One of my competitors has just produced a flyer that purports to have been the results of polling of 400 churches by a leading researcher. Supposedly 80% of those churches polled would use this competitor again. I laughed out loud when I saw this. For one thing if that were true then all the other stewardship companies would have gone out of business long ago. For another thing more than half of our business comes from churches that once used this competitor and now would never use them again. So, while it looks impressive and they may have indeed talked to 400 churches I seriously question the validity of the supposed study. It’s just sales talk.

I love my calling in stewardship. I believe that the companies in this industry serve a valuable service to churches and Christian ministries. I even think the competitor that I listed above has had a valuable role in helping shape the present stewardship climate. What I don’t like is how sales driven it all has become. I suppose that part of the reason I don’t like the sales driven climate of this industry is that I am not a salesman. I would much rather sit down and talk stewardship and vision than try to sell you on why we are the best. My position is that after meeting with our consultants if you don’t think through just talking to us that we know what we are doing and can help you then any sales pitch we might give you would be meaningless. At The Charis Group we don’t have salesmen we have consultants.

Having stated that I do realize that we have to do some degree of selling. To that end I wrote the following piece not long ago and thought it might be appropriate to reprint it here. I called it Asking the Right Questions.

Are you asking the right questions?

Often churches and Christian ministries when faced with great decisions, have a tendency to 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. The question we are generally asked is, “How many on site visits will you make?” A better question might be, Will you have enough time to make our campaign a success? Some churches are trying to compute the cost of the contract by the number of visits the consultant makes to arrive at the value. As you will see that kind of thinking focuses on a variable cost and will benefit the potential partner more than you. Quality visits are what counts. 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 that company back. The number of visits is meaningless without quality consulting. The real issue with regard to this question is, “Will we get the attention we feel we deserve for the fee we are paying?”

2. The question, “When is the best time of the year to have our campaign?”, can trap you into a calendar date that benefits the stewardship company and their cash flow. Consider asking, “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 than getting it done at a certain date.

3. The question “How much can we raise?” provokes a sales answer. A more comprehensive question might be “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 often based upon inflated numbers. The range is more likely to be one to three times a ministry’s 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 your capacity, 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. Some Christian Leaders ask, “Can we raise X amount?” Most of the time you will get a yes answer. A more definitive question would be, “How long will it take to raise what we need?” Ministries usually know the range of what their project will cost. 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. Finally, the question is not, “How much will this cost us?” Instead ask, “How much value will your company bring to our ministry?” Even better, you might ask, “Can we raise as much without a partner as with one?” Generally 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 real issue is the value that a quality partner brings to your ministry.

You should ask questions. Ask lots of questions! Just make sure that the questions you ask are the right questions that will lead you to the right stewardship partner. You have to get beyond the sales talk to the heart of the issue. There is a right partner out there for you. If you are wise you can find them and they can help you. God’s speed in your search!

Mark Brooks, President, The Charis Group

Every day the news seems to tell us something different about the state of our economy. One day the market is way up the next it falls. Gas is sky rocketing then last week it plunges. Housing is in a slump, no wait last month was not as bad as we expected. On and on it goes. What this produces is uncertainty and unease. While we may indeed hit the bottom of this challenging economic time and be on our way out the effect will be long term.

My parents grew up during The Great Depression. That time was nothing like this time. People were really hurting back then. That generation that grew up then was for ever marked by that time. To this day there are things they will not buy, spending habits they still hold onto from that time and savings habits that reflect that time. It’s like there is a scar mentally upon them that will never go away.

This current time will scar the present generation for years to come. In some respect that might not be all bad. We lived large these last few years, maybe too large. The Dotcom run up ruined us all into thinking we could get rich quick. So, maybe a dose of reality is good. However it remains that unease and uncertainty is there with your donors. How should we as Christian leaders respond? Here are some thoughts.

Remind your donors that while the economy is unstable our God is eternally stable! Despite what happens on Wall Street I can always have confidence that God is in control. Nothing sneaks up on Him and He is never surprised. In the midst of uncertainty I can always be certain that He is in control!

