I am going to self publish my next book. Frankly I am tired of trying to find a publisher and I am tired of vanity press outfits wanting an arm and a leg. I think I offended one such company when I told them they were way too much for far too little. I think I have finally found who I want to work with. The key is that I can choose which options I want for a price that is fair.

That is one of the hall marks of the stewardship company that I founded, The Charis Group. It made sense to me that clients should have the options to choose what they wanted for a price they felt good about. Why get charged for what you don’t need? Frankly most stewardship firms are way over priced and under deliver on what they promise. That has led to some major frustration in the church market place. As a result churches and ministries have tried to go it alone. Typically that results in far less than what the church raised using a stewardship firm.

Just last week I had a layman tell me that he wished his finance committee had listened to the one member that wanted to hire a stewardship firm. In the end they did it themselves. They saved on a stewardship partner and raised one million less than their last campaign! With savings like that you can go broke very fast.

Hopefully you know better than to go it alone. There seems to be little alternative out there with most companies. You can either take all they offer or leave it. With us we offer a variety of options. We even have a free option where we send you a campaign manual!

So, how do you know if you need all a firm offers or only a portion? Here are some thoughts that you might find helpful.

You might benefit from our free manual if you fit the following…

• Churches that have campaign experience and know the basics.
• Pastors that are good at administration and have quality support from leaders.
• Churches that have no outstanding issues that might need resolving.
• Healthy churches with everyone in support of the vision.
• You only need to raise an amount of money at or below one times your annual operating budget.
• Churches that will not engage outside help for whatever reason.

You might benefit from a full engagement with us if …

• You have never personally led a campaign at any church previously.
• It has been years since your church ran a capital campaign.
• There are a variety of outstanding issues and concerns that you fear need addressing.
• The amount of money needed is more than double what your yearly operating budget is.
• You and your staff simply do not have the time to give to a campaign.
• You lost your last campaign manual from the company you partnered with!

You might be interested in an a la carte engagement if …

• Some of the campaign elements you know well enough to do yourself.
• Some of the campaign elements intimidate you or you are unsure about.
• Price is a concern.
• You are entering a second, third or fourth campaign in a row.
• You just like knowing that someone is watching over the process.

If you find yourself in any of the above contact us. I will not turn any offer away. I believe we can mutually arrive at an engagement that is a win/win for us both. I know of no other company in our industry that gives more stuff away or says, “Make me an offer!” I know we can help you. Contact us today.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

My Director of Marketing, Tom Holloway, sent me an email this morning from a church leader that he has been trying to talk to about their project and potential campaign. The note from the leader said, “Tom, spring 2010 may be a possibility, but it’s still too early to make that decision. Call me again in December.” Tom’s note to me said, “This is a church running six services with 2000 people in attendance on Sunday and he wants to wait until December even if they are looking at a spring campaign. They are experienced they know what this takes, what is up with these guys?” My response is that even large churches typically do not understand project development.

So, whether you run one service with 200 or six with 2,000 here are some things you need to consider.

Projects take time so start sooner rather than later. While there is no set length of time due to so many variables the one thing you can count on is that it will take longer than you would like. Projects can take anywhere from twelve to twenty four months from start to finish to execute. The most effective capital stewardship campaigns take anywhere from six to eight months.

Smart churches start early. Foolish church put off until late in the game and typically pay for the indecisiveness.

Project development is both sequential and simultaneous. There are at least three tracks you have to run through. There is the project track itself. Selecting architects, builders, getting permits, etc. There is the financing track. You have to find someone willing to loan you the money to build that project. There is the funding track. The good news is you have a loan. The bad news is you have to pay it back. Thus you need a funding plan, which typically involves a capital stewardship campaign. That is our area of expertise.

The problem with many leaders is that they only approach project development like they approach sermons. Point one is followed by point two and so on. While projects do unfold to some degree in sequence these three steps interlock and must be dealt with simultaneously. For instance your bank might not even talk to you about a loan until AFTER you have held a capital stewardship campaign.

All of these is one reason why now is the time to move forward. Let me give you some other reasons why you should move forward now.

