How to Use Labor Day to Make Up Lost Ground
I want to share with you how a Labor Day offering plan can help close your giving gap. First, you might be surprised that I would contend you could see an increase in giving on Labor Day. Three-day weekends are typically tough on offerings. Yet, with a good plan of action, you can meet and […]
From the Desk of Our Executive Director
How is your giving going as you head into the end of summer? If you are like most churches, giving has been a challenge this summer. For those of you running on the traditional SBC calendar, you only have a few weeks left in your budget. Every church needs to keep the offering plate full […]
Is It Worth the Cost?
Have you ever heard someone say, “We are delaying having kids until we can afford it?” How much is that? According to a recent study, it costs between $12,800 to $14,790 every year.1 The same study showed that the more kids you have, the more the cost. Multiply that over 18 years, and what will […]
Setting Up a Team to “Own” Stewardship Plans
A few years ago, a client emailed me this note… “I’m thinking about starting up a stewardship committee of our Vestry/Board. So, here’s my question: if you had a board or stewardship committee, what would you task them with and how would you use them? My concern is that a lot of this stuff necessarily […]
When It Comes to Making Your Budget, Hope Is Not a Strategy
“We hope to increase our budget from 800K to $1 million.” That was what a person told me their pastor stated a few years ago at a congregational meeting. Hope? The saying, “hope is not a strategy,” first came to my mind. When churches use the word hope it is far different than when the […]
If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail
I’ve been helping churches increase giving and givers for over twenty years. In my time as a Minister of Stewardship, I have observed that one of the major reasons churches experience financial difficulties is, in part, a lack of planning. I have a saying, I call them Brooks Mantras, that says if you fail to […]
From the Desk of Our Executive Director
Have you finished your budget planning? Do you have a plan to meet that budget? We do! Welcome to another Stewardship Journal! The Journal has focused on budget planning for the last few weeks. In this edition of the Journal, we complete that series. Here is a preview of this week’s Stewardship Journal. If You […]
First Things First
Who doesn’t like to be first? We always want to be first, from winning a race, match, or game to standing in line. First place is the place everyone wants to be in. Yet sometimes, we willingly forego being first. We do this because first place is not just the place for winners, but it […]
Let’s Make a Case for Your Vision!
When I work with a client for a significant giving initiative, I start by asking the Pastor to write out the vision behind whatever we are raising money for. Technically, this is called a Vision Case Statement. I want a broad overview of what we are raising money for on one-page, front and back. I […]
How Good Vision Trumps Bad Economy
It’s time to play your trump card to recession-proof your offerings. And no, I don’t mean Donald Trump. Those who have played Spades understand what a trump card is and how it can be a game changer. The Free Dictionary defines a trump card as: A designated card in some card games that ranks above […]