I believe that by 2030, less than six years from now, we will witness a significant wave of church closures across the U.S. Church closures are happening already, and the pace of closures is picking up. A few weeks ago, Lifeway Research posted the following headline: Southern Baptists Lost More...
I have lost track of how much money I have helped churches raise in capital campaigns. In over twenty-five years, I have learned a few things. For years I have been asking, what is the future for raising the capital funding? The list below is some of the key issues...
A few weeks ago, Lifeway Research posted the following headline: Southern Baptists Lost More Than 1,200 Congregations in 2022. This is a stark reminder of the urgency we face. Unless we correct the current decline in giving, we will see the pace of closures picking up. It’s crucial that our...
The churches that survived the closures in March 2020 owe their survival to a crucial group. Despite alarming predictions of widespread closures due to a decline in giving, these churches held their ground. Our financial analysis of current clients and extensive research of numerous articles and studies underscored the significant...
One answer to assuring the future financial security of the church is to use Legacy donors to create a Legacy Team. As you will see in the definition, membership isn’t based on wealth, but on a desire to use whatever wealth they have for The Kingdom. Here are some thoughts...
Welcome to another edition of the Stewardship Journal. Mark Brooks, The Stewardship Coach, leads off with his post entitled Overcoming Your Church’s Biggest Stewardship Roadblock…You. Mark writes, “Many years ago, I wrote a book on the top stewardship mistakes churches make. The first chapter, and first on my list, was the...
“You write the best stuff on stewardship. Your problem is no one cares.” A few years back, I was talking about writing with my friend, Brian Dodd. He made that comment to me. It’s the most stinging compliment I ever got. It is also revealing of why giving continues to...
How much time should a Senior Pastor spend on stewardship? I believe every Senior Pastor should commit 5% to 10% of their time to educating themselves, building out, and working on a stewardship plan. If that sounds daunting, start with thirty minutes a week and then build from there. The...
One of our goals at the Stewardship Journal is to bring you thoughts and writings from various outside sources. In coming issues, you will find posts from Thom Rainer, Chuck Lawless, and many others. In this edition, our focus has been on pastoral leadership with regard to stewardship. One area...
Do you have a seasonal giving plan? In this edition of the Stewardship Journal, we focus on how the calendar impacts giving and what you need to do to capitalize on these dates. We believe you will find this edition one you will refer to repeatedly throughout the year. Here...
