by Sophie Tolar | Jul 12, 2019 | Stewardship
Raising financial support for your church will look different—really soon.
Let me explain.
In recent years, one significant shift has been taking place that will negatively influence your church:
People tend to be less engaged in local churches.
Study after study has revealed a general decline in worship attendance across the United States. Now, this trend may not be influencing your church today, but there’s one more thing you need to know.
When it comes to younger generations (Gen Z and Millennials), their view of participating in local churches differ from older generations in one big way: They tend to be less engaged.
What does this have to do with raising financial support?
Well, it’s a simple equation.
Fewer people attending your church means there will be fewer people available to donate.
Your church may already feel the impact of this change, or it may be years until you experience the full brunt of this shift. In either scenario, you need to start preparing for this change now.
In this post, I’m going to share with you three ways you can leverage what you already have to create multiple streams of income.
#1 – Leverage your church’s property
Does your church own property?
If so, you may be sitting on several streams of income.
Think about it.
Depending on the size of your property and how you use it, there are at least three ways you can leverage it to generate income. You may be able to lease your facility (or a part of it) for:
1. Business space
2. Coworking space
3. Events
Do you have enough space in your church building to lease it to a business? This is what Mosaic Church does. Mosaic Church had enough unused space on their property to rent to a fitness club to the tune of $8,000 per month.
With the extra income they earn from this lease, Mosaic Church can cover the entirety of their monthly mortgage.
And although this wasn’t mentioned by their church leaders, I imagine this stream of income provides a tremendous amount of peace because they know their monthly mortgage is paid.
Your church may not have enough free space to spare several thousand square feet. But do you have unused office space or a wing of your building you can lease as offices? Can you convert some of your building into a workshop for a local artisan? Is your church building in an ideal location to provide space for a coffee shop or retail store? These few questions will help you to think through the possibilities.
On a similar note, your church may be able to tap into the growing popularity of coworking spaces. For example, Bethesda United Methodist Church runs Haw Creek Commons—a coworking space—out of their church facility.
For this to work, you can rent out a handful of offices or use an entire section of your church building to provide coworking space.
Finally, a third option you can consider is hosting events.
If you think about it, there’s a good chance your church building is ideal for hosting live or virtual events. From providing a stage to seating to a foyer, you can quickly adapt your facility into a perfect event location.
From concerts and theater to seminars and ceremonies, there are countless ways you can transform your facility into an ideal event venue for your community.
#2 – Open a bookstore
There’s one thing many Christians have in common:
They like to read books.
Christianity is a religion of the Word.
An essential tenet of our faith is that we believe God revealed himself through the Bible. This belief not only compels us to read the Bible. It also leads us to read books.
Despite the general decline of people purchasing books over the years, according to Forbes, the revenue of religious publishing companies increased by 14.7% in 2019.
So what’s the point?
There’s a good chance your church could benefit from starting a bookstore.
Before making a decision on this, here are five things to keep in mind:
1. Preparedness
2. Placement
3. Pace yourself
4. Payment
5. Promotion
Is your church prepared to have a bookstore?
One of the most significant factors influencing the answer to this question is your weekly attendance. For example, if your church has an average weekly attendance of 75, then you may not have enough people present to make a bookstore a viable stream of income. However, if your church welcomes a few hundred people or more every week, then you may be able to sell enough books to produce a decent stream of income.
If you believe your church is prepared to provide a bookstore, then you’ll need to consider the store’s placement. For instance, you don’t want to place your bookstore in the janitor’s closet or away from the flow of people coming and going. Be sure to place your bookstore in view of people attending your worship services.
Pace yourself in launching your bookstore. Instead of purchasing thousands of dollars worth of products, consider purchasing a few hundred dollars worth of material. This way, if you run into a problem selling products, you will only incur a small financial setback.
How will you sell your books?
When you make your books available, be sure to have your payment information nailed down. There are many payment options you can provide: From using a Square Reader to providing a box people can drop cash or a check into, to asking people to make a payment via PayPal.
Finally, don’t forget to promote your bookstore.
Naturally, your preaching pastor will mention books during his or her sermon. If possible, identify what books or resources your pastor will highlight during their sermon or sermon series. This way, you can include those books in your bookstore.
#3 – Gain interest on your savings
When it comes to your church’s finances, it’s a good idea to save money for a rainy day. If your church has faithfully saved money over the years, have you accumulated a decent nest egg?
