THE QUICK SUMMARYMoney Matters in Church is a one-stop source of information on creating a culture of giving that supports wise and faithful financial practices. The authors take you into the heart of a biblical theology of stewardship, teaching you how to develop donors and maximize contributions. You'll discover systems, policies, and structures for
- Developing a strategic budget
- Enacting an effective audit process
- Projecting income and expenses
- Working with banks
- Paying staff
- Addressing debt
A SIMPLE SOLUTION
Campaigns rally energy, passion, and resources around a clear vision. This clarity harnesses resources to achieve a measurable milestone in a defined time span. They move you forward together into a new future.
But great rallying is not normal. Sustained focus is rarely felt. Successful campaigns require team synergy. There is tremendous potential to align ministries around a clear vision, recruit new leaders, develop new leadership structures, and train for future practices. A good campaign should be intuitive to your leadership and organizational culture.
Regardless of the vision you choose, the power of the campaign vision as well as the church’s vision is in casting or communicating it to your people.
It’s not enough to announce, “We’re going to raise money, and by the way, here’s what we’re raising money for.” First of all, the people have to be convinced that the purpose for the money is a real need, and they must be convinced of this before you announce the campaign and cast the campaign vision. There are several reasons why you must cast the vision:
- The vision helps eliminate a fear of the future. A capital campaign is a form of change. You’re asking people to change the way they’re giving so that their can be a change in the church. It’s the leader’s responsibility to make the desired future clear by casting the vision and thus eliminating much of the unknown.
- The vision paints a picture of the future. When you cast your campaign vision, you are helping your people see the future and what their sacrificial giving will bring the church. You want your congregation to see that if they give to the vision, something will exist that would not otherwise.
- The vision paints a picture of a better future. You want your people to understand that accomplishing the vision will result in a much better future than the current situation, whatever that may be. Therefore, the results of the change and sacrifice you’re asking from them will be more than worth the effort.
- Aubrey Malphurs, Steve Stroope, Money Matters in Church
A NEXT STEP
What if there was a deeply integrated approach that could illuminate a whole new way to develop a culture of transformational generosity with your people? What if one of the most difficult topics to address could be approached with great clarity and confidence? What if one of the most complicated areas to manage could be simplified with tools and systems? What if your church could significantly advance its financial outlook and Kingdom impact by building an ongoing culture of generosity-focused discipleship?
Keep in mind that we’re not talking about another campaign or short-term run. We are talking about an “evergreen harvest.”
The first step in the ascertaining a unique vision is to discover your Kingdom Concept. The Kingdom Concept answers important questions like:
- What is our greatest opportunity to have an impact on the kingdom?
- What can we do better than ten thousand other churches?
As you begin to uncover why God has brought together such an incredibly unique combination of people, passions and opportunity to your church, you will be able to establish a generosity storyline that will become the foundation for your campaign.
Taken from SUMS Remix Issue 7, published February 2015
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