Setting Realistic Goals

“Do you want a sales answer or the truth?” Once, I was interviewed by a church that wanted to hire a stewardship partner for its capital campaign. The Executive Pastor asked me how much I thought they could raise in their next campaign. At that point, the church had done three consecutive campaigns in a row. I looked at the staff member and asked the question I started this column with. He indignantly responded that he wanted the truth. So, I honestly told them that they would receive less than they expected. I didn’t get the contract.

The church found out a few months later I was correct. The staff member had an unrealistic expectation of what their congregation was capable of. Setting unrealistic goals for a capital campaign dooms it from the start. It is one of the biggest mistakes church leaders make, and it happens before the campaign even starts. One of my goals for my clients, and the title of this Coach, is Setting Realistic Goals. I want to help you avoid this mistake in capital campaign planning: false assumptions and unrealistic expectations. Let me start by spelling out…

The Dangers of False Assumptions and Unrealistic Expectations

Projecting numbers that do not come to pass can cause you huge problems at your church. While perhaps not exhaustive, here are a few dangers they present to pastors and churches.

It’s built upon assumptions and rarely upon facts. Too often, the “facts” given about potential growth due to the project or potential giving to the project are based upon assumptions. I find most goals are determined not by factual data like attendance patterns, past giving, the economic background of the congregation, or other tangible facts.

It diminishes the integrity of church leaders. While we might laugh at leaders who use “ministerial speech,” the danger is the diminishment of integrity. In a day when integrity is under assault, yours will not be helped by wild predictions of explosive giving or growth that does not happen. As your integrity is diminished in one area, it will also be diminished in other areas. Could it be that so many pastors leave 18 months after a building program because they have lost integrity and, ultimately, the ability to lead?

It can lead to trust issues for the congregation. A loss of integrity results in a loss of trust in the congregation. They begin to question all decisions. When trust is lost, then dollars will begin to decline as well. People give to what they have trust in. If you miscommunicated about the building, what else have you not been honest about?

It will make future decisions more difficult to implement. Even if the above does not happen and you do not lose members or dollars, you can expect difficult times ahead. The next time you approach a project, members will have more questions, and you will have to work overtime to assure them you have done your homework this time around.

The bottom line for you is, don’t set an impossible goal for your church to reach.

What factors go into the percentage pledged? Every church is different and faces different factors and circumstances that can and will impact what is pledged and given. Here is a list of my top factors.

1. The health of the congregation. In my mind and experience, this is the number one reason. Healthy congregations willingly give to a campaign, while unhealthy congregations do not.
2. How compelling the vision is. A close second to the above is how compelling the vision is. People do not give to brick and mortar. People give to vision. They want to know that their gift is going to make a difference.
3. The financial makeup of the congregation. Those churches that raise three, four, or more times their budget always have significant gifts. If your church does not have those types of members, then you need to set a more realistic expectation of what you might be able to do.
4. The pastor’s standing with the congregation. In one of the first campaigns that I ever worked as a consultant, I worked with a pastor who, frankly, I thought was brilliant. He was such a gifted speaker and had great leadership principles that he taught. He was bold and aggressive and had a compelling vision. However, when it came time to pledge, the church hardly supported the campaign. The problem was that his leadership seemed too heavy-handed and autocratic to the people. They did not buy into the leader and, as a result, did not contribute to his vision. Not long afterward, he left that church to go to another church where, once again, the same thing happened. Don’t let that kind of track record be your record.
5. The economy. Difficult economic times will naturally cause people to pledge less. For more information on this, see my Bonus Section.
6. The type of project. Building a new sanctuary usually raises more funds than paying off the existing sanctuary’s debt. Relocations also typically raise significant funds. Part of the reason these campaigns do so well may be that they typically are first campaigns.
7. The process used for gaining pledges. Sometimes, even though the vision is compelling and all other aspects of the church point to success, the process itself trips people up. If the campaign strategy does not reflect the church’s DNA, then people tend to push back on the process and making a commitment.
8. The number of campaigns the church has attempted. I have never worked with a church that could raise all the money needed with one campaign. The problem comes with what I term The Law of Diminishing Returns. The first campaign of a project is always the most successful. Each successive campaign is a greater challenge than the preceding one, and unless you experience explosive growth, it will raise significantly less than the first campaign.

You must know the difference between excitement and performance. Too often, church leaders let their excitement over the project’s potential cloud their perspective of what their members are capable of raising. That family of five in your church is excited about the new multi-million-dollar children’s addition, but unless Dad and Mom hold six-figure salaries, their ability to give significant dollars is limited. Next week, I’ll address this further.

You must also know the difference between faith and fantasy. Campaigns should be acts of faith. Yet setting an impossible goal isn’t faith but fantasy. I’ll help you move forward in faith, which will help your campaign be a success!

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Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
mark@acts17generosity.com

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