The Future of Giving: It Ain’t Good, Finale
Think like a pastor. That’s what I often write on my yellow legal thinking pad as I face each stewardship issue. I ask myself, “If I were still a pastor, what should I do about this information?” I would want to know what this meant for me and my church and what I needed to do. For the last two weeks, I have been writing about the steadily increasing decline in giving, a pressing issue that demands our immediate attention. I’ve provided a broad overview of the charitable giving landscape in America, and it isn’t good. In this Coach, entitled The Future of Giving: It Ain’t Good, Finale, I want to advise you on what you should do about the data I have shared.
Some posts are easy for me. I can’t type fast enough. And then there are times I sit and wonder, how can I express what needs to be said? I’m sitting here trying to think what I can say to a pastor who has read my negative forecast of giving for the last two weeks. I might have been tempted not to open this one if I were you. Especially on the release date, Monday mornings. But if the news on giving has you asking how do I avoid this in my church, then you are asking the right question! As a pastor, you have a crucial role to play in addressing this issue. Knowing what I know, what would I be doing if I were a pastor? Here is my advice.
Get in shape! I have been on hundreds of commercial airplanes in my career. I could recite the safety speech word for word. Remember when they get to the part about the oxygen masks dropping down in case of an emergency? They tell you that even if you are with a child, you put your mask on first, then help anyone else with their mask. Their point is that if you are not safe first, you cannot help anyone else. The same is true for a pastor, especially in times of crisis. How can you prepare for the unknown? Let me share three areas of personal life that need your constant attention.
Spiritual Life – Make your joy Jesus, not your job. To accomplish this, you must build into your daily schedule a personal quiet time routine of prayer and Bible study that isn’t work-related. This time isn’t for sermon prep. It is to prepare you for the trials you will face. Never compromise on this time. Ever!
Family Life – After Jesus, your primary goal is to shepherd your family, starting with your marriage. The time you invest here will be rewarded in every area of your life. By putting your family first over your church, you will be doing your church family the greatest good of all.
Personal Health — Fat preachers do no one any good, especially the preacher! Find an activity that keeps you fit and healthy. Run, walk, or bike, but spend time building in daily exercise to keep your body and mind sharp. Finally, establish a healthy diet. We are what we eat, and Americans are eating themselves into early deaths. You must work on your health to be your best for your family and church.
Get in shape and stay in shape! Then, I’m recommending that you take time to,
Go to the Mountain! – The Tyranny of the Urgent presses in upon pastors, causing them to run fast, sometimes without any sense of direction. Where are you leading your church? Do you know? What challenges do you foresee in the next ten years? Do you have a vision that will motivate and inspire people to greater service for Jesus? What is your short-term vision for the next 18 to 36 months? Then, a very important question: What is your 2030 vision?
Let me illustrate what I mean by giving you the example of Pastor Shane Bishop, the Senior Pastor at Christ Church in Fairview Heights IL, a suburb of Saint Louis MO. When I first met Shane Bishop, on a good Sunday, his UMC church had around 300 people in attendance. Fast forward to today, and this newly Independent Methodist Church is now one of the fastest-growing churches in America. We will meet soon to sit down for a conversation about what’s next. You must do the same. Then, at some point, Shane needs to go to wherever his holy mountain is to get alone with God to think and pray. When he comes down from his Mt. Sinai experience, Alan Prass, their Executive Director, and I will devise a plan to help make that dream a reality.
Have a plan and work that plan. Do you have a stewardship plan? Most pastors don’t. The good news is that if you follow me and what I write, I will give you plans for every season in the life of your church. You only need to adapt them to your culture and context. Pastor Shane depends upon Alan and me to craft a plan for how we can connect that vision to giving.
But first, we need a compelling long-term vision. To arrive at that, Shane needs to hear from God. To hear from God, he might need to get somewhere where no one can interrupt him. Why is this so important? Compelling visions always raise more money. This is one major reason why I am pushing Shane. We have a limited time with his major donor base, and we want to maximize their ability to make a difference for the Kingdom by investing their resources in Christ Church.
Let me share from a post about Christ Church that I wrote a year ago. Every church is different, but the principles behind this example will work for you as well. Here is what I wrote:
The Secret Sauce for Post-Covid Success and the Road Back to Normalcy – Here is what Christ Church did that you can do.
- They hold a high view of Scripture and preach and teach the Bible unapologetically. People are looking for answers, and we have the book of answers, the Bible. Pastor Shane Bishop preaches biblical sermons that people flock to hear.
- They made connecting people to Jesus their number one priority. They did not make COVID their primary concern.
- They had a solid base of givers. Yes, giving has stabilized, but existing donors drive it. Are you building a solid base for the future and any potential crisis? The stewardship seeds planted today will bring a harvest in the future.
- They opened their doors early and allowed people to use their common sense.
Pastor, it’s past time to return to normalcy by opening your church up and start passing the plate!
There will be another crisis like Covid-19. Will you be ready? If you start now, you will be. Shane Bishop has been planting seeds for years. Today he is harvesting the results. But there are challenging days ahead, and he cannot rest on his laurels. None of us can. It’s time to work to ensure your church will survive into the future until Jesus comes back!
I’m here to help reverse the decline in giving one church at a time, starting with your church. Let’s get started!
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
mark@acts17generosity.com
OnlineGiving.org, the leading online giving processor in America, sponsors my writing. You can find out more about their services at https://www.onlinegiving.org/.