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Stewardship education

The ongoing case of the shrinking offering plate

If you’re associated with one of the hundreds, yeah thousands, of faith-based nonprofits that are eyeing churches as a source of new or increased gifts, I bring you sad tidings. This just in from the Empty Tomb, a Christian research group. Congregational giving has declined for a fourth consecutive years, dropping by a tenth of a percentage point between 2010 and 2011 (the most recent year for which numbers are available).

According to the State of Church Giving Through 2011 report, the only other period of prolonged decline in giving per member was from 1928 through 1934, almost entirely during the Great Depression.Read More »The ongoing case of the shrinking offering plate

A challenge to pastors: embrace the ministry of fundraising

Over the years, I’ve sat through hundreds of prospect review sessions where the giving records of faithful supporters are analyzed down to the dollar. Bumps in giving are cheered, declines worried over, and the next ask planned with care. No one frets that donor files are regularly reviewed by the “right” people. Information is, after all, a fundraiser’s most valuable tool.

It’s the rare ministry CEO who worries that knowing who gives what will prejudice his or her relationship with friends of the organization. In fact, organizational heads usually want more information, not less.

Except, that is, when the CEO is a pastor. Read More »A challenge to pastors: embrace the ministry of fundraising

Speaking of money in church

The spring issue of Leadership Journal had me with the cover and then continued to reel me in with article after article on two of my favorite topics – money and ministry. I could have done without the tagline, “Funding your ministry without losing your soul.” But I understand the editors’ dilemma. It’s likely the journal’s predominantly clergy readership wouldn’t have read on without the disclaimer.

And I’m okay with that. If disclaiming gets pastors and other church leaders talking/thinking/preaching stewardship, disclaim away.Read More »Speaking of money in church

Debtors don’t donors make, unless . . .

It’s commencement season on college and university campuses across America. That wonderful time of year when starry-eyed graduates march into life to the strains of Pomp and Circumstance, diplomas in hand, dreams in their hearts, and a dark cloud of debt over their heads.

Sorry for raining on the graduation parade with my mention of school loans. But with the average debt of today’s college seniors speeding toward $30,000 ($40,000 at private colleges), we need to do more than hand out umbrellas. It’s time to talk honestly about debt.Read More »Debtors don’t donors make, unless . . .

Driving the luddites out of the temple

To say that the congregation with which I worship is late to the technological revolution is an understatement. We’ve been one projector short for weeks and no one seems to notice the blank screen on the left. The church’s website is difficult to navigate. Our Facebook page has racked up a grand total of 15 friends. And our idea of social media is a prayer chain.

In other words, ours is pretty much like every other small to mid-size church in the U.S. and Canada.

Aside from the staffed-up mega-churches, few congregations are maximizing the ministry potential of new technologies and social media. And that, says religion prof Adam Copeland, helps explain (but not completely) the dearth of Millennials under our steeples.Read More »Driving the luddites out of the temple