“What we did last year to underwrite the budget of the church was not effective at all this year. What do we do? The old ways of doing things are no longer working.” That is the cry of many congregational leaders.

Where doing nothing, or just leading an annual finance campaign, may have been sufficient in the past, most congregations are discovering that that is no longer enough. Research continues to affirm that the financially healthy congregation is working throughout the year, telling ministry stories and inviting Christian stewards to be generous givers.

Financially healthy congregations focus their attention on stewardship rather than on fund-raising. How your church defines stewardship will direct the response you get. There is a difference between funding the budget and funding ministry. The first focuses attention on how much money can you get; the latter focuses on how to help persons be the givers God intends them to be. The first focuses on the budget and how to pay for it; the latter focuses on the person as a Christian steward responding to God’s gift in his or her life.

When your ministry of financial stewardship focuses on an individual’s “being a steward,” you will pay more attention to his/her spiritual growth than to what he or she can afford to give. Sacramental giving, rather than paying the bills, becomes the goal. Giving becomes an act of faith, not an amount pledged. Tithing becomes a way of life, not a formula for giving. One hundred percent of who and what we are, rather than 10% giving—this is what stewardship is all about. What is the focus in your church: people and what they can give, or people and their response to God in their lives?

The Issues
Pastors and lay leaders have raised a number of concerns about financial issues in the local congregation. The following are the most frequent:

The annual finance campaign is becoming less and less effective. The financial campaign in many churches has focused on underwriting the budget, meeting a financial goal. For many years, churches used the “Every Member” canvass with little or no modification year after year. Then came the “Circuit Rider” and “Pony Express” programs. These too focused almost solely on the monetary aspects of underwriting the congregation’s budget. Over time, these programs have proven less and less effective, primarily because members’ attitudes about financing the church have shifted.

Congregations are discovering that using any one annual finance campaign over an extended number of years may be detrimental to the response. Good programs are targeted—directed to different audiences and for different reasons. (Write to the Center for Christian Stewardship, General Board of Discipleship, P.O. Box 340003, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, for an annotated list of finance campaigns; or visit the Stewardship Website at www.gbod.org/stewardship.

Some finance programs focus on increasing the number of people making a commitment. Others are more effective in increasing the amount of giving by those who have already pledged. Determine the goal for your campaign so you can decide which program is best for your church. Some are more effective among active members; others are directed toward upgrading the giving of people on the sideline. Some focus on the story of the church’s vision; others inform members about spending. Some help people learn about the church; others are designed to motivate. Programs must be rotated for different results and to reach different audiences.

Often, discussion about finances is divorced from discussion about ministries of the congregation. In many churches, discussion about finances and giving focuses on the budget and on the church’s need for that giving. Positive responses are growing in churches when leaders focus on the results of ministry in their funding campaigns.

Further, finance campaigns are often run by the wrong committee. Finance committees spend most of their time on money issues. When they project a budget, then design a program to underwrite it, the result is often a campaign focused on money and obligations, not ministry and commitment. When the finance committee leads the finance campaign, the focus is usually on funding the budget, and the rest of the committee’s work is on hold until the commitment campaign is completed. Budget management is an important part of the committee’s work, but it does not generate positive response from the membership.

The reasons people give are changing. Loyalty to the congregation or to the denomination is no longer a sufficient reason to give. Few members give simply to support the institution for another year. The appeal to United Methodist loyalty and obligation, both for the local congregation and the denomination, is no longer a major reason for giving.

Increasingly, different audiences and age groups (generations) hear and respond to different messages. Longtime members of the church may respond to loyalty and obligation. If they were there when the building was built, they may have many years invested in the church. Newer members may be motivated by other considerations and issues.

An active member who is leading a committee and is involved in a number of activities will respond to different issues than a person who rarely comes to church. A person who is on a spiritual journey, who is active in a Bible study class, who prays and reads the Bible daily, will give differently than someone who has just started attending.