Church building costs are running 25% to 30% LOWER now than this time last year! I know of a church that their project cost has gone down by $4 million. So, starting now, while builders are anxiously looking for work, could save you money in the long run.

Major builders are anticipating a 25% increase in pricing by next spring. Just today I talked to a major firm that told me one of their building partners, one of the largest in the country, is projecting costs to rise by next year. Why? First, there will be a shortage of materials as many business and churches finally begin projects they had delayed. The old law of supply and demand will kick in. Second, there will be a shortage of labor as many businesses have folded. On top of these facts many are predicting inflation to begin to rise as the economy slowly pulls out of this recession.

Finally, can I just ask what you are waiting for? I know, things to return to normal. Well guess what? This might be the new normal. While I am bullish on the economy my position is that we as Christian leaders do not do what we do based upon circumstances. What if it doesn’t get better? Will you continue to wait for the good old days?

How long can you delay that project that is so needed? So, what if you might pledge less than last year. Can I tell you that since 9/11 ALL pledging has been less than before the attacks. This recession will technically end soon. Emotionally it will last for another year. Can you afford to delay that long? Remember, it takes usually twelve to eighteen months from start to finish and sometimes more.

Now is the time to move forward!

Call us we would love to talk to you. Oh, and by the way, we don’t charge to talk.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

I started reading the book “Free” by Chris Anderson. I downloaded it on my Kindle a few weeks ago for free. What is not to like about free? I mean you can always delete it. I have to say that most of the free books Kindle offers I either pass on or delete after a few pages. Every once in awhile I come across a real keeper. Anderson’s book falls into that category. It got me thinking about what I could offer for free.

We already give tons away. You can get a free book. I post free stuff here and through my monthly E-zine called The Stewardship Coach. I love to help leaders and churches. Don’t get me wrong I also love to pay the bills so not everything we do it free. However I wanted to do more for free.

Then it hit me. Give away what I personally find out dated, a program driven campaign. I have a passion to revolutionize the stewardship industry. Basically most companies still do campaigns essentially the way they did them thirty years ago. The problem is society has changed. This recession will again fundamentally change how we approach stewardship. Yet I find that companies and churches again and again try a programized approach to raising funds.

So, I came up with what I thought was a brilliant plan. Give the program away. Here is my thinking. If I give away what companies are charging you thousands of dollars for would it not make them rethink what they do? Would it not in the end make all companies better? See, the value of the company is not their name, how long they have been in business, who founded them years ago, how many churches they have worked in the past, how much money they have raised in the past, but who they are today. Not only that it’s the consultant you hire not the company and most certainly not a program.

You guys can do programs. You put programs together all the live long day. Why would you want us to come in and charge you thousands of dollars for what you can do for free? Ah, but you need a road map! Well now you have one for free. You simply have to go to our web site, www.TheCharisGroup.org Click on the button that says “Free Campaign Manual.” Fill out the form and we will email it to you. The only thing you don’t get is us!

I should tell you that is what you are paying for, us! Our expertise, our experience and our abilities to help you raise twice what you can do on your own. Still some of you feel like you can do it on your own I have helped you with the free manual.

I am hoping for several things to happen. First as I mentioned I want stewardship firms to get honest and deliver the value for the dollar they charge you. If all you are getting is a manual, even if its online, then you should not have to pay what you are paying. The value is in the consulting not the manual.

Secondly, for those of you who absolutely refuse help for whatever reason I want to help you avoid disaster as much as possible. So, you can get the help you need for a price you can’t refuse, free!

Now tell me when was the last time a stewardship firm offered to do that for you? What’s in it for me? Well hopefully when you really do need strategic consulting from someone that thinks out of the box you will give us a call. When you do we will be here to create a partnership that fits you for a price that will make us both happy.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

I have a simple goal, to revolutionize the stewardship industry that I have been a part of for over eleven years. Other companies might laugh at my goal or say, Mark who? After three years I am still the barbarian banging at the gates of the stewardship industry. One of these days the gate will fall open! I believe what I am now offering can not only help you but revolutionize the industry.