Prove to your donors that your ministry is stable. Build confidence in your donor base that though things around them might be uncertain this ministry will stand the test of time and economic challenges. That will take wise spending and planning on your part. Your track record will build and maintain trust which in the end will bolster your giving.

Remind them that your ministry, partnering with the eternal God is a worthy investment of their money. As I have mentioned before we have to continually tell our story of the positive things that we are doing to make a difference. Investing in your ministry will bring those that contribute lasting returns.

Show them that giving benefits them! While we ought to give because we are commanded to give people do want to know what is in it for them. Consider this posting I found from the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging’s blog.

“It’s like a runner’s high, except it keeps on giving as long as you do! And now it’s laboratory tested.

Researchers have concluded that “giving unto others” produces a strong dose of happiness for the giver. According to a study published in March by researchers at the University of British Columbia and the Harvard Business School, there is scientific proof that financial generosity makes a person happier. The reward comes to donors large and small. From large Bill Gates-sized contributions to the normal working person’s offering, it’s not in the size of the donation, but in the act of giving.

The study states that people experience the same kind of physical endorphin rush from making charitable donations as runners get when they’re “in the zone.”

So show your donors why giving to your ministry benefits them and they will continue to give. After all Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given unto you…” While our focus is not to preach giving to get rich it is a biblical promise that as we give God returns the blessing. Preach and teach that and watch your donations continue to come in.

My point here is to simply remind us that we have been through tough times before and survived. Your ministry can make it through this time as well.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President of The Charis Group

I found a really good article that addresses the impact of the economy in SBC churches. This mirrors what we have found in our dealings with our clients that are not SBC churches. While it might not give us comfort that others are facing our misery, it does give perspective. It reinforces what I have been saying that even though this is a challenging time donations will not dry up.

Mark Kelly, an old acquaintance from my days in Arkansas wrote the piece. It is worth checking out. Does it reflect what you are seeing? Let us know by posting something to this blog.

Here is the link:

Make no mistake these are challenging times economically. However it is not nearly as bad as many are making it out to be. Perception is a cruel form of reality! Consider this article I found at CNNMoney.com about consumers spending at McDonald’s, PepsiCo and Hersheys. You can find the link here:

http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/23/markets/thebuzz/index.htm?postversion=2008072314

The upshot of the article is that while big ticket items are suffering due to the housing crisis people are spending money. Things are not as bad as we think.

Oil prices are declining! Yesterday oil closed at below $125. They are now talking about gas prices that will be $3.50 a gallon by Labor Day. Check this link out about that from reporter Susan Carlson in Chicago.

“http://cbs2chicago.com/local/gas.prices.drop.2.778351.html”

The Stock Market is going back up! Amidst all this the markets today closed higher gaining much of the ground that was lost last week. While the market is still a roller coaster we are now firmly above 11,000 heading back up to 12,000. I remember a few years ago when we could not believe it crossed 10,000.

While we are not out of the woods and they are continuing concerns in housing, banking and unemployment it still bears out that things will settle down for us. Our job as leaders is to know the times we live in and to give reassurance to our constituents. Don’t minimize what is happening but help them get a proper perspective on where we are.

Then the bottom line is that people can continue to give to your ministry. After all Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.

Make investments in eternity!

Mark Brooks
Fonder and President of The Charis Group

The headline in today’s Atlanta Journal Constitution said, “Fed Inflation Hawk Endorses Higher Rates.” The article quoted remarks made by Charles Posser a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee and the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. In part he said, “We will need to reverse course - the exact timing depends on how the economy evolves, but I anticipate the reversal will need to be sooner rather than later, and I believe it will likely need to begin before either the labor market or the financial market have turned around.” The goal of the Fed he said was to keep inflation in control. So the bottom line is look for the rates to begin climbing upward perhaps as early as this fall.

