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Every day our Marketing department reports on calls made to pastors and church leaders who say that their project is on hold while they wait for the economy to get better. That is not good for a company whose primary business is in helping churches and Christian ministries raise capital funds. More importantly it is not good for Kingdom growth. Now when our country is looking for leadership more than ever the church is pulling back. When faith should be compelling us too often fear is driving us. The actions of the church during this trying economic time will teach more about what we truly believe than a hundred sermons on faith. Sadly I fear we are teaching the wrong thing. In this edition of The Stewardship Coach we will explore the myth surrounding this recession, the truth about giving and suggest a plan of action for you.
First, let me admit that I have a vested interest in this topic. I like to get paid! The more Christian ministries that have campaigns, the more likely that I will have work. The fewer that move forward then it gets harder to meet our commitments. I readily admit that as we say in the south, ìI have a dog in this hunt.î However, first and foremost, this is Godís calling for my life just as surely as being a pastor for twenty years was His calling upon my life. I do what I do from conviction not from convenience. While I do have a vested financial interest in churches moving forward or not as a Christian and as a minister my ultimate desire is to see the Kingdom advance. Tragically what I am seeing now is a set back for the church and for Christian leaders.
Having admitted my bias I hope that you can admit yours and think critically about the arguments advanced in this article.
A banker friend of mine called me the other day and reported that the business administrator of the church he attended told him giving to churches was down by 20%. My friend forgets that he had written the same thing last year in an email to clients. At that time I challenged him as to how this staff member had arrived at that conclusion. The answer is that every Monday he calls ten other business administrators around the country and that is what they are all reporting. My first reaction was that I would find some new friends. I spent the better part of two days researching what I could find about the current state of giving in the church. I emailed him my findings which stated that giving might indeed be down in 2008 by as much as 10% but it was no where near the 20% he had stated in his email to clients. What I found was that it was a mixed bag. Some churches were indeed experiencing a slow down in giving, though not nearly at the 20% level. Other churches were actually maintaining or even seeing increases in their giving. My friend corrected his email but now several months later he is back to spreading the same unsubstantiated myth.
Unsubstantiated myths can often lead us to incorrect conclusions that ultimately lead to ineffective actions. The number one ineffective action we see is…
Delaying project development. While it may seem like the wrong time to consider building delaying your next project could set you back years and cost you thousands of dollars. Delaying a project for fear of decreased giving has several causes attended to it. They include…
Loss of momentum. On average new projects result in a ten to sometimes thirty per cent increase in attendance and giving. Delaying your project in hopes of raising more later could in actuality be costing you growth in both attendance and dollars raised.
Increased construction costs. On average building costs escalate from ten to twenty per cent every year. That $4 million dollar building in todayís dollars might cost you $5 million in a couple of years.
Lost funds. While it is true that pledging will be less than in a more robust economy delaying a campaign causes you to lose dollars that will go else where. While Americans are cutting back on expenses we still are spending this year well over $40 BILLION on our pets! You will never get back the dollars you put off raising.
This is the eleventh recession since WWII. In three of those recessions giving actually went up. While I project that over all giving will be down anywhere from 5% to as much as 10% many churches have seen their gifts increase. In fact nearly all of our clients saw their giving increase in 2008. One church, that runs about a 1,000 each Sunday saw giving go up by 48%! This was in addition to receiving $750K in their capital campaign.
What keys do we see in churches that see giving increase despite economic times?
They have a compelling vision that they regularly communicate. Always remember that good vision trumps bad economy. Americans have money they are simply hesitant to spend it. Give them a reason to give!
They are accomplishing things for the Kingdom. Churches that are seeing their giving increase are showing that they are doing great things for the Kingdom. If all you are doing is paying the light bill do not be surprised if few get excited about giving to your ministry. Talk up your wins for the Kingdom.
They teach stewardship on a regularly and positively. It is a myth that churches talk too much about money. The truth is we have not talked about it enough. The churches that have taught stewardship from a healthy perspective are weathering this storm better than those that hide the offering plate and are afraid to ever mention money.
They have a plan and they work their plan. Most churches have an evangelism plan, a growth plan, etc. but few have a stewardship plan. Churches that are successful at raising funds despite what the economy is doing have a plan of action.
I recently received the following email from a client whose response shows the value of having a realistic plan of action. His email to me stated, ìMark, Some of our finance guys are getting worried. One even suggested tonight that we delay the campaign for 6 months. This is my inspiration to them this evening.
Dear Finance Team,
Iím in full support of this budget. It is a careful expense budget based on fair or relatively conservative estimates by our people. However, we all realize these are very uncertain times, and we need to watch developments very closely in the days ahead. We will do that.
I will meet with the Pastors Team next week to begin to outline a ìPlan Bî to recommend to the Finance Team about what to do if we see serious changes to our current estimates on revenue. We will put together a plan for priorities for further reductions if they become necessary. We will present that plan to the Finance Team the next time we meet and weíll watch closely now to see what develops.
My commitment is as follows:
Now that is true leadership! He is not sticking his head in the sand ignoring the times we live in. He is realistic yet always filled with faith. This is how you navigate through difficult times.
This pastor closed his note to his Finance Team by saying, ìThe funding is a significant detail, but it pales in comparison to people getting God in their lives. Letís keep going with great energy, inspiration, and joy. Our people will take their cues from our leaders. You are leaders; so, letís give them giving cues that will inspire them!
That is my closing word to you my readers. You are leaders, so, letís give them cues that will inspire those that we lead for the sake of the Kingdom! Rise up oh men of God!
Mark Brooks
Founder and President of The Charis Group
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