Author - Mark Brooks

Using the Power of Vision

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...


The 2023 Come Back Offering Edition

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...


Yes, You Can Make Up Lost Giving

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...


Six Key Points on Vision Crafting Your Church Budget

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...


Coach’s 2023 Budget Training Camp

Football season is just around the corner, and NFL teams are heading to their training camps in preparation for a winning season. The work they do in July/August will pave the way for success or failure once the season begins. At the same time, churches all over America are beginning...


Three Leadership Landmines That Can Derail Your Budget

“The Senior Pastor won’t be in the meeting.” That was the reply a lay leader shared with me once when his church wanted my help. I replied that the meeting would be worthless unless the pastor showed up. That wasn’t the answer they were looking for, and I never heard...


Making the Case for the Forgotten Sermon

The following is from The Forgotten Sermon: How to Preach Effectively on Giving. https://acts17generosity.com/shop/the-forgotten-sermon/ Why should you regularly preach on stewardship? Here are two major reasons why. It’s biblical! The Bible has a lot to say about money. Don’t let a few people talk you out of preaching the whole counsel...


How to Preach Effectively on Giving

How long has it been since you preached a stewardship series? I ask this question every year when I write about the necessity of stewardship education from the pulpit. Why is it that most pastors seldom, if ever, preach on stewardship? The answer is that it’s unpopular, and we fear...


The Biggest Roadblock to Increasing Generosity

Often the biggest roadblock that I must overcome when working with a church to increase generosity is a pastor or the staff. They simply don’t see the need for all the fuss about giving and generosity. Most pastors never think of preaching about giving! That is until July rolls around,...


How to Reverse the Decline in Giving

I wrote the following for OnlineGiving.org. You can read it and all my other writing at, https://www.onlinegiving.org/blog. Since 1968, Americans have given less of their disposable incomes to their church while their incomes have risen. Those are the findings from a recent report from empty tomb, inc., a group that...