What does that mean for your ministry? It means now is the time to act upon getting your note refinanced if you have one and looking to secure a loan if you are starting your project. I am often amazed at the number of Christian ministries that never revisit their loan and continue to pay 7% to 9% interest when rates can be found much lower. Lowering your rate will save you thousands of dollars a year. Those dollars could be used in other ministry areas.

Here are some things to consider:
Rates are lower than they have been in years and may indeed have bottomed out.
Banks are more cautious now than even a year ago on how much and to whom they loan money to.
Expect it to take longer for you to secure your loan or refinancing than before.
Start now to guarantee that you will get your church the best rates ever.

Recently a church that we were working with used our alliance partner Mission Management to refinance their $7 million dollar debt. The savings was huge. They will save thousands of dollars a month. You too could benefit from this alliance partner.

To find out more about whether your ministry would qualify go to our web page at www.TheCharisGrooup.org Look for the button that says, Free Financial Analysis. Click on it and it will take you to a site where you can fill out the appropriate information. Within 48 hours you will receive an analysis of what your potential savings could be.

It’s free and it could save you thousands of dollars. Act now before the rates do go up!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

I was a pastor for over twenty years. I have for the last ten years worked with scores of pastors from the largest church in North America to guys in the middle of nowhere. After ten years of being asked what can kill a campaign my number one answer is the leader! While that might not be a popular answer it is the truth. Usually if the campaign has not been a success you need to look no further than the office of the pastor or ministry leader.

While what I am writing here might seem to be critical of pastors and leaders remember I was one. I want these guys to succeed not fail. Yet too many times they are their own worst enemies. Bill Easum and Bil Cornelius in their book, “Go Big,” say this, “Pastor if your church is not growing, you are the stopping point. If your church is growing you are the catalyst. It’s that simple.”

Time and again I have seen too many pastors become the number one barrier to a successful campaign. It’s not like they set out to be the barrier to success. Most are unaware that the actions they take cause the church to fall short of their goal. Unknowingly however, pastor after pastor creates barriers that hinder successful stewardship campaigns. In this Stewardship Coach we will attempt to identify the most common barriers so that you can avoid them on your way to a successful campaign.

The barriers pastors have to overcome.

The following list, though not exhaustive, does list the more prominent barriers that pastors must overcome to be successful not only in raising funds but in advancing their vision. Weakness in any area will compromise your ability to move forward raising the funds your dream needs. Here are some of the barriers that we are often up against when we work with pastors.

1. Limited Vision. People give to vision. The greater the vision the greater the amount your church members will be willing to sacrificially give to support that vision. Small visions generate small dollars. Big visions generate big dollars. If your vision isn’t big then don’t expect significant buy in to support it. The best program or partnership in the world cannot save you if you have a limited vision. Dream big and communicate big dreams to gain big dollars!

2. Timid Leadership. Paul told Timothy, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self disciple.” That passage should be memorized by every pastor and Christian leader. Easum and Cornelius in their book “Go Big” say this, “Don’t delegate raising money to someone else. You’ve got to learn to make the “big” ask of yourself. If you don’t learn how to ask, it will never happen.” Then in another place they say, “Never shy away from asking for money because you’re asking for the greatest mission in the world – God’s mission to save creation.” This last statement should help us all as we realize that we are not asking for ourselves but for the Kingdom.

3. Work Ethic. I have found that pastors work hard they just don’t always work smart. If you want to raise significant dollars you have to put the work in. While preaching at your friend’s church during the campaign might be appealing, staying at home is what you need to do. One thing that we always tell pastors and Christian leaders is that they will live for three years on the results of what happens during the three to four months of the campaign. Could you not give a few extra evenings and hours to see the dream become a reality? Isn’t fueling your vision and dreams worth a bit of hard work?

4. Lack of Passion. Pastor if this vision does not burn in your heart you will never be able to transfer it to your congregation. They will not give to what you are not passionate about. Help your members see that this is indeed a defining moment in the churches ministry. I have had pastors communicate passionately about paving the parking lot and raise thousands of dollars from members who are convinced that doing so will allow more people on the property. I have had other pastors who could not with passion communicate the need to build a new worship center and fell far short of their intended mark. If it burns in your heart that fire will be caught by your members.