Depending on your church’s financial situation, you can leverage your savings to create an additional stream of income. I’m not suggesting you invest in the stock market or pursue risky investments. Instead, consider placing a portion of your church’s savings or checking account money into interest-bearing accounts.
Several factors will influence this decision. Instead of giving you general advice here, I suggest you consult your church’s leadership and financial advisor to ensure your church is leveraging the money you have well.
Your Church's Extra Income
No matter your situation, is important you and your church leadership think through options for expanding your streams of income. That way, your church will be better prepared to handle any ups and downs in giving that may occur now or in the future.
by Church Fuel Admin | Feb 4, 2019 | Giving, Stewardship
Leading your church to live and love like Jesus takes time.
You can’t press an “easy button.”
There’s no way to “update” your church like an app on your phone.
And teaching the Bible doesn’t work overnight.
Why bring this up?
Recently, many church leaders have asked us for advice on how to increase giving in their churches. From being behind on the church’s budget to desiring to raise more money for foreign missions, there are countless reasons why you, like them, would like to see your church’s giving increase.
Before addressing specifics, we encourage church leaders to take a step back. In other words, don’t focus on the tactics (fruit). Instead, focus on the heart (framework) of your church.
This isn’t some sort of Jedi mind trick or strategic move from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.
But here’s the deal:
A new tactic in giving will only provide short-term results if you don’t cultivate the heart of your church. I’m not saying you shouldn’t implement new tactics until your church is ready. But it’s a good idea to have a two-pronged approach to increase giving in your church.
In this post, I’m going to walk you through steps you can take that will help cultivate a giving heart in your church.
These steps are:
- Talk about money
- Model generosity
- Cultivate relationships
- Cast a vision
- Share compelling stories
- Make giving easy
We’ll also cover some practical ideas you can use.
Let’s dig in!
#1 – Talk about money
Living out the Christian faith doesn’t come naturally—or easily.
When it comes to money, you can’t assume everyone in your church knows what to do. I’m not talking about making a deposit, donating money, or creating a budget. What I’m talking about is handling their money in a way that glorifies God and is good for them and others.
In short, you need to help your church know what God says about their finances.
From understanding what the Bible says about money and possessions to generosity and money management, you need to provide practical help for your church.
To do this well, there are four big categories you’ll need to address:
- Discipleship
- Stewardship
- Giving
- Money management
The first thing you need to help your church see is that how we handle our money is a reflection of our relationship with God. In other words, money is an issue of discipleship.
Issues of money are really issues of faith.
In the words of Jesus, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21). What Jesus is saying here is that how you (or your church) handles money boils down to your heart. In other words, do you worship God with your wealth or worship your wealth? There’s a big difference between the two.
Practically speaking, as a church leader, you have to help your church see that money and faith are closely connected. As you encourage your church to give and manage their money well, you have to get to the root of the issue.
Budgets and plans are helpful, but they’re not the gospel. They can provide short-term results, but lasting change requires us to look at the heart of giving.
Boldly speak into what the world says about money and possessions. Like a skilled surgeon, you have to cut to the heart of the matter by addressing the lies the world promotes. While you’re making these incisions, you must replace the lies with truth from God’s word.
As your church grows in their relationship with Christ, their relationship with money and possessions will change too.
To help your church connect the dots between money and faith, you’ll need to teach them about biblical stewardship, which leads me to my next point.
The second thing you’ll need to consistently do is talk about stewardship.
As you talk about money, help your church to understand what God says about the topic, and the vision he has for them with their finances.
Here’s the deal:
Your money and possessions technically belong to God.
Whether or not we acknowledge this reality, God calls us to manage our finances in a way that brings him glory and is good for ourselves and others.
Not sure where to start?
No sweat.
Download this free guide: The Senior Pastor’s Guide to Stewardship.
But here’s one caveat:
There’s more to money than stewardship.
Stewardship focuses on how you handle your money with God. It’s a vertical relationship. However, God also talks an awful lot about giving and generosity, which influence our horizontal relationships. Said another way, show your church how giving is good for others, which leads us to the next point.
Giving itself is a third key component to getting to the heart of giving.
You’ll find countless verses in the Bible that command, challenge, and encourage you to live a generous life. Not only with your money. But with your time and possessions too.
I’m going to assume you agree with this point.
But here’s one thing I’d like to stress:
Giving is sacrificial.
This sounds obvious, but hear me out.
When you give money, you are giving away your money—literally.