Let me state that I fully believe in what we as an industry do for churches. The facts are that using a stewardship firm will allow you to raise more money than if you do it on your own. Just last week at a Sunday School party someone asked what I did. After I told them they remarked that the church I now attend decided in their last campaign to fore go using a stewardship firm. The layman said to me, “We raised one million LESS this last time doing it on our own than when we used a stewardship company.” I hear that all the time. So, my point in this Stewardship Coach is not to do away with the industry but to point out how it must change in order to continue to be viable to the church of today.

The number one reason that the stewardship industry is failing today is because …

The stewardship industry has become program driven instead of strategic consulting.

Nearly every company delivers a pre set program for their clients. They may say that they customize but in actuality they have a few modules that you can choose from. They just put your name on the top and call it customization. Even the companies with online delivery in truth are only giving you a template program. They only took the time and effort to put it all online as a marketing ploy to get you to sign with them. I know, I was in charge of an online system for years. In the end it’s still just a pre-set program.

Why are stewardship firms program driven?

Some companies simply do not know any better. Or perhaps it is simply what they have always done. Most in the stewardship industry are former pastors and church staff members. One of the great fallacies of the church is that all we need is the next great program to deliver instant growth and blessings. Many churches try one program after another. So, many stewardship firms either to cater to the desires of a program mad church market or simply because they do not know any better offer what they know how to do best, a program.

I remember talking to the founder of a firm that in my opinion was very honorable and trying to do their best for churches. They billed themselves as being the only stewardship firm with a proven ministry approach. When I asked about that the founder walked me through a list of teams he organized at each church to facilitate the task of raising funds. He called it ministry. I call it programming. Building teams to write press releases is not ministry, it’s a program. Programs are not the pathway to God’s blessing and they are not the path to successfully raising dollars.

Other firms are program driven because it’s the easy way and the most cost affective way for them. I call it assembly line consulting. One of the guys that joined my team his last year at the stewardship firm he left worked almost thirty campaigns in a single year. He could do that because he was simply delivering the same program over and over again and again. Of course the firm he worked for did not discount the fee they charged. In fact they increased their minimum fee while pressuring their consultants to do more online and offsite thus saving travel expenses and improving the company’s bottom line. Why do you think some companies now offer an online tool? It isn’t to be hip and up to date it’s to save them money.

In the end what a church gets is far less than what they paid for. My belief is not that stewardship firms charge too much but that we under deliver for the price we charge. Some churches spend $40K to $100K and get a few visits, a manual and wishful thinking. Most companies spend the majority of their time building teams. This questionable practice in terms of helping maximize dollars is none the less something that most pastors and staff members could easily do. The church needs strategic consulting. What they get is a program.

While the public phase of a campaign is important the ramp up to that public phase is the make or break of a campaign. 90 per cent of stewardship companies spend 90 per cent of their time on what should only take 15 per cent of their time. No wonder many churches have a sour view of stewardship firms. Why pay someone to do what you do week in and week out?

Why do churches keep buying programs?

If programs are not what churches need then why are churches still for the most part asking for and buying programs? Most churches buy a program simply because they don’t know any better. It is what they have always done. They know they need help so they turn to those that are supposed to be experts in the field. What they too often get is a set program.

With some pastors I have found that they are looking for the easy way out. Raising funds takes work and few like to do it. It is just easier to hire someone to come in and do the work for them. The problem here is that a campaign is only as successful as the time and effort the senior pastor puts into it. Consultants can add value but there is no substitute for the pastor’s presence.

For some churches there has been really no alternative. They know that going it alone can cost them thousands if not millions of dollars lost. Yet they often try to find some alternative. Rick Warren offers a kit for $149.99. You can even download it and save further by paying only $99. Others hold one day seminars to walk you through the process. Some churches simply copy the manual from their last campaign over and over again and again.

So, why is this bad?

Rick Warren’s materials look slick and they are much cheaper than paying thousands of dollars with a stewardship firm. However, he does not come in the box! Can his program fit your needs? Can you successfully do your own campaign by reading a manual someone else designed for another church but not yours? Some can but most can not. The results are frustrated church leaders and ineffective capital campaigns.

So what is our answer to this problem? Free materials for those that want that route and strategic consulting for others that feel they need more.