5. Misplaced Priorities. When it comes time to raise funds to support your dreams and visions it is not a time to take a vacation. Everything in your life does not revolve around the campaign to raise dollars but that campaign must be one of your top priorities. Too many pastors view the campaign as just one more program and as a result they do not raise the funds they need. Make sure that it’s a front burner issue for you and your staff and you will see greater success.

There are probable many more barriers that could be listed. However these are the most common. Work to avoid them and you can be successful in your next campaign. One great way to avoid these barriers is to have the accountability of a stewardship partner to coach you through the key issues and help you avoid these barriers. We would love to talk to you about how we can help you fulfill your dreams and visions. Give us a call today!

Mark Brooks, President and Founding Partner, The Charis Group

Hollywood is buzzing about the record weekend “The Dark Knight” turned in this past weekend. Over $155 million came in with sell outs coast to coast. Take a look at these numbers.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. “The Dark Knight,” $155.34 million.

2. “Mamma Mia!”, $27.6 million.

3. “Hancock,” $14 million.

4. “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” $11.9 million.

5. “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” $10 million.

6. “WALL-E,” $9.8 million.

7. “Space Chimps,” $7.4 million.

8. “Wanted,” $5.1 million.

9. “Get Smart,” $4.1 million.

10. “Kung Fu Panda,” $1.8 million.

How much of those millions came from the pockets of believers, some of whom attend your church? How many of those dollars were robbed from your offering plate so that their family could be entertained by Batman? No one on this side of eternity knows. The next time someone tells you they can not afford to give to your ministry maybe you ought to ask them if they were at the movies last weekend.

Ok so that might not be the best strategy but you get my point don’t you? Thank God we serve the true light of the world that can overcome any darkness real or imagined. That is something worth giving to!

Mark Brooks

A year ago one or our Charis associates was battling with back pain. He went to a number of chiropractors and physical therapists seeking relief. While gaining some temporary relief the problem got worse. Finally after months of treatment someone did an MRI on his back. It wasn’t a problem with his disc it was a cancerous mass on his kidney pressing into his spine. Month after month he had been treated with what essentially was a band aide treatment for a potentially terminal illness. Taking an aspirin might have alleviated some of the pain but it left the root problem still in place growing larger day by day. Thankfully the problem was detected and he is on his way to full recovery.

I meet and talk to pastors and Christian leaders every day that are unknowingly guilty of the same thing. They are treating a potentially terminal illness with a band aide here and an aspirin there. The real cancer eats away at their ministry sometimes without them even knowing it until its too late. The cancer we deal with is stewardship or the lack thereof. The honest truth of the matter is that your membership is comprised of scores of people that are not good stewards. They attend your services, use your facilities, count as an attendee but rarely pull their own weight in terms of dollars contributed. What do we are Christian leaders do about this? I find there are a variety of responses to stewardship from Christian leaders. I find the following attitudes and approaches:

1. Ignorantly bliss – Some leaders are not even aware of what is going on in terms of stewardship in their ministries. Ignorance is never bliss!

2. Hopefully naïve – Some leaders just hope and pray their people will be good stewards. Hope is never a good strategy!

3. Mystically optimistic – Some leaders think that if they simply teach on the deeper life of Christ their constituents will put two and two together and give. I am all for the deeper life but your members too often can not add two plus two in terms of stewardship. Positive thinking produces little!

4. Legalistic bullying – Some leaders preach the responsibility of tithing while never teaching the positive benefits that this brings to members. A heavy dose of law does not make for long term stewards. Bullying your members only leaves them bruised!

5. Biblically balanced – While few and far between these leaders see the need for addressing stewardship and do so in a consistent and thorough manner thus producing long term stewards. They know to teach the truth about giving from a balance whole life view point. Balance is the key!

