I wanted to share that not to build myself up but to give credence to the approach I took in sharing the message. Frankly, I did not think it was my best but I was honored they were ministered by it. What I think gave them such a positive view were some of the following points that I regularly follow when I preach on giving. See if your last sermon followed this path and if not try it the next time you preach.

The sermon was not about guilt but opportunity. Preaching that people are obligated to give rather than given an opportunity to give sets the wrong tone to begin with. While it is true that giving is not an option we have to work to show people how giving is in their best interest as well as in the interest of the church. In life we do not start babies on solid food but on milk. Sadly most of your listeners are babes still in terms of giving and you need to slowly bring them to maturity. Banging them over the head with Malachi 3:10 might get you thunderous Amens from the choir but it will not move those that are not giving to embrace your message.

Be positive rather than negative. Sermons on giving do not have to be a drag to listen to. If you set the mood right at the start you can gain the hearing of those that you are preaching to. A positive approach will always get better results than a negative one.

Show how giving can bring results to their lives. My title was enough to get people’s attention. I was frank with them that one way they could recession proof their lives was by putting God first. I then talked about the promise in Malachi 3:10 not the command.

Preach grace not legalism. While I read Malachi 3:10 I quickly admitted to them that many of them could not afford to tithe at this point in time. I think it does not glorify God when we ask our members to give us 10% but then they can not pay their light bill or their rent. I told my listeners that if they made a decision to begin giving what they could and worked towards a goal that God would honor that.

I once heard a minister talk about how wrong the graduated approach to tithing was. He said it was like a married man saying that he use to have ten girl friends and was now down to five and working his way to none. Pastor, get a clue! Your members will tune you out if you require that kind of legalism. Frankly, due to bad decisions most have put themselves in a place where they truly do not have 10% to give to anyone. Show them how to get out of debt first, manage their finances properly and then they can become life long donors. If however you stubbornly cling to preaching that they have to immediately start at 10% you will lose them and only increase their guilt and frustration.

Offer them help. If you truly want to develop generous givers in your church then you need to offer help. There are many programs out there that you can use in your church. Find one that fits your church and regularly offer that to your members. While it might take a year or two to get them up to speed it will pay off in the long run.

Teach stewardship regularly. The church does not talk about money too much. The church does not talk about money enough! It is not that we preach on giving too often that turns people off it is how we typically preach on the subject. Show your members what giving to your ministry accomplishes and how it can benefit their lives as well and they will put their money in your offering plate.

While I would not presume to say I am the expert on preaching on giving I have in thirty plus years of ministry learned a few things. Like many I have learned from my mistakes more than my successes. Take these thoughts and apply them to your next sermon on giving and see if it will not make a difference.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

PS. The ending that the man emailed me about was indeed moving. I shared with the congregation that now that I am a business owner I know what recessions can do to your business. I shared about the pressures business people feel. I asked all those in the congregation that owned their own business to stand. I then asked people to gather around them and lay hands on them as I had a special prayer for them. It was indeed a powerful moment. You might consider doing the same thing in your church.

That was the lead paragraph to an end of year letter that I recently wrote for a client. In the next paragraph I wrote the following: “Consider what a gift to our church accomplishes. This past year we have been able to impact hundreds of people locally with the gospel message of hope. We have through our denomination touched the lives of thousands literally around the globe. Even during a recession with our area hit incredibly hard this church has stepped up and given to meet the needs of our vision. Truly when you give here at your church it is a gift that keeps on giving!”

I then followed these paragraphs with a positive challenge to end the year well with a gift to the church. This particular church wanted to have a special offering that ran through the month of December and culminated on December 27th. End of year appeals are great ways to close the gap in budget shortages or to meet additional needs. Here are some basics to consider as you write your end of year appeal.

Have the letter to your donors by Thanksgiving.

Make the letter positive upbeat and to the point.

Share specifics of why you are asking people to give. Just asking them to give for the sake of giving does not motivate the heart.

Make giving easy for them, include an envelope.

Always include a PS as studies show most people skim a letter but always read the PS.

Take the time to personally sign each letter. The more personal the delivery the more effective the letter!

These are just a few things that if implemented can make your letter more effective. If you think that Americans don’t have money to spend consider that “Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2″ sold $310 million dollars on its first day of release. A good end of year letter might just net you some of the money your donor base would other wise spend on ties, socks and worthless Christmas gifts this year. What have you to lose?

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

Here is what I wrote…

“Our country is great because of men like Tom Holloway.  Tom will probably be surprised at this statement.  He might even want to argue with me about it.  Yet I believe its true.  Tom works in marketing for us.  He is always upbeat.  Always cheerful.  He is one of our Marketing Department’s first in, last out soldiers that helps set the stage for our ability to engage churches.  He works in a cube but never lets that affect his attitude. 
 