No one quite seems to believe me. I have been posting this on my Twitter account and the few that respond want to know what the catch is? Most simply believe it’s a gimmick. I have simply decided to give away the manual and save you from even having to spend $99 down loading Rick Warren’s. If all you want is a program we will give you ours for free. Some might be able to use the manual alone to pull off an effective campaign. Not every church needs our help. Why pay for what you do not need? If you think you can pull off the public phase of a campaign use our stuff. If you think you need additional help we can provide that help for a price you can afford. My goal is at the end of the engagement to find a win/win for everyone involved.

This year we partnered with a church in California that hesitated to engage with us for our full services. I proposed an alternative that met their needs and provided revenue for our company. Here is what the pastor said about the engagement, “Having never done a formal capital campaign before, we were reluctant to embark in this journey. The very thought of bringing in an “outsider” to help us with a capital campaign was disconcerting. Because of our lack of experience, however, we knew we needed help and the Lord connected us with The Charis Group, and our partnership with them has proven to be nothing but a blessing! We appreciated how The Charis Group was able to customize the campaign based on our church culture and unique needs. They were readily available to coach us by email and phone.” In the end this church got what they wanted for a price they felt was fair. Why is your stewardship company not offering you the same kind of partnership?

Our offer is to help you for free. How can you beat that?

My goal is to give away campaign manuals and thus make all stewardship firms do what really needs to be done, give strategic consulting. Soon there will be a step by step campaign manual in the public domain that is free. Once the Gennie is out of the bottle you can never put it back. Now perhaps the stewardship industry will truly start earning the dollars they charge!

That is my idea of a revolution!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President of The Charis Group

PS. We are working on making our free manual accessible to anyone in the world within the next few weeks. Keep watching!

When is the best time to have a capital stewardship campaign? How time should I give for a successful capital stewardship campaign? Is there still time to get in a fall campaign? These are two questions that we get asked a lot. The answer, as with all questions, is it depends. There are so many factors that go into a successful capital stewardship campaign that there is no easy answer. I am always careful of over generalizations. I would rather shoot straight with you and lose your business now but gain your respect later than tell you what you want to hear. Some don’t like that approach but the truth in the end is always better than telling you what you want to hear.

So, let me attempt to answer the questions.

Is there one time of year better than another to hold a capital stewardship campaign? The answer is no. There are two seasons for campaigns. Fall and Spring. Some companies might try and tell you there are more so that it looks like their consultants do not work too many campaigns. The truth is that broadly speaking there are two seasons, fall and spring.

The key for all is to complete the campaign before Thanksgiving as by then everyone is in holiday mode. You can set the time for the culmination of the campaign any where in the preceding months as long as you get it in before the holidays set in.

In the spring season you are looking to culminate either before Easter or before school gets out. Typically the dead of summer is a poor time to hold a campaign. You need to decided which time frame best fits your calendar. As I have always said, “Need trumps timing.” Sometimes you have to have the campaign when you have to have it despite what the calendar says. In the end it is not the time of year that is important as much as the clarity, conciseness and compellingness of the vision that counts.

How long should I give for a campaign to be successful? If I have the option I want more time rather than less. The ramp up to a campaign is so important. As we say, “You never have to recover from a good start.” I love it when we have six months to work on properly positioning the campaign. We can and have done it in less time but you and the staff will feel the pressure of the campaign much more so than if you gave it more time. As we say, “We would rather get it done right than on time.”

Sometimes the need for money trumps timing. Last year in July a church called and asked how quickly we could help them ramp up for a campaign? The bank was demanding that they have a capital stewardship campaign before they would talk to them about loaning them money. The church was attempting to buy property that time was of an essence on. We had to throw out the normal time frame of a campaign. Need always trumps timing. However, we would always like more time rather than less. We often hear our clients say they wished they had started sooner. It is not too early to engage a campaign partner even if you are thinking about a campaign for 2010.

Is there still time for a fall campaign? Frankly the window of opportunity is closing fast on fall campaigns. For a fall campaign you should already have your campaign partner selected and working for you. However there are some instances where even at this late date a fall campaign can be pulled off effectively. As with all questions, the answer is it depends. It depends upon your need. It depends upon how defined the vision is. It depends upon where your leaders are. It depends upon your calendar and schedule. Fall campaigns can happen even at this late date but the window is closing fast.