Which one are you? Which one would your members say is you? Which one should you be? If you are like most leaders that I deal with you are probably trying to fix this cancer with a band aide and an aspirin. In this posting of The Stewardship Coach I want to share with you a strategy that will work for you. Here is what I recommend…

First diagnose the problem.

Do you know what your ministries strengths, weaknesses and opportunities are? What areas are you growing in? What areas are you weak in? What needs improvement? Too many leaders start hacking away without knowing where the real issues lie. You might be doing more damage than good. You have to know what is going on in your ministry before you can prescribe the right treatment. Do you know how to do that? We do! The Charis Group’s Stewardship Enhancement Program is designed to answer just those questions for you. We are so confident are we in our diagnosis and prescribe plan that if your giving does not go up in one year we will refund you our fee! Find out more about our Stewardship Enhancement Program at the end of this article.

Next prescribe a treatment.

What is your plan for improving your stewardship base? No NFL or college team would ever think about playing their next opponent without a game plan. Yet I find that many Christian leaders have no set plan to address what can potentially be a problem that will stop your dreams from becoming a reality. I find that most leaders plan for addressing this is to preach upon stewardship from time to time. I would agree that we need to preach on stewardship. Look at the following reasons.

Why should you preach on stewardship?

1. It’s biblical! Jesus talked more about money than any other subject. Don’t let a few people talk you out of preaching the whole counsel of God. Jesus talked about it so much because he understood its power upon the lives of people. It truly is the god and idol of our age. Your message of truth will bring life to your members!

2. It brings results. George Barna in his studies has found that churches in which pastors preach…

• Single messages about giving raise more money.
• Two or more nonconsecutive messages do not have any advantage over churches that only preach on stewardship once a year.
• Two or more consecutive messages about stewardship raise more money than do those churches that only hear one message a year.
• A series on giving is nearly two and a half times more likely to experience an increase in giving than preachers who only talk about stewardship once a year or on two non consecutive times in a year.

The bottom line is that the more you preach on stewardship the more dollars you will raise. However you must not stop with simply preaching on stewardship. Doing so is like putting a band aide on the problem. You have to attack the root issue.

Show your members the positive aspects of stewardship.

1. Right priorities It all starts with our priorities. Help your members set the right priorities and it will benefit your ministry in the long run. Are you teaching them how to rearrange their priorities in order to be good stewards? We can help you with that!

2. Right plan. Help your members establish a plan of action that will lead them to financial stability. If you don’t have a plan to help your members all you are probably doing for them is putting a band aide upon a gapping wound.

Our Building Wealth Seminar gives people the basics towards building a plan that will make them good stewards. Most want to give to your ministry they just don’t know how to do so given their present economic dilemma. What plan do you have to help them?

Remember the old saying, “Fish or cut bait?” Now is the time where you must decide what you are going to do. Just because the economy sticks does not mean your offerings have to! If you are interested in turning this around then look below for two new initiatives that we are offering called, Stewardship Enhancement and the Building Wealth Seminar. We are so sure that each of these will increase your offerings that we are offering a money back guarantee if they don’t. You can find out more information by going to our website www.TheCharisGroup.org

Mark Brooks

This last weekend I was at the National Church Business Administrators national conference in Nashville. We took our booth and some materials to set up shop and see if we could develop leads for future work. There were vendors from every kind of church related business that you could imagine. From offering envelope companies, to banks, to builders, to church suppliers. You name it they were there.

There were at least ten other stewardship firms with booths at the conference. They ranged from the big two with tons of lavish booth exhibits and give aways to one guy sitting behind a table handing out fliers. From that if you were choosing a stewardship partner how would you choose? Do you go with the glitz and glamor or the simplicity of the guy behind the table?

You could do what one church is doing that sent us a request for a proposal. They wanted page after page of questions answered in writing to determine who they would talk to. I emailed them back and said, “While we might like to work with you we find that instruments such as these ask the wrong questions, lead to incorrect conclusions and expectations and ultimately disappointment and failure for both parties.” So how would I recommend you find the best partner for your ministry? Here are some ideas…

Ask your friends in the ministry. Your ministry network is always one of the best sources of information for you. Talk to those that have used similar firms as you are looking at. What was their experience? Who did they use and would they use them again? What did they learn as they interviewed and looked at companies? Their partner might not be a good fit for you but someone they rejected might fit the bill perfectly for your ministry. The bottom line is ask around.