Something you might not know about Tom is that he is a veteran.  Tom served when serving wasn’t cool.  He could sport that yellow license plate or bumper sticker with green and red lines you might have seen on some trucks.  Its the Vietnam Service Medal.  Tom served while others sat home.  There are a lot of guys just like Tom.  That is why Tom will think this note does not apply to him.  I think it does.  Oh, he may not have done some heroic feat or made some save the ship kind of statement.  Yet guys like Tom are what have made this country great.  You see there are a long line of Toms that stretch all the way back to that Lexington green.  From that green to the brown dusty streets of Baghdad to the snow capped peaks of Afghanistan we have countless other men like Tom and now women too who are putting their all on the line to help keep us free. 
 
This weekend we will celebrate the founding of our country.  We would not have this country were it not for men like Tom and all the countless others who have served to make it great.  Our country is so great we even allow those that don’t appreciate the Tom’s of the world the freedom to live here.  There are times that some far left liberals anger me so terribly.  Then I am reminded what they probably would never recognize, that guys like Tom have sustained their right to be stupidly wrong.  In other countries they would be executed.  Here they get their own television show or they make a movie!  It’s called freedom. 
 
Freedom isn’t free.  For us as a nation the price was paid beginning at that Lexington green so many years ago.  Payments were continually made throughout our two hundred plus years.  In places with names like, Valley Forge, Yorktown, Manassas, Appomattox, San Juan Hill, Belleau Wood, Pearl Harbor, Tarawa, Normandy, Okinawa, Chosen Reservoir, Khe Sanh, Kuwait and Baghdad our men and women have fought.  Lives have been lost and are being lost.   Over 1,700 men and women to date have died in Iraq, 1,333 in combat.  Over 200 have died in Afghanistan.  All have died trying to preserve our freedom and to gain freedom for people who have never known freedom.  They are guys and gals just like Tom and my son Jon and now my son in law Nick.  They serve and as a result we continue to be free.  What a country!  For all our faults and short comings, what a country!
 
Jesus taught that to whom much is given much is expected.  We have freedom in America but there is a much greater freedom in Jesus.  That freedom was not free either.  It cost God His only Son on a cross.  That cross is God’s attempt to redeem a lost and sinful world to Himself.  As those who have accepted God’s gift we have the duty to tell others the way to safety.  It is why guys like Tom sit in cubicles.  We have been given much, much is expected in return.
 
So, today I want to say thanks to Tom and all the others like him that have served and are serving.  This weekend as you celebrate the Fourth take some time to reflect upon our freedoms.  Find a Vet and thank them.  Most of all take some time to thank our heavenly Father who has given us such freedom.  Then think about how you might do your part to extend that freedom to others.” 

That was what I wrote several years ago. You will note that the casualty numbers for Iraq and Afghanistan are lower than they are now. To date we have lost 4,362 lives in Iraq and 918 in Afghanistan. Now more than ever I stand in awe of those that have served and are serving. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Veterans!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

I had NO clue the kind of financial, job, and family pressure most of our people were living with.

Criticism makes me better. I had shielded myself from criticism to the point that I couldn’t see my flaws. In the “real world” I don’t have that luxury.

He summed up his observations with this comment, “Overall, it is just amazing how out of touch I was with what was going on around me. God had to knock me down, humble me, and let me hit rock bottom where I can be more effective for Him in the future.” Could the same be said of you?

In the over eleven years since I left pastoring to be in the stewardship ministry I have had the honor to work with scores of pastors. I have literally been in every kind of context you can imagine. From traditional to ultra contemporary to super mega churches to emerging churches. I would have to say that what amazes me is how little pastors understand real life. If we are not careful we will be lumped with politicians as those totally devoid of understanding what our constituents are feeling.

How does this impact stewardship? As my old boss John Maxwell says, “You first must win their hearts before you ask for their hand.” With unemployment now over 10% our country is nervous about the future. Do you understand those fears? Can you relate? As a small business owner I can tell you my perspective is much different than when I was a Senior Pastor. Can you relate to the business owners of your congregation?

At a time when finances are tight you will have to work even harder to gain the confidence of those in your ministry. However when you do show you care, that you truly understand, they will rise up and support the work of ministry God has called you to.

Do you truly get what you people are feeling? If not it could be a long hard year for you and your ministry!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

Before we explore more about how you will fare let’s talk about some other interesting findings of The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s study of the biggest 400 charities in America. Only 16 were religious groups. Some religious groups were listed in categories such as social services since that is their primary work. Even though few are primarily religious in nature we can still learn a lot from this report.