Does God call you to give?
Yes.
Does God ask you to steward your money?
He sure does.
But at the end of the day, you have to make a choice.
You have to decide how much you’ll give.
To make a donation, you will have to rearrange how you spend your money.
This is why giving is called a sacrifice.
Speaking of making sacrifices, most Christians desire to give. It’s a part of who they are. But many Christians can’t give or give as much as they’d like because they’re mismanaging their money.
As a church leader, the fourth thing you can do to encourage giving is is to provide your church members with practical money management resources.
Here’s the deal:
Likely many people in your church struggle with debt or money mismanagement.
This isn’t a judgment, just a statistical observation.
To encourage your church to give, help your church members break free from the bondage of debt and manage their money well. As your church experiences financial freedom, your church will be in a better position to give.
To do this, you don’t have to be a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). From Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University to Ron Blue’s God Owns It All, there are numerous resources you can provide your church.
#2 – Model generosity
As a church leader, you need to set a good example.
Not only is this true in the way you live and love like Jesus, but it’s also true about the way you and your church handles money.
There are three ways you need to model a generous life for your church:
- Reveal God’s generosity
- Be generous
- Lead a generous church
First, God is a giver.
He gives us the life we live, and he gave us the gift of his son—Jesus Christ.
As Christian, we give because God gave.
Even though this line sounds like a quote fit for a coffee mug, it’s true. This point ties into teaching your church about stewardship and giving. But it’s also important to point out that God models generosity himself. Help your church to reflect his example.
Second, you’ll need to be generous.
I’m not saying you need to let everyone look at your bank account or watch you make a donation. What I’m saying is that you should lead your church members in giving to your church.
Like a general leading his troops into battle, be prepared to lead your church in the areas of money and possessions.
Side note: It’s okay to talk about what you give with your church. You don’t have to share the details. But let them know—when it’s appropriate—that you give, and make sacrifices too.
Finally, lead a generous church.
The way you do this is by encouraging your staff and church leadership to live a generous life and to ensure your church is generous with your church’s budget.
Regarding your church’s budget, make room to give to local missions, foreign missionaries, and members of your church who may need financial support.
Don’t be afraid to talk about how your church gives.
Your church members will appreciate the fact that you’re sharing with them how the money they give is being used, which leads us to the next point.
#3 – Cultivate relationships
Creating a generous church culture is about way more than padding your church’s bank account. It’s primarily about helping your church handle their money in a way that honors God and is good for them and others.
As you preach about money and teach biblical stewardship, be prepared to walk alongside of your church members during this time. Whether it’s one-on-one or in a small group setting, lock arms with your people to help them reorient their life and money in a way that aligns with God’s word.
Here’s the deal:
It’s uncomfortable to talk about money.
No one—including myself—is really cool with opening up their ledger statement or online bank account to show you what they spend their money on.
Don’t expect the members of your church to jump right on board with living a generous life. There are a ton of different things people may have to work through, including:
- Poor spending habits
- Limiting beliefs about money
- Lack of desire to give
- Bad money management habits
- Overspending
- Lack of earnings
- Little money to give
- As you’re involved in the life of your church, ask questions and listen.
You’ll be able to accomplish a lot by preaching about money and providing financial stewardship training. But you’ll be able to help people personally transform when you create a safe environment for individuals and families to talk about their struggles.
One last thing.
As a church leader, consider keeping an eye on your church’s giving patterns. If you or your staff observe changes, in particular, a decrease in giving, then treat this as a clue. There’s probably something going on in the life or heart of your church. This doesn’t mean you have to directly approach members about their giving. But it may be a good idea to be more observant of what’s going on in their lives.
#4 – Have a common vision
At their core, your church members want to make a difference.
They’ve placed their faith in Jesus Christ, and they want others to hear the gospel and experience deliverance from sin, Satan, and death.
To create a giving church culture, one thing you’ll have to do is rally your church members around a common vision.
Here’s what you need to know:
People don’t want to support your administrative or staff costs per se.
What people want to do is support a cause they value.
Sure, your church members know that a part of their donations supports the church’s operational costs. But they also want to know that their giving is helping to further the mission of your church.
Practically speaking, lead people by casting a vision of what you can accomplish together. Help them to clearly see that their financial support allows your church to reach more people with the gospel, feed and clothe people in your community, support foreign missionaries, and extend the love of Jesus however your church is able.
Throughout the year, share stories of transformation.