Talk to the potential partners references. Admittedly if a company gives you references they are going to give you the names of clients that they know will say good things about them. Here is a thought. First ask them how many clients they worked with in the last three years. All firms want to brag about how much work they have done. Then ask for a list of every one of those clients with contact information! That way they can not cherry pick only the best.

So what should you ask those references? Of course you will ask if they were pleased with the firm but probe deeper. Ask them about things that you are concerned about if they had any problems with that. Ask them about whether or not the firm they used has been in contact with them. Find out all you can from the reference. A simple question like would you use that firm again and why or why not can tell you a lot.

Ask the right questions! Most Christian ministries ask the wrong questions during their interview process. Asking the wrong question is just as bad as not asking any questions. We wrote a whole brochure about asking the right questions. If you email me I will send it to you.

Realize you are picking a consultant not a firm. In my industry while all the companies have something good to offer you are really engaging their consultant not the company. Make sure the consultant that they send you matches up with your expectations and desires. The value you derive from partnering with that firm is dependent upon the consultant they send to you not there years of experience. That is why the guy sitting behind the table with no fancy display might be better for you than the guy sitting in front of the glitzy display.

I truly believe in the value of my industry and what we can do to help Christian ministries achieve their dreams. I just know however that you have to separate the hype and glitz to get at the heart of the issue, who is best for your ministry. The Charis Group is not the right company for some and we freely admit that. For others we are a perfect match. With some intelligent thought and prayerful consideration you can choose the right partner for your ministry.

Mark Brooks

If you want more information about The Charis Group you can go to our website www.TheCharisGroup.org Or email me at Mark@TheCharisGroup.org

All that we are hearing right now with the economy is bad news. As a Christian leader you have to have your finger upon the pulse of what your people are feeling. George Bush Sr. looked out of touch in his campaign against Bill Clinton because he did not know the cost of a gallon of milk. Frankly I don’t ether and that really was unfair but it made him look out of touch with the common man and he lost his re-election bid. You can lose your people by turning a deaf ear to what is going on around you. So what should we are Christian leaders do? Here are some thoughts…

Don’t ignore the elephant in the room! If there is a two ton elephant in the room and you ignore it you will go down in the minds of your people. As they sit under your leadership and you never once mention the economy or recognize that people are hurting they will dismiss you as living in an ivory tower. You like George Bush Sr. could lose the support of your people.

I recently counseled a client that was going to announce the plans for their new worship center. I told him that immediately after announcing those plans he had better say, “I know what some of you are thinking. Is now the time to do this with the economy like it is here in Michigan? Let me tell you why now is the time and how we can do this.” Anticipate the question before you get hit in the face with it!

Bring hope! We all need to be reminded that despite the news and despite how things might be going we are not without hope. I might not be able to take that trip, or buy that that car or whatever but as Christian we are never without hope that leads to true joy. If my hope is in the economy I am in trouble even if the economy is doing good. As Christians we possess the ability to live life to the fullest no matter what is happening around us. Remind your people of the great truths of Scripture and point them to the One that can see them through these challenging times.

Teach total stewardship. Those that are good stewards will weather this current storm better than those that lived for the day and like many are over extended in credit. Stewardship is not something we teach once a year at budget time. It is not something we focus on when we are trying to raise funds for a new building. We must teach stewardship to our members on a regular basis so that long term they will be in a better financial position than those around them. Your role as their leader is to help them become the best stewards of their time, talent and treasures.

During times of stress and challenge we as Christian leaders can play a key role in helping people weather the storm. In doing so you will in the end keep members and ultimately increase your stewardship ability. When bad news strikes remind your members of the Good News!

Mark Brooks