It seems as if every day the newspapers report on how consumer confidence is at a low point. Yesterday was suppose to be the highest day of retail traffic yet most are saying that consumers, while still shopping, are spending less. How could you not have a negative view when all we have heard about is how bad things are? With an election that was decided on economic issues just behind us it stands to reason that the confidence level of Americans would be low. Mix in the up and down of the Stock Market, the uncertainty of banks and credit availability, you naturally are going to have consumers nervous. The real question for us is will this loss of confidence spill over into religious giving? It doesn’t appear to be. Consider the following…

New World Vision just completed a study that found…

# As a result of the current economic climate, seven in ten adults (71 percent) will spend less money on holiday presents this year, and about half (49 percent) are now more likely to give a charitable gift as a holiday present.

# More than four in five adults (84 percent) would prefer to receive a meaningful gift that would help someone else rather than a traditional holiday gift such as clothing or electronics.

# More than half of U.S. adults (57 percent) want something for the holidays this year, but only about one in three (36 percent) say they need something.

# More than half couldn’t remember what they received. More women (60 percent) remember exactly what they got for Christmas last year than men (49 percent).

This is one of many studies that I have seen that point to the fact that charities and churches IF they present a compelling need could see their donations stay stable. The IF revolves around how well you present your ministries need and the effectiveness of your vision. One key we have continually been recommending here is that you have some plan in place to meet the challenges of these economic times. Those with a compelling vision and a plan to communicate that vision will raise funds. Those without a plan will fail. Which are you?

My new book, “Recession Proof Your Offerings,” can give you a start at developing a workable plan for these times. Yesterday I sent the final proof back to the printer. Our hopes are to have the book ready to ship in two to three weeks. You can go to our website, www.TheCharisGroup.org and click on the button that says Free Book to fill out an application for the book. We will send it as soon as we get them into the office. While I am not one to blow my own horn one pastor that I sent the galley proof to said, “Mark’s book is the seminary class on stewardship that I never had. Every pastor and Finance team will do themselves - and their church - a favor if they would read and follow the principles of this seasoned leader in Christian stewardship.” So, don’t want for the movie get your free book request in today.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Stewardship Coach

PS. If you want another good stewardship blog to read check out Ben Stroup’s blog “Do More Ministry.” You can find it at

We need Thanksgiving. Every year we need to stop and pause and reflect but this year we need to do so more than ever. If you are like me you are tired of all the hand wringing. You are weary of all the political ads we just had to endure. You are tired of watching your 401K go up and down but mostly down. It is depressing to listen to the news tell us how bad things are day after day. We need to just take a break and be thankful. We have more to be thankful for than we often realize.

As for me and my house we can be thankful that…

This Thanksgiving my son is not in Baghdad like last year but safely at home with us. No matter how bad my day is I can be thankful that God saw Jon through that difficult time. He is home now, out of the Army and headed for the rest of his life. We give thanks!

We give thanks that our son in law Captain Nick Cherry has been kept safe during his deployment in Iraq and is nearing the completion of his time there. While we wish Nick were here so that he could personally go cheer on his beloved Georgia Bulldogs we are grateful that God’s hand has been with him and continue to pray for his safe return.

We give thanks for family and friends. God has blessed us with a great family. In addition to that we have great friends. These things should never be taken lightly.

We give thanks for giving us the opportunity to serve Christian ministries throughout the country. It is our honor to help you with your God given dreams. I never tire of helping Christian ministries. What a blessing God has given to me.

Most of all we give thanks for God’s grace and blessing upon our lives. Isn’t it amazing that we are a part of the family of God? We have all the privileges of heaven. Despite what might be happening around us we can have peace in the midst of the storm knowing the our God is in control.

I could go on and on. What are you thankful for? Take a few minutes and post the things that you have reason to give thanks for. Your blessing will remind others of the blessings they possess. Perhaps at the end of the day we will at least for a time forget about the economy and focus in upon God’s blessings to us all.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

Soon the generation that helped elect Barack Obama will wake up and realize that he is not what he pretended to be. He is a politicians who knows how to get elected saying whatever he needs to say, doing whatever he needs to do. I posted a note a few days back on what to look for in these beginning days as he transitions into the presidency. A few things to note…

His appointments are mostly old guard Ivy League insider Democrats. One commentator remarked that if a crisis occurs on the weekend that Harvard plays Yale we are in trouble as all of Obama’s appointments will be at the game! Why is it that he is choosing insiders? Two reasons come to mind.

