No doubt about it: managing an effective capital campaign takes planning and organization. So what are the benefits? People will work very intensely during the campaign. Undertaking a campaign will be a major congregational activity for a period of months. Church leaders will devote even more time than that to the campaign. Consider, however, the […]
Money. One of the major challenges that churches face is setting a sustainable funding strategy. When it comes to church finances, leaders often take a “seat of the pants” approach each fiscal year with small regard for tomorrow. Too, they may not understand the funding sources available to the church, or how those sources can […]
“There was no feasibility study to make sure people were in favor of the project and willing to give.” Glenn and Barbara Holliman have an excellent little book about capital funding in churches. With Generous Hearts is well worth your time to read before considering a campaign. I was struck by their introduction. There, they […]
A church is not a hospital or school. Of course, Jesus is the Great Healer. And many times the gospels call him Teacher. But metaphors aside, there are differences between raising money in a non-church setting and raising money in a congregation. While a church is a non-profit in the U.S., it is nothing like […]
The sanctuary always seems a bit bare in the new year. The Christmas greenery has been taken down and stowed away. The Advent Wreath is gone, the Christmas banners have been taken down. After all the celebration of Advent and Christmas, the sanctuary seems bare. Like a newborn baby. Or, a clean slate. It’s over. […]
Something is going right in your church. The nursery is full, the new adult class meets on the stage, and more families keep showing up. What a great problem to have! It might be time to build or renovate, and that means a Capital Campaign. A capital campaign is a full-body workout. Here’s the anatomy: The […]
Stewardship is the way we use our God-given gifts – talent, time, and treasure – to carry on Christ’s work in the world. We are his disciples. As part of stewardship, it’s important to understand the financial health of your church. The decisions you make about money are part of stewardship and discipleship. Here are […]
Church Campaign Services has recently been consulting with a church that is planning to update its facilities. The church was originally built in the late 1950s and earlier, and has become worn and dated. Most of the proposed changes seem minor and mostly cosmetic, yet together the updates add up to a substantial amount of […]
Every year various denominational groups ask if we’d give a workshop on choosing the right capital campaign consultant for “your” church. And, it seems the focus ends up on the personality of the individual, not the firm, and I believe that is wrong. So you may wonder, in what ways do firms differ? Making this […]
You are cordially invited to a free educational webinar on Tuesday, April 19th at 3pm, provided by Coaching for Generosity. An effective annual pledge campaign will encourage greater stewardship and generosity in your congregation. Rev. Michael Erwin will demystify the broad types of campaign formats and help you decide which is right for your church. […]