Below is a video of a church who effectively uses the “cardboard testimony” idea. BUT the best part is at the very end when the pastor provides a great example of calling his people to action. Too often, we set up “the ask” but never follow through. Watch how this pastor clearly and compelling challenges his people to fund life change on the heels of Kingdom Impact being clearly demonstrated.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ]

This data is from Giving USA’s latest publication: Giving USA 2009 The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2008

Note: The data below represents per household giving to religion. (You can find it on page 84 if you have a personal copy of the report.)

• 1988: Giving to religion per household was $902 and there were 91.12 million households
• 1998: Giving to religion per household was $879 and there were 102.53 million households
• 2008: Giving to religion per household was $915 and there were 116.78 million households

This data reveals that giving per household to religion only grew about 1.4% over a 20 year period while the number of households grew by 22% during the same period.

Given what I’ve seen after studying the giving habits church members, this is consistent with the widening gap between growth in attendance/membership and growth in giving. While many churches are seeing their pews full Sunday after Sunday, the number of giving units is declining. In some cases, the giving units – while in decline – are increasing their gifts. Nonetheless, fewer people giving – even if they are giving more – is not a sustainable church funding model.

This is A PROBLEM.

But as Tom Peters says, “The problem is not the problem. The RESPONSE to the problem is almost always the problem.”

Hope is NOT a strategy.

“Meeting” an amended budget doesn’t remove the need to know the giving habit/trends in your church. This is the only way to validate that the ministry investment decisions you are making are, in fact, creating disciples who are deeper engaged in growing, serving, and giving.

What action steps will you take today to get a grip on your funding model to ensure the money exists to accomplish the ministry God has placed on your heart?

Hint: If you don’t DO something, NOTHING will change. Worse…whatever growth you did achieve, you won’t be able to maintain.

1. 5 technology mistakes churches make and how you can fix them

2. Executive Pastor Mike Bonem on organizational theory and church funding

3. Is your church brave enough to be this generous?

4. How to talk about money in church

5. How does your church’s budget presentation compare?

6. My notes from Xpastor event with Brad Leeper from GENERIS

7. Build Community, Fund Ministry series in review

Last but not least…my e-book Push the limits of Church Funding…is quickly approaching 1,500 downloads/reads. Really excited to hear about the ways this piece has inspired church leaders with new ideas and creative thinking when it comes to generating ministry funding.

Out of curiousity: What topic would you like me to cover in my next e-book?

The person who said this fits the profile of a faithful church giver. And by this person’s own admission, they were faithfully involved in service and giving to their church until something happened a few years ago. I don’t completely understand the back story. I don’t know all the details, but something happened. Whatever that “something” was, it caused that individual to redirect their time, talent, and treasure elsewhere…OUTSIDE the church.

I wonder who is thinking and saying the same thing to themselves AND others while sitting in the pew of your church.

Do you know who they are?

You need to.

Are there systems and processes in place to help you identify shifts in people’s giving and serving habits?

There should be.

Ignoring this reality isn’t an option.

Worse!

Ignoring this reality is rejecting the gift God has provided in the people who sit in your pews.

Two things jumped out at me almost immediately:

1. The ladders represent a 180 degree turn around in social media practice and engagement.
2. The number of participants, observers, or “spectators” has risen to 70%.

What does this mean for the church? If you’re not leveraging social media to communicate with your membership, the people in your pews CAN’T H-E-A-R YOU…or worse…they won’t even know you said anything in the first place.

To help, I have Lauren Hunter with ChurchTechToday.com, Steve Caton with Church Community Builder, and Tom Roepke a really innovative church leader who has experience in institutional fund development and currently serves in a local church setting. This is a six part series. Each Monday, I’ll post a new podcast capturing our discussion. I will also post a brief outline so that you can quickly preview what will be discussed.

I hope you are as blessed by this series as much as the four of us were in the process of creating it.

Here is the outline of our FINAL conversation:

Focus: Church funding begins with capturing the heart of an individual, not the dollar. Anyone can get a few dollars for just about anything. When we are talking about cultivating generosity, the soil in which this behavior grows is that of commitment. Without an emotional connection and an expressed commitment, sustainable, sacrificial giving doesn’t happen.

Key ideas:

1. Multiple giving options make it easy for people to give.

2. Communication of impact leads to more frequent and larger gifts.

3. Managing giving patterns could reveal a ministry opportunity.

4. Fully assimilated members tend to serve in leadership, be consistent givers, consistently participate in activities and events, and carry an overall positive and satisfied story into the community.

Listen or download the final podcast of this series.