A. He is the most inexperienced president elect we have had in memory and he needs help while he learns this job. As with his pick of Joe Biden all his picks thus far have been experienced insiders to boost the fact that he is so inexperienced. While the press roasted Palin over her inexperience Obama got a pass. He has to have people around him that know what to do until he can get his feet grounded. Let’s hope he is a fast learner and we have no crisis for his first two years.

B. He is a party hack. Knowledgeable and honest people know that Obama is a party man. How else can you explain his emergence through the Democratic ranks in Chicago. In his brief time in Washington he voted over 90% with the Democrats. He really did not represent a change at all. His appointments are showing his true colors. The only change about him is that he is a Democrat and McCain was a Republican.

What does this mean for Evangelicals? None of his appointments are good news for Evangelicals. What it will mean is that immediately all pro-life and pro-family initiatives will be repealed. While Evangelicals are divided about stem cell research you will see the ban on that immediately removed. More importantly you will see judicial appointments that will be more liberal and potentially more restrictive of things that we Evangelicals value. At the end of the day no matter how you look at it we are in for a difficult four to eight years.

Obama appears to prefer the gym to church on Sundays. Yesterday it was reported that Obama headed to the gym instead of church. He has yet to attend church since he was elected. Bush and Clinton both attended church immediately after their elections. An Obama aide did say that the family is looking forward to finding a church home once they move to Washington. That in and of itself will tell us a lot.

Just some interesting things on a Monday morning.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

Yesterday I called a potential client that I had not heard from in a few months to inquire about where they were with their project. He said, “We are doing what probably all your potential clients are doing. We are putting our project on hold due to the economy. We will wait until things get better.” It is comments like that that caused another pastor to ask me recently, “How is your business?” The assumption is that no one in their right mind would build now and thus have a campaign. The assumption is that since I am not moving forward with my project no other church is and thus stewardship companies like mine are in trouble. Well as Lee Corso likes to say, “Not so fast!”

Here are some things to consider…

Every stewardship firm that I know of has indeed felt this slow down. I laugh when I say things like that as most stewardship firms would never want you to know that. In fact the firm that I used to work for just sent out a letter to churches saying that this year will be one of their best. Really? Then why have they laid off so many fine consultants? Come on! Let’s all be honest. When churches push the pause button it does affect what we as stewardship companies can do. Our business if off this year from last year by 9%. If you would have told me that it would only have been down by that much in March I would have slept better! Given that two of my consultants are on medical leave being down only 9% in this economy is not bad.

Churches are still making plans to build and actually are starting buildings. When you have a need for space that need does not go away when the economy turns sour. A need is a need is a need. Don’t assume that just because you are not building that no one else is. While it might be smart to consider the economy as you plan it is not smart to delay a project solely upon that basis. Not building could slow down your momentum and limit your growth opportunities.

No one knows how long this recession will last. None of the experts can agree on when we will be out of this. Can you wait forever on that new project that your ministry desperately needs?

Effective project planning takes months. Smart churches are moving forward with planning even if they are delaying breaking ground. They recognize that it often takes months to even get to the point of breaking ground. You have a lot of things to work through before you get to that stage. You have to get plans drawn up, approved by your local government, financing lined up and a host of other tasks accomplished before you ever put a shovel in the ground. If you have not already started you could find yourself behind.

Strategic consulting is what we offer not a program. We have stayed busy because we are not simply about offering campaign programming. While we can do that in our sleep since we have led so many campaigns that is not what pastors and leaders need.

If all you need is a program buy Rick Warren’s campaign in a box. Or go to The Gage Group and look at their one day seminar. ISS who I use to work with has a version of a campaign that they are now offering to almost any church. You get limited consulting but access to their online tool which can allow you to run your own campaign. So, if all you need is a program you might want to use them. By the way we can do all that for much less money and give you more consulting. So, after you look at those boys come on back over here! I promise to meet or beat their price.