Increasingly, people do not give to fund a budget. They give to support what they see as meaningful and worthwhile. People give part of themselves. They want to know that their money supports beneficial ministries. They give from their faith as well as from their pocketbooks.

One of the most positive responses churches are getting is when they focus on telling how people’s lives are being positively affected by the ministries of the church. In one church, laypersons share their stories in Sunday worship. Such stories tell members that their giving, their vision for ministry, is making a real difference.

People want to feel that their gifts support effective ministries. Giving is an expression of their relationship with Jesus Christ and how that relationship is expressed in and through the local church. People give out of their excitement in seeing the church in ministry.

There have been many changes in giving patterns over the life of the church. And each of those changes was challenged by church leaders. People moved from giving from the first fruits of their labor to giving cash, then checks. It’s time to begin thinking “outside-the-box.” What people sign on their commitment cards and what they give in the offering plate on Sunday morning may not be all that they are willing to give.

Giving from one’s accumulation (assets) is the fastest growing source of income to the church. It is no longer “deferred giving” after a person dies, although giving through one’s will is a first step in giving from one’s accumulations. Memorial giving can become a major source of giving for your church. In an age when persons like to give beyond their pledge, to support or sponsor additional work and ministries of their church, memorial giving may become an additional avenue for them. A church that compiles a list of giving projects beyond the regular budget will find members looking for ways to fulfill those goals. Memorial giving may happen not only when a person dies, but prior to death (honor giving) or years after a person is gone (recognition).

Other ways of thinking “outside the box” include regular giving through credit cards and electronic transfer of funds from a person’s bank or investment account. Other cutting-edge possibilities include giving through your church’s webpage.

Understanding the Motivation to Give
Understanding what motivates people to give is a major challenge for those responsible for funding the church’s ministries. Begin by understanding the congregation’s assumptions about church finances. These assumptions will direct the efforts and shape the results. If leaders assume that people don’t want to give or don’t have funds to give, they are providing excuses not to give. If leaders assume that people want to give, they may find that the opportunities are endless! In the future, funding ministries will best be carried out through a “developmental stewardship” approach that:

  • Recognizes that individuals are unique;
  • Seeks to understand the needs of each person in his or her search for a deeper relationship with God;
  • Develops and interprets ministries consistent with people’s needs and interests;
  • Nurtures an ongoing relationship with the individual;
  • Converts interest into relevant and effective action through various ministries.

The key to funding ministry for the future is in sensing individuals’ needs for a growing relationship with God. New ways of doing financial stewardship in the congregation will focus on each person’s spiritual growth and development, not solely on financial issues or money. The focus will shift from asking what the members can do for the congregation to asking what the congregation can do to help members become Christ-centered disciples. There will be less emphasis on the “annual campaign” and more emphasis on helping members grow in their faith and become active disciples. There will be a greater link between individuals’ involvement in the ministries of the church and their giving.

Finances and The General Board of Discipleship: Partners in Discipleship
General Board of Discipleship staff have heard the issues raised by congregational leaders and are ready to work with local churches and annual conferences to develop and move toward a new vision for the congregation’s financial life.

Staff are available to lead seminars on stewardship and issues related to local church finances. Staff are also available for consultation with pastors and lay leaders. Contact the Center for Christian Stewardship, P.O. Box 340003, Nashville, TN 37203-0003; phone (877) 899-2780, ext. 7077; e-mail: dbell@gbod.org; web site: http://www.gbod.org/stewardship.

General Board of Discipleship staff have developed a variety of resources dealing with financial stewardship:

Resources for Financial Stewardship

  • The Abingdon Guide to Funding Ministry, Vols. 1-3 by Donald W. Joiner and Norma Wimberly (available from Cokesbury, 800/672-1789).

The following resources are available from Discipleship Resources, (800) 972-0433, www.discipleshipresources.org, and Cokesbury (800) 672-1789:

Donald W. Joiner is Director of Operations and Fund Development, General Board of Discipleship, Nashville, TN.

Updated June 2004

 

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