The church that survives into the future is the church that prepares today for the future. That’s been one of my Brooks Mantras on stewardship that I have been repeating to you since around 2018. Pastor Shane, Bishop of Christ Church outside of Saint Louis, took that advice to heart...
As I wind down my newsletters, I plan on bringing back some of what I consider my key articles. Build, renovate, or repurpose the facilities you need and pay off any debt quickly. That has been my advice for the last few years. I thought about that last Sunday night as...
As we near the end of the year and the start of the New Year, I will be sharing with you posts about how to end well and start well. Here is a post I wrote last year that contains four timeless stewardship plans. “Almost all on Wall Street and in...
Welcome to another edition of the Stewardship Journal. We have a big announcement with this Journal that you will not want to miss. Let’s get to the announcement first. Mark Brooks, The Stewardship Coach, writes all our posts in this Journal. Mark begins with an announcement in his post that says...
“I think we will know when it is time to retire.” My high school wrestling buddy, who also serves as my financial advisor, made that comment to me back in 2018. When you get my age, retirement is all your buddies talk about. I wasn’t ready to retire, but I...
Let’s get ready for end-of-year giving! The next few weeks the Journal will contain portions of my playbook, The Two Minute Drill for Giving: How to Build an Effective End-of-Year Strategy. Are you prepared for the two-minute warning when it comes to increasing your giving? If you are a football fan,...
I recommend multiple end-of-year appeals be sent across all your platforms. Here is a post about how to best position your appeals for maximum effectiveness. The 21st-century offering must be 24/7. To be effective, your offering plate must never be closed. An effective end-of-year strategy must include direct appeals, snail-mail, email,...
Are you actively preparing for the future of giving? Or is it a thought that's been pushed aside by the daily demands of ministry? The truth is, the urgency of the present often overshadows the importance of future planning. However, as you'll discover in this week’s Journal, the future of...
I’m focused on helping churches be financially secure by 2030. For years, I have marched under the motto, “Reversing Giving One Church at a Time.” With the decline of giving picking up speed and endangering the future of thousands of churches, there is never a better time to prepare for...
How do we engage younger people, with Baby Boomers aging out as our primary donors? I wrote a post for my sponsor, OnlineGiving.org, that shares creative ways to accomplish this. Recent reports on the state of giving in America have revealed that engaging younger generations to become motivated to give generously...
