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Masterplan Stewardship Services
By Larry F. Russell
One of the most significant challenges growing churches face today is that of financial limitations and inadequate facilities to accommodate accelerated growth.
Many congregations are faced with significant growth, forcing them to squeeze too many adherents into limited facilities. Unlike our predecessors who Moses led through the wilderness after leaving Egyptian bondage, we cannot worship in tents in the desert.
Adequate facilities need to be important to us because they are important to God. There is coming a great end-time harvest of the unsaved. God’s stewardship indicates that He will bring the harvest to those who have prepared for it.
With the proliferation of stewardship companies and other related organizations across the country, another important question being asked by churches has to do with the biblical mandate for a capital stewardship campaign.
The journey of the nation of Israel is a wonderful example. Prior to leaving captivity, Moses instructed the people to ask for traveling gifts, knowing that in the providence of God they would need these gifts to build the tabernacle in the wilderness for the worship of God: "The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians" (Exodus 12:35,36).
In 1 Chronicles 29:1–22 is the story of how God led King David to fund building the temple. Here we see generous people willingly bringing their God-supplied resources to build a house of worship.
For those churches considering the complexities of a capital stewardship campaign, there are eight important factors to consider.
Conducting A Capital Stewardship Campaign
1. Precampaign Planning.
There are many ways to raise capital funds. It is possible to raise money without God. It happens every day in every city in America. For the church, however, it is essential that its effort to raise funds be done well the first time. And, more important, faith-raising must precede fund-raising. If not, a generation may need to die off before attempting fund-raising again. Therefore, careful planning must precede any major fund-raising effort.
There are numerous issues to consider in the planning phase of church fund development. Important questions such as the level of funding needed, when will the funds be needed, and which capital projects are worthy of funding need to be scrutinized carefully. Additionally, the church must also carefully plan on how the funds will be raised, who will provide professional counsel to church leadership, and most important, how can the church constituents be mobilized to assist in leading the campaign.
2. Identifying, Enlisting, And Training The Campaign Leadership Team.
In addition to the importance of securing funding for various capital projects, the next single most important campaign activity is lay volunteer involvement in leading the campaign. The consultants at MasterPlan Stewardship Services understand the critical need to have the campaign process create ownership among the congregants. One of the most significant and successful ways of doing this is to have a high level of involvement from the people.
The initial effort of lay involvement is to enlist and train key church leaders to provide leadership to the campaign implementation process. A capital stewardship campaign is one of the more significant church-instituted events that must send the message to the congregation that this effort goes beyond the church office and into the church.
3. Case Statement Development.
Every capital stewardship campaign worthy of funding from sacrificial giving must develop a case statement or a rationale for support.
Several issues must be considered when building a case for support:
- People are not inspired by need as much as opportunity. The campaign must offer them opportunity to get involved by serving during the campaign and committing financially.
- People do not give to charity as readily as they will invest in your vision. A case statement should reflect an opportunity to invest in the future of the church as well as to serve and to commit.
- Buildings and/or organizations, including churches, do not have needs—people do. Although it is important for people to appreciate and understand the beauty of renovations or new buildings, they are not compelled to give to brick and mortar. It is important for the congregation to understand that the focus of the campaign is really people. The buildings are discipleship tools to help the church accomplish its mission.
4. Enlisting Campaign Volunteers At All Levels.
A capital stewardship campaign has as its assignment an ingrained plan to:
- Encourage everyone to visit or revisit the subject of biblical stewardship.
- Educate everyone to move beyond what is known intellectually toward that which is right biblically.
- Excite everyone to view stewardship as a discipleship issue.
- Engage everyone in accepting ownership of the mission/vision of the church.
Therefore, the heart of a capital stewardship campaign is people involvement. The campaign plan intentionally involves many church volunteers to staff various campaign positions. The campaign objective is to cast vision. The campaign process is to encourage ownership of that vision.
5. Developing Campaign Training, Enlistment, And Communication Materials.
The campaign can only complete its objectives of leadership development, faith-raising, and fund-raising through the adequate training of the campaign volunteers and communicating the campaign vision to the church audience. Thus, an effective campaign will have at its core training materials for all campaign volunteers and an effective and cohesive communications component. This involves both print and multimedia to inform and educate the congregation on the mission and vision of both the church and the campaign.
6. Major Gift Planning And Enlistment.
Every size gift is important to both God and the donor in a stewardship campaign. The widow’s mite should never be discounted as insignificant by anyone on any occasion. However, to raise the substantial funds many churches need for their capital projects, the importance of major gifts cannot be diminished. One of the key components of enlisting major gifts is to offer gift-planning counseling to selected donors. The professionals at Assemblies of God Financial Services Group, in partnership with MasterPlan Stewardship Services, offer this unique counsel to any donor in any church who desires this assistance, without cost or obligation to the donor or church.
7. Specific Plans For Encouraging Congregational Financial Commitments.
The foundation of a MasterPlan Stewardship Services-led capital stewardship campaign is Spirit-led giving, in an altar moment, and in a worship setting. The primary reason for this is that giving must be an act of worship.
As an encouragement to the congregation, and in the spirit of 1 Chronicles 29:14, the progressive process of commitment begins with the pastor, followed by the church staff, church leadership, and then the congregation.
8. Extended Campaign Planning For The Entire Gift Period.
At the conclusion of the implementation phase of a capital stewardship campaign, normally a period of 3 1/2 to 5 months, a church gains an understanding of the faithful giving intentions of its people for a typical commitment period of 2-3 years. For there to be an orderly and positive return on the commitments made, it is imperative that an effective and sequential follow-up plan be implemented.
A successful follow-up strategy can never be devised without a sound philosophy of follow-up.
- The purpose of follow-up is encouragement. Each of us makes important decisions to which we are fully and faithfully committed. These decisions may include getting married, having children, accepting a job, and certainly, giving ourselves to Christ. Even in these important decisions, however, we need continued encouragement to do our best. A capital stewardship campaign leads people to make important financial commitments to Christ and His church. Even a powerful, personal, prayerful decision needs continued encouragement. Decisions need to be updated and upgraded along the way.
- The motive for follow-up is spiritual. The motive is not money; it is to enable people to do their best. The most damaging impact of a broken commitment is not the financial loss suffered by the church but the spiritual loss suffered by the believer. In accordance with ability, people need to keep their carefully made commitments. Failure to do so is debilitating to spiritual life and growth. The high and holy motive for follow-up is the health and vitality of the Christian and the congregation.
Church members who make serious financial commitments to the church’s goals deserve the encouragement and support of a wise and effective follow-up strategy. Responsible leaders never stop at merely bringing people to the altar of commitment. They also lead them to fulfillment.
Conclusion
In the final analysis, proper planning for a capital stewardship campaign must also consider the value of such an effort in the life of the believer personally and in the church corporately. The premise of this analysis is the understanding that giving is a grace extended to us by God. Therefore, the pastor and church leadership will find it helpful to launch such a campaign in the spirit of Paul’s prayer for the Corinthian believers: "See that you also excel in this grace of giving" (2 Corinthians 8:7).
For more information on how a MasterPlan Stewardship Services capital campaign can positively impact your church and its future growth and development plans, call a MasterPlan professional toll-free at 1-800-962-7499.
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Larry F. Russell, MasterPlan Stewardship Services Consultant, Springfield, Missouri. |
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