Am I crazy to mention competitors? Nope. Those are all fine firms and their plans will indeed work for some. However what most need is an experienced consultant that can give strategic advice not tell you how to organize the prayer team. If you can not organize teams then your ministry is in trouble. Why pay someone to do what you know how to do anyway?

Since we provide strategic consulting we have survived this down turn and are poised to survive this coming year. So, how is my business? Its doing just fine thank you. How are your offerings going? Need some help raising them a bit? Give us a call. We can help.

Church Solutions just published an article by me about moving forward or waiting that you might want to read. You can find it here:

All the experts are predicting that this year’s Christmas sales will be significantly down. So what are retailers doing? I can tell you that the one thing they are not doing is sitting idly back wringing their hands. They are taking action. One such action recently publicized is that many stores are now going to open at midnight on the Friday after Thanksgiving. That Friday is always a huge sales day for retailers. So in an effort to assure sales and generate buzz whole malls are going to open up at midnight on Friday November 28th. You will see a blitz of advertising, tons of sales and flexible times this Christmas season all in an attempt to reverse the prediction. Retailers know that you can not just sit back and wait for bodies like a funeral home director. They plan to succeed are you?

What I would do if I were you…

If I have not already I would get out that end of year appeal letter. I wrote a post a few weeks back about this. Again for any that missed it I offered to send you a sample letter. That offer still stands. I am already getting end of year appeal letters from ministries. Yours should be in the mail soon.

Make plans for at least two more quarters of recession. While the “experts” are not totally sure how long the current recession will last most do think we will see at least two more quarters after this current quarter. So, my budget planning would reflect that. Now is not the time to increase your budget at least not in the first half of the year. I am a huge proponent of flexible budgeting.

I would right now work to trim whatever fat out of my budget I could. Don’t accept that you have already done so. There are always things that can be put off or reduced. Look at your utility expense and see if you can install systems that will be more cost effective. While cutting your budget might seem radical it might save you from having to make desperate decision in the next year if the recession does indeed go longer than we hope.

Create a positive plan to meet this challenge. Our members are looking for leadership. Sadly they see none out of Washington. Point them to the ultimate play book for life, the Bible. I would preach a series on stewardship to start off the new year. Preach it positively not as a guilt trip. Show them the value of having God on their side. Implement stewardship teaching in your small groups or Sunday School classes. Start a Crown Ministries or Financial Peace group at the first of the year. Whatever you do do something positive and do it now!

I firmly believe that you can get through this time. The message you preach both from the platform and in your personal life will long be remembered. Now is our greatest opportunity in years to declare help and hope.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

P.S. We have designed programs and consulting to help you and your church. If you will go to our website at www.TheCharisGroup.org and look for the button that says Stewardship Enhancement you will find information. I am currently preaching my sermon entitled “Recession Proof Your Life” in several churches across America. At this point I have dates in January and February available. Contact me at Mark@TheCharisGroup.org to schedule your time. It will help improve your offerings!

As we watch the daily news of the economy swirling downward we in the church need to realize that we now face the greatest opportunity to convey hope to a worried public since 9/11. Instead of wringing our hands in despair we need to realize that God has given us the answers that if we will communicate the world will listen. Now is the time to rise up as a leader and offer this hope. Here is what I would recommend.

It all starts with you. You can not lead people to where you are not. If your outlook is one of fear then your people will be fearful. If you are in dismay then they will be too. If you are in trouble financially then it stands to reason that your people are probably in the same boat. If you are in financial bondage you need to do all in your power to get out. There are tons of programs and services out there that can help you and in turn help your church. You have to lead by example and attitude. Adapting Godly principles for your life will allow you to proclaim them those in your charge.

Adapt a plan of action. What amazes me is that so many have no plan of action. I can ask a pastor what his growth plan is and he will tell me. I can ask him what his missions plan is and he can tell me. When I ask what his stewardship plan is I often get a glazed look from his eyes. The truth is they do not have one. You can not afford either personally or in your ministry not to have a plan of action to lead you through this time. There are tons of resources out there that can help you. Spend some time to put your plan together and you will see that you can navigate through this time.