The bottom line is that you need to be deciding upon your campaign partner now. Every day that you delay sets you further back from realizing the dreams and visions that God has called you to fulfill. As George Allen once said, “The future is now!” Act now to assure your dreams and visions become a reality.

We can help! Contact us today.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

I love what I do. I love helping churches and pastors. God called me to this and it is so fulfilling! Yet I hate the selling side of my industry. Sadly the “salesmen” of the stewardship industry have just about ruined our industry by often misstating the facts or over selling what can be accomplished. It is reason number one why I don’t have a sales force. As a result I sometimes lose out on a client because we tell you the truth while others shade their comments to get your business.

Today we were informed that a potential client church went with another firm. We always try to find out what led them away from us and to the other client. Today it was price and the wonderful technological tools the other company advertised. In the end we know that the church was snookered. They won’t get what they were promised and they will be disappointed.

As for price, here is a thought, make us an offer! We will tell you if we can or can not help you for that price. Never make price the deciding factor. If you do you will probable get what you paid for, not much.

Earlier this month I wrote about the value of questions. What happens often is that churches ask the wrong questions. Here is a piece I wrote for a hand out we give to all potential clients.

Are you asking the right questions?

Often churches and Christian ministries when faced with great decisions ask the wrong questions. This is particularly true when it comes to choosing a stewardship partner. It is not that churches and Christian ministries are not asking questions. They ask an abundance of questions. They often however ask the wrong questions that lead them down an incorrect decision path. This leads to either a poor selection of a partner or unrealistic expectations. Either one could cost you. What are the right questions?

1. Don’t ask, “How many onsite visits will you make?” Instead ask, “Will you have enough time for us? Some churches are trying to compute the cost of the contract by the number of visits the consultant makes to arrive at the value. That is incorrect thinking. It is virtually impossible to predict how many times a consultant will need to be onsite. As one of my friends said once, “If we agree to come in one more time than our competition do we get the contract?” You want to evaluate your partnership on more than just how many times they fly in. One church once decided upon a partner because they promised 40 on site visits. Yet as the church considered a partner for the next campaign they did not even invite back that company. The number of visits is meaningless without quality consulting. The real issue with regards to this question is, “Will we get the attention we feel we deserve for the fee we are paying?”

2. Don’t ask, “When is the best time of the year to have our campaign?” Instead ask, “When is the best time to have our campaign?” The real issue is not getting the campaign completed on a time line but getting it completed right. Though looking at your calendar is important, you must make sure that all the critical elements of a campaign are lined up in proper sequence and timing. Take your campaign off of a calendar and make sure it just gets done at the right time. That time may or may not be driven by a calendar. Be sure that the company you choose is not pushing you into a specific time frame to help their cash flow. Getting the campaign right is more important that getting it on time.

3. Don’t ask “How much can we raise?” Instead ask, “What is our capacity for raising funds? It is natural to want to know the dollar amount yet at the beginning stages of a campaign the answer is unknown. Companies will usually quote a range from one and a half times your yearly budget over three years to three times your yearly budget. Yet that broad range leaves much up in the air and is based often upon inflated numbers. The range is more likely to be one to three times a ministries budget. Three times budget is the exception rather than the rule. Most firms’ average, if they compute them at all, is more nearly two times budget. Even this number is contingent upon several factors.

While the ranges quoted might give you some idea of what your capacity is more work will need to be done to arrive at a firm target number. How many giving units do you have? How many are High Capacity? What are your leaders and those with the ability to make a substantial commitment really thinking? Do you have a plan to communicate the vision to them? Does the plan make sense? These and other issues must be settled first before you can gage your capacity for raising funds. Knowing how to probe and discover the answers to those questions is why you bring in a stewardship partner.

4. Don’t ask, “Can we raise X amount?” Instead ask, “How long will it take to raise what we need for our projects cost?” Ministries most times know the range of what their project will cost and they want to know if they can raise that amount. The answer is yes. The real question is how long will it take you to raise that amount? Lakewood Church, the largest church in North America, will need at least two stewardship campaigns to pay for moving into Houston’s Compact Center. If the largest church in America needs more than one three year period to raise all the funds why should the rest of us be any different? Nearly every project in America today exceeds the amount that can be raised in one three year campaign. Do you know how to position your ministry for the multiple campaign environment needed to raise the needed funds for your project?

