compelling vision I truly believe you can rally your members to support it financially. Tough times do not mean you have to give up. Press forward with your dreams today!

Mark Brooks

Check out my new blog The Stewardship Coach at: http://005d0c7.netsolhost.com/blog1/

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