Previous podcasts in this series:

1. Lifecycle of church membership

2. Connection creates community

3. Community facilitates interaction

4. Interaction leads to engagement

5. Engagement fosters commitment

Too many churches still print out a line item or summary budget and make it available to the congregation to pick up at their leisure. They fail to take advantage of the opportunity to tell the story behind the numbers.

I recently had the chance to sit down with Jess Erickson from Spiro Graphics to talk about work he has recently done with a local church to achieve a more creative way to communicate the “black and white” church budget. You can listen to our conversation as we discuss the key elements to creative budget communication strategy.

Here is a great example to consider. Below are the key thoughts from our conversation:

1. See the big picture.

Church leaders have the opportunity to treat their church as a brand and use all of their communications with their membership to reinforce that brand. Starting with their “prospectus,” the church can effectively communicate the personality, value, and goals of the church. A well designed “prospectus” will engage the congregation in an ongoing conversation of what the church is doing and where the church is headed.

2. Use visual elements effectively to communicate your message.

Images, colors, and type treatments can be combined in various ways to connect with church members visually and emotionally. A church that desires to be a cornerstone of the community can use conservative type treatments and a traditional color combinations to reinforce that image. Churches that want to portray a more dynamic personality may choose bolder colors and modern type faces. Images of spring buds or sprouting seeds can reinforce the message that a church is wanting to grow.

3. Pictures are worth a thousand words.

Photographs of community work projects, mission trips and community involvement can highlight a church’s commitment to effect the world and let the membership know where their contributions are being applied. Images from Bible studies, youth events, or worship services speak volumes about how a church ministers to its members and how the members minister to each other.

4. Don’t forget your audience.

No matter what approach is taken, the most effective communication a church can have with it’s membership will be consistent, focused, and engaging. It is important to remember the audiences that will receive the prospectus and target your communications to them. Good writing and good design will help your “prospectus” become an essential tool in your stewardship program.

To help, I have Lauren Hunter with ChurchTechToday.com, Steve Caton with Church Community Builder, and Tom Roepke a really innovative church leader who has experience in institutional fund development and currently serves in a local church setting. This is a six part series. Each Monday, I’ll post a new podcast capturing our discussion. I will also post a brief outline so that you can quickly preview what will be discussed.

I hope you are as blessed by this series as much as the four of us were in the process of creating it.

Here is the outline of our third conversation:

Focus: Intimacy is defined by the level of disclosure and the level of interaction. The more comfortable someone is with a person, cause, or organization, the more likely they are to become vulnerable and make an emotional connection.

Key ideas:

1. Using technology to identify people’s interests and match them with events to participate in.

2. Create multiple ways for people to interact in a way of their choosing and this is most comfortable for them.

3. The easier it is for an individual to integrate the process of fostering community into everyday living (not just on Sunday), the more likely assimilation will happen.

Listen or download the third podcast in this series.

Previous posts in this series:

1. Lifecycle of church membership

2. Connection creates community

One of the great things about hosting a blog like Church Giving Matters is that I get a good excuse to hang out with really great people doing BIG things for the Kingdom. I’m so excited about this new series entitled “Build Community, Fund Ministry.” It is a first attempt to make the connection between the process of member assimilation and ministry funding.

To help, I have Lauren Hunter with ChurchTechToday.com, Steve Caton with Church Community Builder, and Tom Roepke a really innovative church leader who has experience in institutional fund development and currently serves in a local church setting. This is a six part series. Each Monday, I’ll post a new podcast capturing our discussion. I will also post a brief outline so that you can quickly preview what will be discussed.

I hope you are as blessed by this series as much as the four of us were in the process of creating it.

Here is the outline of our second conversation:

Key ideas:

1. Movement to an emphasis on large group participation only makes it easy for people to go unnoticed.

2. Measure more than who is coming in the door and who is leaving. The most undervalued and mismanaged aspects of church membership are assimilation and retention.

3. Leverage technology to make assimilation less intuitive and more systematic. Drive social media activity toward a measurable outcome.

Listen or download the second podcast in this series.

Previous posts in this series:

1. Lifecycle of Church Membership

To help, I have Lauren Hunter with ChurchTechToday.com, Steve Caton with Church Community Builder, and Tom Roepke a really innovative church leader who has experience in institutional fund development and currently serves in a local church setting. This is a six part series. Each Monday, I’ll post a new podcast capturing our discussion. I will also post a brief outline so that you can quickly preview what will be discussed.

I hope you are as blessed by this series as much as the four of us were in the process of creating it.

Here is the outline of our first conversation:

Lifecycle of Church Membership (with focus on assimilation)

Key ideas:

1. Ben reviews the Acquisition-Assimilation-Retention-Attrition model from Church Giving Matters.
2. Church membership is a process and mirrors personal relationships.
3. There is great need for church leaders to manage assimilation proactively.

Listen or download the first podcast.