5. Don’t ask, “How much will this cost us?” Instead ask, “How much value will your company bring to our ministry?” You might better ask, “Can we raise as much without a partner as with one?” The answer is no. While there has been no definitive study on this experience has repeatedly shown that churches doing their own campaigns will raise about half what they could using a stewardship partner. The fee you pay over three years is a small price to pay to have someone help you raise double what you might raise on your own. The real issue is the value that a quality partner brings to your ministry.

During the ground combat phase of the Iraqi War the United States utilized advisors in the north to help the Kurds. They came to be known as Force Multipliers. Their knowledge of warfare along with the Kurds small forces multiplied their fighting effectiveness and helped bring down the Iraqi army that was much larger in terms of numbers. Ask the right questions and you too can have a Force Multiplier for your ministry!

So, beware of the snare of stewardship salesmen!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

This past week I had two presentations to two different churches. Each of those churches were also interviewing other stewardship firms. As much as I love my job the one thing I hate is the “selling” side of what we do. I have always hated that about my industry and that is one reason why I do not have a sales force. I came to this position after listening to salesmen in my industry say just about anything to get a contract even when they knew they could not deliver on the promises they made. At The Charis Group we live by the mantra “We would rather tell you the truth and lose your business than just take your money.”

So, I am a bad salesman sales people tell me. They don’t come right out and say it but in part they say I am too honest or I say more than I should. My position is that I would rather tell you everything up front than have to explain later why I did not find it needful for you to know that few churches pledge four times their budget.

One of the other problems I run into are questions that seem to be good questions but in fact are not. I get asked a lot, “What exactly will the campaign look like?” My answer is it depends on a variety of factors. That gets a quizzical look from those across the table from me. I then explain that we simply don’t roll out a set program for churches. While I know some things about a church at that point I do not know enough to consult for them what a successful campaign for them will look like. Any one that easily answers that question is not building a partnership with you but simply rolling out a pre set program with your name on it. You can buy those online for a lot less than that company is charging you.

Its a distinctive that few in my industry either understand or want to take the time to offer. Some are trapped into the belief that getting people involved in some task will automatically get their commitment to the campaign. That might have worked forty years ago. I don’t think it works in today’s society. Other companies roll out programs because they are simply easy to do. They put on a show of personalizing it for you. They might even give you a personalized website to go to. In the end its just smoke and mirrors for a pre programmed approach. I know I over saw that approach for years.

I am praying that my industry will make some changes. Two of the largest have recently been purchased by new owners. Now is the time to change what was broken. Here specifically are the things I think need changing.

Eliminate salesmen from the process making all consultants “sell” what they work and stay with the church from beginning to end. This will eliminate over selling what we can do and eliminate the feeling of many churches that they were baited and switched. It would also help make follow up a smoother transition.

Cap the number of churches a consultant can work in one calendar year to no more than 10 evenly divided between Spring and Fall. The dirty little secret of my industry is that most consultants work far too many churches. As a result they are on site less and simply can not properly meet all the needs of a church. They are over worked and under paid. Too many of the large firms have the top dogs making incredible amounts of money while the average consultant takes on too many churches to make a good living. Always ask your consultant how many churches he works in a calendar year and then ask for the list and then call the list!

Create true partnerships not simply cranking out programs. Almost anyone can take a program and make it work. There are some out there. The value of the stewardship firm you choose is not the companies name or how long they have been around but the consultant assigned to you. Can he think creatively? What pastors and church leaders need today is not another program but someone to help them through the process. Sadly too many companies in my industry either do not have the skill set necessary or the willingness to do what needs to be done.

Treat smaller churches with the same respect as large churches. Some companies do follow some of the things I have advocated but only for the Super Mega churches they serve. The rest get a program. Why is it that Pastor Big Church deserves or needs more attention than the guy slaving away at the church running a few hundred or less? I will never forget sitting in Joel Osteen’s dinning room one day and then a couple of days later being with a pastor that the previous Sunday had run just over 200 in attendance. It was a reminder by the Holy Spirit that both men needed help.