These can relate to any of the following:
- Commitments to Jesus
- New baptisms
- Increase in attendance
- Small group participation
- Number of volunteers serving
As you cast a vision for your church, remember to avoid abstract ideas. Snatch these thoughts from the skies, and give them life by practically showing your church how their giving makes a difference.
Since storytelling is so powerful, let’s talk a bit more about it.
#5 – Share compelling stories
Your church probably has some “doubting Thomases” sitting around.
You know, the people who can’t believe without seeing.
Don’t worry if you do.
There’s at least one in every crowd.
Sharing stories from the life of your church will not only appeal to the doubters. But telling stories is also a great way to capture the hearts of all church members.
Think about it.
Talking about your annual report by simply sharing accounting facts is enough to lull anyone asleep. Instead, demonstrate God’s work through your church by sharing stories of life transformation.
Here’s one more idea to add to the list above:
Share stories from generous people in your church.
A generous person doesn’t have to be the person who gives the most. Depending on the size of your church, I imagine there are plenty of people who give sacrificially, and I bet they have an amazing story to tell too.
Here are some ideas to consider sharing:
- Stories from first-time givers
- Stories from people who decided to give
- Stories about people getting out of debt
- Stories about people or families making financial sacrifices
- Stories about people being delivered from money worries
There’s not just one story you should or can share.
God is at work in the life of your church, and you probably have a few ideas in mind after reading these words.
As you communicate these stories, your church members will have an opportunity to hear from others about their experiences giving to the church.
#6 – Make giving easy
Days, weeks, and months have passed.
You’ve taught your church about biblical stewardship.
The members of your church see how their money supports your mission.
They’re now ready to give.
Now, to help your church express its generosity, you have to make it easy for them to give.
Placing unnecessary hurdles in the way of people interested in giving may discourage them from making a donation. Practically speaking, you have to provide more than one way for people to give.
There’s nothing wrong with accepting cash and check donations, and it’s totally fine to pass around an offering plate or bucket during your worship service.
But do you know what’s not okay?
Not providing online or mobile giving options.
Here’s the deal:
Every year, more and more people give online.
Whether it’s with their smartphone, tablet, or computer, people are making donations online. Basically, many (perhaps most?) people in your church prefer to give online.
Make it easy for this group of people to give by providing them with digital options they prefer, and you’ll experience an increase in online giving.
The heart of giving
Creating a generous church culture takes time.
If you rush this process, don’t be surprised if you break things—namely, your church members.
Treat this as a dance.
Take a step, and see how the members of your church respond. All of their responses will look different, and there will be times when you step on each other's toes.
In whatever you do, be sure to always point your church to Jesus Christ—the Giver who is the ultimate reason for our generosity.
by Church Fuel Admin | Dec 24, 2018 | Stewardship
Leading a church is challenging.
As a pastor, not only do you spend time counseling people, preparing sermons, and doing administrative work, but you’re also responsible for leading your church.
In this position, you’ll face a hard reality:
You need money to fuel your church’s mission.
There are times when you’ll need to run an extensive capital campaign for a building renovation or new facilities and there are many different times when you'll need to raise money to support a new ministry, provide funds for local or global missions, or cover a gap in your church’s budget.
If you need to raise funds for a specific cause, there are hundreds of fundraising ideas you can pursue. But there are four overlooked church fundraising ideas you can’t afford to miss.
Let’s take a look at some ideas right under your nose.
#1 – Bootstrap your ministry
When you need to raise money, it’s easy to forget about reviewing your church’s finances and resources first. But before you raise one single dime, it’s best to take a close look at what you can use within your church to fuel the vision of your ministry.
Funding a ministry with your church’s resources, without external help or starting a capital campaign, is called “bootstrapping.” Said another way, to bootstrap your ministry is to find the financial resources you need from what you already have to work with.
There are several benefits to taking this approach:
1. Timeliness
2. Resourcefulness
3. Frugality
When you bootstrap your ministry, you are not limited to any timetable. You don’t have to start an extensive campaign. You don’t need to wait for next year’s budget for funding. You can get started as soon as you scrap together whatever you need.
If you’re taking this approach, you’ll be forced to be resourceful. You’ll be in a position to bend (not break) the rules, adapt to your circumstances, and carefully manage your resources.
Speaking of managing your money, bootstrapping a ministry can lead you to be frugal. Without a reliable or ongoing source of income, you’ll be encouraged to count every penny and steward what you have wisely.