My new book can be a starting place for you. On December 1st my first book “Recession Proof Your Offerings,” will be coming out. You can go to our website and click on the free button to get your copy. It’s an easy read that is filled with practical advice.

New podcast that contains some good advice for church leaders. You can find the link at the following address.

http://www.emedialink.com/view_video.php?viewkey=926785cf3be594d95769

Ben Stroup always has good stuff and links from his blog that can be helpful. There is stuff out there that can help you. So, put down the sports page and start researching how you can develop a plan.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

I just returned from San Antonio where I completed my 19th marathon. There are times that even I wonder why I ran marathons. Most of the time that wondering starts at about mile 17 or so. This time was no different. As I struggled to the end I thought this would be my last one. I even told my wife and friends that this was the last one. Then one hour later in the car I said, “I will run another one, just not trying to be as competitive.” Later that night at dinner those that ran the half marathon agreed to run the full marathon next year if I paced them to a five hour race. I agreed. So, here are some lessons…

Avoid the word never. I need to learn not to say I will never… When churches start sentences with statements like that it usually back fires on them. Statements like, “We will never borrow money,” have a way of coming back to haunt you. Be careful what you say you will never do. You never know!

Having a goal in life keeps life interesting and you focused. Having something to train for besides just keeping weight off allows running to be much more enjoyable. In life you need some goals or targets to keep you focused. If you don’t have goals life is a whole lot more boring and you get very little accomplished.

Times of retreat help recharge your batteries. I read an article several months ago about a business executive that took regular time off from work. Previously in his life he rarely ever took off. Now he takes off regularly and finds that he comes back to work refreshed and reinvigorated. I find so many Christian leaders that are burning themselves out by never getting away from the grind of the office. Taking time off is the best thing you can do for your family and for you.

You can never have too many friends. This weekend I met up with my friend Les Garrett and his wife Paula. Les has been my friend for well over fifteen years. We stayed with his childhood friend in San Antonio Bill Southerland a man I had never met until this weekend. I came away with a weekend with my buddy but made a new friend in Bill who is a great Christian businessman.

Keep your friends forever. I now live hundreds of miles from my friend Les, but we find ways to get together on a regular basis. Friends are hard to come by so work hard to keep the ones you have. With email and telecommunications and easy travel it is easier than ever before. You never know when you might need a friend.

Whatever you do just keep running! While I did not break four hours, my old standard for success, I am happy with my 4:23. There was never a question of whether or not I would finish, just the time. In the later stages of the race I was walking more than running and my running was more like shuffling. I did however manage to keep moving. After all my beautiful wife was at the finish line waiting for me and that is something else worth keeping!

Mark Brooks
Marathoner and Founder and President
The Charis Group

This Sunday I will be attempting my 19th marathon in San Antonio, Tx. At this point in my marathon experience I just want to do one more. I have broken four hours in all but one of the previous 18 marathons and this one I keep telling myself is just for fun. Don’t believe that. I will try my best to again break four hours. At about mile 17 I will wonder why I wrote that this marathon was for fun. At that point there is nothing fun about a marathon. However since 1990 I have been smitten by this distance. To me life is so much like a marathon.

In a marathon you have good miles and you have bad miles. In life you have good times and you have bad times. In stewardship the same can be said. The key to happiness and a stress filled life is to learn how to handle both the ups and downs of life. At some point you just have to put your head down, grit your teeth and press on.

During my marathon this Sunday there will be a time where I simply will not feel well. I will be tempted to quit or to just walk it in. I know now that baring some injury that prevents me from walking that I WILL finish that race. It might not be my fastest or my prettiest but I WILL finish. I am trained too long, done too many long runs and avoided too many good desserts to not finish. I WILL finish!

What determination do you bring to real life? What about that task that a year ago you believe God gave you but now you are struggling to pull off? Are you thinking about pulling the plug on it? Is the economy scaring you into inaction? Perhaps its time to put your head down, grit your teeth and continue on.