So, while the presidents of the other firms probable won’t or don’t read this it is none the less my cry for a revolution. Let’s start giving the church what they truly need. Now is the time to rethink and retool our industry so that we might be better stewards of the gift God has given us. If we say we are in this for ministry then should we not do that despite what the cost might be? Lets stop writing books about integrity and simply be men and companies of integrity. Maybe then instead of ignoring us when we call pastors will actually want to talk to us.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

The first of this year we were in competition for a churches business for their capital stewardship campaign. During the question and answer time they kept probing me about the importance of the pastor in the process. I remember that I was curious as to why he was not in the room. To me it is always a bad sign when the Senior Pastor does not show up for the interview of the stewardship partner he might be working with. For something this important you would think that he would clear his calendar.

His absence made sense when just weeks later all companies that were being interviewed were informed of events that had caused the project and potential campaign to be put on hold. The pastor was leaving for another ministry position.

So, just how important is the pastor when it comes to raising funds? Indispensable! Without a pastor 99% of all campaigns will ultimately fail to reach their potential. Frankly it is probably more like 100% failure rate.

Why the pastor is so important

The pastor sets the tone for the entire church. It’s called leadership. If you do not have a leader you will not raise funds. Plain and simple.

God gives the pastor the vision for the church. Some might disagree with me but I firmly believe this is the biblical pattern. That does not mean the pastor is a dictator to the church. It does not mean the vision does not need input and refinement. It simply means that successful churches are those where the pastor has received the vision and communicated it down line to the rest of the church. Their buy in is essential but it always starts at the top.

Donors want to know if the program will be completed before they will commit to giving towards it. How can they be assured of that if the pastor is being rumored to be leaving or has left? At that point all bets are off. They will wait until the next pastor comes to see how things will play out. It is imperative that pastors communicate that their desire is to finish out what they believe God has initiated them to do. If donors feel the pastor is simply using them to climb up the ladder they will not support the vision.

Pastors are the key spokesperson for the campaign. I have lots of pastors who tell me they want to engage us so that they can continue to focus on ministry. I know what they are saying and it is true we can help administrate the flow of the campaign and we certainly can help in strategic planning. However no one can replace the shepherd in the minds of the people. There are simply some things that the pastor MUST do to make the campaign successful. If the vision really is burning in your heart you will find the time needed to communicate it.

In the ten and a half years that I have been working in the stewardship ministry I have had two churches come to mind that attempted to have a campaign without a pastor. At the time I knew better but I was not the boss so I did not have the freedom to make the call to delay the campaign. Both campaigns failed miserably. Of course when the leaders were looking for blame I am afraid their fingers were pointing in my direction. The best magician in the world can not pull a rabbit out of the hat if there was not one in the hat to begin with. Now we would NEVER attempt a campaign for a church that is without a pastor. Pastors are just that important!

So while I certainly wanted and needed the business of the church in my opening illustration. I was glad that they had the discernment to know how important the pastor was to the process and hit the pause button. Pastor, do you know how important you are to the process of raising funds? Are you willing to do what it takes to raise those funds? Without the pastor there will be no success. They are indispensable!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

Three years ago today I left a major stewardship firm and started The Charis Group. I left with no ill feelings towards my former company. They had taught me this trade but I felt there needed to be a new direction. I did not agree with the leadership at that time and there was no way to resolve those differences. So, I set out as one man to attempt the impossible, the revolutionize my industry.

What needed changing? For starters consultants were working far too many churches. One consultant bragged to me that he was going to work 30 churches that year. I regularly worked twenty a year. It was a killer schedule. To me this is one of the dirty little secrets of our industry. Consultants work far too many campaigns in a year. The next time you see a stewardship consultant ask him how many campaigns he does in a calender year. If the answer is more than 10 its a safe bet you are not getting your monies worth.

The other thing I changed was to do away with a sales force. Frankly salesmen will tell you anything. I got tired of their lies. I would ask, “Why did you tell them that?” “It’s what the market requires,” they would say. Often it was not just an over statement but an out right lie. They would over sell churches on what we were delivering and then we consultants would have to try and live up to your expectation. Too many times we could not. As a result there was a disconnect. I decided that the guy you looked at in the presentation needed to be the guy you worked with for the entire three years. What I promise in the sell I have to deliver in the campaign. Never work with a company that does not send you your consultant that you will work with to the first interview. In reality you are engaging the consultant not the company.

