“That is the first sermon on giving I have heard in twelve years!” Those were the words of a deacon at a church where I was asked to preach. After twelve years of ministry, their pastor had just left to start a mission. Apparently, the last pastor, although greatly loved,...
“Effective fund-raising churches refuse to treat all people as equals – and people truly are not when it comes to giving. Most of these churches develop some kind of segmentation strategy in which they categorize the congregation into types of donors.” (George Barna, How to Increase Giving to Your Church) My...
“Over 6 million children in the U.S. go hungry. Your gift now will help us eradicate hunger!” Which picture would you attach to the above appeal? Would it matter? A new study by Infinity Concepts | Grey Matter Research entitled RACE & GENDER IN FUNDRAISING: EXPLORING POTENTIAL BIAS AMONG EVANGELICALS gives...
The following post was written for my sponsor, OnlineGiving.org and can be found at https://www.onlinegiving.org/blog. A few Sundays after I resigned as a Senior Pastor and began working full-time in the stewardship ministry, I found myself daydreaming during my pastor’s sermon. I was shocked to realize that all those...
Remember when our Christian leadership was telling us that we cannot “go back” to our pre-COVID world because it no longer exists? In this issue we will examine how The Way Forward is Back. During the height of Covid, it seemed that was all we heard. We were told to prepare...
Pastor! Do you know what is your lowest attended weekends? I recently read a Thom Rainer article that helped me think through low-attended weekends and what strategically you need to do to avoid a lag in your momentum. I wrote the following blog post that I wanted to share with...
How do you recover lost offerings? For one thing, you can't merely sit around wringing your hands about the decline in giving. You must act. However, your actions can’t come off as looking desperate. Ultimately, that will not make a difference. You need to use the connecting power of vision...
It’s the middle of summer, your members are on vacation, and I have a question for you: how is giving going? Summer is the most challenging time for giving, with July being the lowest offering month of the year for the typical church. The irony is that summer is the...
When it comes to giving, can you make up lost ground? Yes. Every summer, I encourage what I call a come-from-behind giving strategy. My goal is to help you close whatever giving gap you are currently experiencing. Desperate appeals versus decisive appeals. First, let me explain why you should consider closing...
How do you avoid an emotionless presentation? You make your appeal appealing! Not everyone in your church has reached their fullest giving potential. Those new to the faith or new to your church need inspirational education about where the money you are asking for actually goes. Our challenge is to...
