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...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
In my over twenty years as a Southern Baptist pastor, few people commented on my sermon points. I think they forgot them before they left the building! But they still remember many of the illustrations and stories I told to this day to buttress my points. That’s the power of...
Can you believe that summer is almost over? I know that technically summer does not end until mid-September. Yet, in just a few weeks, schools will be back in session, and for all practical purposes, summer will be over. Have you had a good time this summer? Did anybody go to...
I’m working on several new books, and I’ve been reviewing my past writing and material. I recently came across my posts from March 2020 as the pandemic began to shut down everything, including our churches. In a series of posts, I gave advice on how to survive. The advice I...