I also decided that we would stay with our churches for the entire three year period. We would not hand it off to someone else. You engaged with the consultant why should you have to switch for follow up? Since we limit ourselves to eight campaigns a year we truly can deliver follow up. We promise you will hear from us more and see us more than any other group.

We decided that our goal was not to be the biggest but the best. We come more often, stay longer, bring more experience and insight and frankly have the best campaign out there.

So, how have we done? We have climbed the ranks. We are a solid mid level player in the field. So far we are still paying the bills even in this tough economy. Its been fun. Its been scary at times. It has certainly stretched my faith. Looking back I would not change a thing. Still to this day I am honored to partner with churches.

As for how we are doing you would need to ask the churches we have partnered with. Here is what one partner said recently…

“We have engaged Mark Brooks on two occasions at Clay Church, and most recently he worked with us on a more limited basis. Since we had worked with him before, and understood the basic aspects of an effective capital campaign, we were just looking this time for coaching, encouragement, and support.

He came to South Bend on one occasion and spent entire the day with our team. He laid out the timetable for our campaign, and took time to discuss the significance of each step along the way. Since then we’ve been working his plan, and he has been in touch with us by phone and email as we’ve needed guidance, reassurance, and coaching. He’s also been very helpful sending his intellectual property for us to digest and put into action.

I highly recommend The Charis Group, and Mark Brooks in particular!”
Dr. Herb Buwalda
Lead Pastor, Clay Church, South Bend, Indiana

Thanks Herb and thanks to all our other partners. I am looking forward to another three years!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

I had a potential client finally email me back that they had decided to go to a one day conference on how to raise funds and essentially try to raise the money themselves. I have a couple of problems with getting emails like this. For one thing why is it that pastors do not see fit to be honest and let us know? I had to chase him down to find out what they had decided. Do you think he would be happy to be treated that way. I am amazed daily at how rude pastors are to my Director of Marketing who is one of the finest Christian layman you would ever find. I mean seriously guys, have some manners and decency!

The thing though that really bothers me is that the bottom line for these guys is money. They simply don’t want to pay to get the help they need. I find that amazing that here churches are trying to maximize their dollars and they go cheap on getting help. The fault to a large degree lies with we consulting firms. Too many of my peers simply offer programming in a box. Why would you not just buy Rick Warren’s campaign? Well, for one he does not come in the box. For another that system might or might not fit your church. Will a West Coast churches approach fit you? This is the problem I have with campaigns in a box. You get what you pay for, very little.

What this pastor will find is that his laymen will come back from this one day conference with a thick manual on how to do the campaign. Now who will implement all that? Who can make sense out of it all? Its a smooth marketing trick actually. You go thinking you are getting all the help you need and then you realize you better pop for the ad on’s etc etc etc. While I love my industry it is that kind of game that drives me nuts. Few can take that manual and do anything with it. It is like getting the pilots flight manual and telling you that now you can fly yourself. Good luck.

Do I have an answer? Yes! We tailor make all our partnerships. The last thing you need is a program! You need a partner. This church will shell out about $3,500 to go to the one day conference. After the conference they get no help at all unless they buy the additional offerings. So how are we different?

We do one day on site teachings of your staff or lay leaders on how to put an effective campaign together. We leave you with all the materials you need to do the job. Not much different than my competitor. Yet we are on site coming to you while you have to fly to his city. Being at the church makes a huge difference. Then you get access to a consultant personally through email and telephone contact for the entire intensive part of the campaign. It gives you the help you need at a price you can afford. On top of all that we will do it for much less than any other firm. I will personally beat anyone’s deal out there!

So, don’t be fooled by sales techniques. Get the help you need for a price you can afford. Call us today to find out how we can help you. I promise you that with our help your burden will be lighter, you will raise more funds and you will not be alone in trying to figure out the manual!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

We are revolutionizing the stewardship industry! It’s about time someone did!