“My church’s finances are limited. Where can I find the money I need?”
This is a great question, and it really depends upon your church.
Review your church’s budget to see if you can transfer money from one line item or cut back expenses elsewhere to make room for what you need.
If you don’t uncover enough money during this step, then you can prayerfully consider providing the financial resources yourself or you can pool together what’s needed.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. That’s the whole point of bootstrapping—you kind of just make things up as you go along.
#2 – Ministry Crowdfunding
There’s not too much to know about crowdfunding.
In short, crowdfunding is when you raise money (usually online) from a crowd of people. This fundraising tactic has been around for years, but it was recently made popular by Kickstarter.
Now, when it comes to your church, crowdfunding provides several benefits. It:
1. Makes use of available technology
2. Leverages a crowd of people
3. Integrates with social media
After you have your fundraising goal in mind, with the availability of technology, you can create an account in minutes. However, I encourage you to take more time to first put together a solid plan.
With crowdfunding, you don’t have to invest money in new technology, and you don’t have to pay a huge fee to use the available services.
To run your crowdfunding campaign, you can use a service like Kickstarter. But keep this in mind: If you don’t meet your fundraising goal, then you will not receive any of the pledged money, which is a huge bummer.
Writing for Church Tech Today, Lauren Hunter shared these crowdfunding sites:
There are pros and cons to any tool you use.
Take time to explore the options to see what works best for you.
The other benefit of crowdfunding is that it leverages a crowd of people. Instead of relying upon a few people to provide most of the funding, you can tap into the generosity of many people by sharing your plan online, which is easy with crowdfunding campaigns.
Finally, one of the huge benefits of crowdfunding is how seamlessly it integrates with social media. You, your church, and family and friends can easily share your campaign on social media to create additional awareness.
#3 – Peer-to-peer fundraising
Another way you can quickly raise money is by leveraging the social network of your church members. A tried and true approach to this strategy is what’s called “peer-to-peer fundraising.”
Examples of peer-to-peer fundraising include:
- Fun runs
- Walk-a-thon
- Bowl-a-thon
- Bike-a-thon
- Golf tournament
Peer-to-peer fundraising is a strategy used by countless nonprofit organizations, and it’s a method that accomplishes three big goals:
1. Inspires ownership
2. Leverages social networks
3. Creates friendly competition
Peer-to-peer fundraising events are a fun and easy way to inspire ownership among your church members. To do this, you’re not delegating responsibility. Instead, you’re encouraging church members to leverage their social network of family, friends, and people in the community to raise financial support.
Depending upon what peer-to-peer tactic you use, challenge your church members to collect pledges from their social network to support your cause. For example, if you host a walk-a-thon, you can:
- Ask people to donate a specified amount of money per mile you walk
- Ask people to make a one-time donation toward your cause
This is just one straightforward way to organize such an event.
The last benefit of peer-to-peer fundraising is creating friendly competition. To do this, you can challenge individuals or teams to compete against each other or provide prizes for whoever raises the most money or whoever collects the most pledges.
#4 – Chores for charity
I’m not a big fan of chores.
Sure, I love to have a clean house and a tidy yard.
But there are plenty of times when I’d love for someone else to help do the work.
Know what else?
This is also true for people in your church and community.
To tap into this need, consider organizing a chores for charity (or chores for church) fundraising event.
Here’s how it works:
1. Ask people in your church to volunteer
2. Clarify the chores you can offer
3. Determine the monetary value per chore
After you ask for men, women, and children to volunteer, you’ll need to clarify the chores you can offer. From technical work to mundane household chores, make a list of what chores you can do.
Here’s a list of ideas to get you started:
- Sweeping
- Painting
- Mowing
- Cleaning
- Raking leaves
- Pruning trees and shrubs
- Plumbing
- Moping
- Electrical work
- Moving household items
- Weeding
- Carwashes
- Cleaning blinds
- Carpet shampooing
After you make a list of the chores, you’ll need to assign a minimum dollar amount to every task. People are more than welcome to donate more money if they would like. But it’s best to have a minimum amount they should give.
Ready to raise money?
Do you know what I love about these fundraising ideas?
They don’t require a massive investment of time or money to get going.
After you know how much money you need to raise, you can get started with one of these ideas as soon as you’re ready to launch.
Choose one of these overlooked fundraising ideas above to raise the money you need to fulfill the mission of your church.
