Having an online system that schedules people giving through the church website is a great way to help people become faithful givers. If you have online giving but it is something that people have to remember to do, it is not nearly as effective. I personally believe that from 2010 until a long time from now, the online revenue stream is THE WAY to collect consistent gifts. Do it now!

Church plants have to find someone to do their bookkeeping when they start their church.  The places most church plants look are:

1. Denominational assistance (Associations sometimes provide this service)

2. Sponsoring church assistance (Letting finance people at a larger church keep their books)

3. Picking someone 0n their core team to help

4. The planter’s wife

5. Local accounting firm

6. The pastor

Be very careful who does your financial bookkeeping early on.  The trap I see planters fall into is they want to pick the easiest and cheapest way to get their bookkeeping done.  I promise you the easiest and cheapest doesn’t mean it’s the best decision.  What I would look for is:

1. Objective – They have nothing at “stake” by holding the check book

2. Experienced – They have worked with a lot of other churches

3. Motivated – They have a reputation to uphold so they are forced to do a great job

Let us do your books.  Fill out this form and we will take this burden away from you.

How have you fallen into the easiest and cheapest trap and it not been the best?

The Old Way:

Step 1: Find land

Step2: Do a three year capital campaign

Step 3: Build a building

Step 4: Repeat the process for student space, children space and the “big daddy” auditorium

Step 5: HUGE mortgage payments

The New Way

Step 1: Find box already built

Step 2: Do annual generosity initiative

Step 3: Renovate space

Step 4: Do this again in another location

Step 5: Low lease payments

I like The New Way for three reasons:

1. More leaders can pull it off successfully

2. I believe more people can be reached faster with the gospel

3. I like the flexibility of being able to get out of a lease

Which way do you perfer?

The Pareto Principle is true. It’s the good old 80 – 20 rule. Here is my simple question for you:

What 20% of generosity development has produced 80% of your churches new financial growth?

Let me know whats working in your church to catalyze new giving? What is not working?

Church leaders ask me this questions a lot: “How much money should churches borrow to get into a facility?”

I will not tell you how much money your church should borrow or not borrow, but I will tell you that you can create a financial, death trap for your people if you are not careful.

Here are a couple, random thoughts on this that I feel are valid based on our experience.

1. Beware of Interest Only

If you can only pay the interest on the debt you will find yourself in a lot of trouble. This means you are “hoping” that the building will fill up so you can make principle payments. I do believe in taking risks with facilities sometimes; however, you better enter into debt with an exit plan!

2. Beware of Campaign Fatigue

If you have to do a campaign to keep your church running operationally, something is messed up. People get tired of “big ask” after “big ask”. Every seventh year you should let the land rest. I believe there should be rest in the intensity of asking in the church. YES, I am all for making the “ask”; however, I believe in creating the culture of generosity that prevails beyond an ask.

3. Beware of “Build It And They Will Come” Mentality

The “build it and they will come” mentality has worked for some but not all. I pass a lot of big, “empty” church facilities. In Jim Collins’ book, How The Mighty Fall, he talks about how companies (churches) begin scrambling for cash and they end doing the same thing.

Bottom line: Be careful, be wise, and be diligent when dealing with debt.

How have you seen debt hurt a church and its members?

I got an email from a client/friend the other day who was concerned because some of their top level volunteers were no longer giving. They were asking how this happens and what can they do about it.

My suggestion: Annual, renewable ministry descriptions

At Mountain Lake Church, I led the small group ministry from 8 groups to 60 groups before I transitioned to doing other responsibilites. During the time of leading this minsitry, something I feel like we did well was create clear expectations for our ministry leaders. Every year we produced a two page ministry description that listed the requirements AND expections of the leader.

We basically were doing a one year “contract” with the leader. In the ministry description, we would be VERY clear that giving to the local church wasn’t an option. If they were going to be a leader it was an expectation. We would tell them up front that we would check their giving records at least one time a year. We weren’t being “big brother”; we were just telling them what we were expecting and it worked. Yes, we had people who would fall off the giving wagon and we could have a conversation with them. Most of the time it was a personal financial issue that they needed help with.

We actually had a guy on our finance team quit giving. We picked up on it and had a conversation with him and immediately he started giving again.

Bottom line: Tell people up front your expectations and hold them accountable. It isn’t rocket science. This kind of activity gives you permission to ask them why they aren’t giving if they stop.

P.S. some people will think this is too “big brotherish”. I would just rather tell people up front verses me get upset and wonder why they aren’t giving on the back end.

Have you used anything like this in the past?