Presently with all that is happening in our economy and the gloom and doom that I hear from many Christian leaders it is time to remember that life is a marathon. It would be easy right now to give up plans for the future. It might be tempting to fore go that dream you believe God gave you. However now is the best time to begin showing leadership by continuing to move forward despite what is happening around you. You can be assured that somewhere down the road you will look back and be grateful that you did not stop running.

I was recently meeting with a pastor in his new site that I had help raise the funds for. The topic of the economy came up. He said to me, “We built our old building in 1980 when interest rates were 18%!” It wasn’t easy paying that kind of money in those troubling economic times. Yet if the church had not made that move then how many lives would have been impacted? If they could do that then why could you not move forward with your God given plans?

The best marathons I have ever run I have run with someone else that paced me, challenged me and encouraged me. That is what I do. I encourage you to run the best stewardship race of your life no matter what the circumstances are around you. I would love to be your stewardship coach. Whatever you do keep on running for God!

Mark Brooks
Marathoner
Founder and President
The Charis Group

I just returned from preaching at FBC Little Rock, AR on the topic of “Recession Proof Your Life.” My friend Jim Lagrone was in the woods hunting deer today and asked me to preach for him. It was a thrill to preach at this historic church. It is the church that launched Mike Huckabee’s political career something that few know about. Being there brought back a lot of memories.

I developed this sermon to address what is on everyone’s mind, the Recession. I believe this is one of the greatest opportunities that we in the church have had since 9-11. This sermon addresses the current crisis, puts it into context and offers practical advice on how Christians can weather this storm. I believe it will increase your offerings and help recession proof your budget. While others are sitting back and wringing their hands you can develop a plan that will help you navigate through this crisis.

I have developed a weekend seminar that will give your people practical tools to recession proof their lives. In turn you will find that your offerings this year will go up not down. We are only doing one weekend a month of these seminars. We are confident that the money you spend, which is very affordable, will be recovered within two weeks of our being there that if it is not we will refund you our fee!

Contact us today for more information about how you can book your weekend.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group
Mark@TheCharisGroup.org

I just got back from New York City where my good friend Pastor Jimmy Washington and I met to discuss politics, religion and stewardship and just have some good ol fun. Jimmy voted for McCain. Thursday night in Times Square two older white women approached Jimmy and said, “Isn’t it great that Obama won?” Jimmy shocked them by replying, “It is historic that Obama won but I voted for McCain.” He then listed out the reasons why. They were shocked that a black man would have voted for McCain. I further shocked the ladies who said disparaging things about Sarah Palin. I told them as I smiled that if they did not like her they probable would not like me as I basically agreed with her on every issue. They walked away shaking their heads acting like they had just seen a couple of Martians. Indeed for the two days we were there it felt like I was in a different country.

On Friday Jimmy and I met with several African American pastors and church leaders to talk about stewardship. We listened to their excitement about the election of Obama. As a white man there is no way I can relate to what this means to them and to the entire African American race. While I think African American Christians overlooked a lot of positions Obama holds that they would not agree with they none the less voted as a statement to overcome years of persecution and abuse. I can only wish that some one like J.C. Watts the former African American Congressman and committed Christian from Oklahoma would have been on the ballot. As I have stated previously in posts here my objections to Obama had nothing to do with race but with positions.

Here is what we have to realize. Many Christians, white and black voted for Obama. While I might argue that they did so with a lack of knowledge it does not mean they no longer are my brothers and sisters. I had no problems saying to the black pastors on Friday that indeed it was a great day for America. I rejoice with them. I only want from others that when I object to Obama’s policies in the next few years they will see it for what it is, a disagreement about policy not about racism.

If you look at the electoral map it shows we are a divided country. While the Electoral College vote was a landslide in many states Obama’s win was only by a few percentage points. We have to learn to over come or divisions and disagreements and work for the common good.

In 1980 I voted for Jimmy Carter because I did not trust that Ronald Reagan was truly a conservative. Now looking back I am glad I was wrong and thankful for Reagan’s two terms. That was the last time I voted for a Democrat. I was wrong in 1980 I would love to be wrong in 2008. Either way I will pray for wisdom for President elect Obama. All of us need to do so.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group