Here are some observations that I had after reading the report.

Not all charities saw a decline in their giving.

Some saw a decline in 2008 but are poised to see an increase in 2009.

Others that saw an increase in 2008 are seeing a decline in 2009.

The over all rank or size of a charity made little or no difference in out come.

6 of the 16 listed religious charities saw a decline.

Overall these 16 saw a decline of .6% from ‘08 to ‘07.

Here is what The Chronicle of Philanthropy said these top 400 charities were doing in response to the recession. “The biggest charities are stepping up their efforts to solicit individuals, trying to explain more clearly why they need money, focusing on donors who have stopped giving, experimenting with new methods of online fund raising, and putting more time and effort into securing planned gifts.”

My question is what are you going to do about the possible decline in giving in 2009 and 2010? From the quote above it is apparent that these top charities are not going to just hope things get better. They have devised a plan of action and are working that plan. What are your plans? How will you end these last few months on a positive note? How will you get the new year off to a positive start?

Another question I have for you is this, are you even thinking about this? Sadly I find that too few give any amount of time to their stewardship plans. Those that leave it up to hope are typically the first to experience declines in giving. So, start now, if you have not already, to make sure that you end on the best footing for 2009. Ending well will set you up to start well.

As always if you need help we are here to provide that help for a price you can afford.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

I wish my own church were a bit better at this. For three weeks I have been getting letters every Tuesday about my lack of a pledge to the annual budget. It is clear that on Monday’s someone in the office checked the list of those that had not pledged and cranked out another letter. It always came on Tuesday. My wife finally came home after being in Oklahoma tending to her ill mother and we put our pledge card in the offering plate on Sunday. Yesterday, the first Tuesday after putting our pledge in the plate, there was no mail from my church. To be fair maybe some acknowledgement will come in the next few days. However I can not help but wonder why the appeal letter was mailed on a Monday arriving at my house on Tuesday and nothing acknowledging our commitment came in the same timely way.

Churches are sometimes their own worst enemies when it comes to raising funds. The list of things they do wrong fills book after book. There are at least two major mistakes they make that I want to point out in this post in hopes that you and your church will avoid them. Making these mistakes can and will cost you thousands of dollars in support.

Deadly Mistake Number One: Taking donors for granted. Too many churches just assume that members will give. Of course your members are suppose to give. Of course it is a biblical requirement. Of course it is our obligation. You however should not take that for granted.

Thirty three years ago my wife married me. She loves me, faults, there are many, and all. As Christians we understand that we are obligated to love one another. Yet it would be a tragic mistake if I did not continually tell her I loved her and worked to show her by my actions that I love her. I assume she loves me. I will never take her love for granted.

When I was a Senior Pastor I had a man come to see me to explain why he and his wife were leaving our church. He had come to know Christ while listening to me preach one Sunday. I was stunned. His reasoning further stunned me when he said, “You never tell this congregation that you love us.” Of course I loved them! I had however made a cardinal error. I had assumed that they knew I loved them. Assumption is a nasty disease that will hurt you.

Lesson Number One: Don’t take your members donations for granted!

Deadly Mistake Number Two: Never saying thank you. Have you ever held a door open for someone and they never thanked you but simply breezed through like that was what you were suppose to do? How did it make you feel? It probably caused you to be slightly indignant. It might have even made you question ever holding open another door. If you never acknowledge the donations made by your members you give them the same mis-givings. Never saying thank you is much akin to taking donors for granted. Together they can combine to make a one two knock out punch to your ministry.

The other day I read a fundraising blog, I read about fifty a day, that gave the advice of personally writing to top donors. They talked about how in this rush to use technology that sometimes a personal touch can go a long ways. I have to confess that I do so much on a computer that I can hardly write by hand! However think about it. Do you still go to the mail box daily in hopes of something other than bills? How would your donors respond to a thank you note written by you? While you might not be able to do that for all your donors should you not find some way of saying thank you?

Think again about my illustration of opening the door for someone. When a person smiles at you and thanks you for your kindness how does that make you feel? It makes you feel like doing it again and again. So, why would it be any different to do this for your donors? You should develop multiple ways to thank your donors both publicly and privately. It could mean in the end thousands of dollars to your ministry.

Lesson Number Two: Continually thank your donors!

I wrote back to my client who asked about acknowledging the gift that it was indeed a good step to take. I told him that I would simply thank the donor and not mention future gifts. In thanking this donor for their gift that alone would pave the way for future gifts to come.

I wonder how many gifts are lost because we take for granted that people will give and then when they do give we never say thank you? Don’t make these mistakes in your ministry.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group