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

Colleges and seminaries are ill equipping our future ministers for the world in which they now have to minister in. While denominations like the SBC and other mainline groups decry the departure of the next generation of pastors and leaders they need to look no further than themselves. When many are foregoing theological training for more practical degree fields we can either continue on the path we are on or we can change. The sad reality is that most of what I learned in ministry I learned on my own.

This is especially true of stewardship. I can not remember one class in either my undergraduate degree in religion or my seminary training that taught stewardship. Maybe one day was dedicated to the topic and I skipped that day. I never had to buy a book discussing stewardship strategies so I am fairly confident that the subject was seldom if ever mentioned. I took Greek, Hebrew, Church History, Theology courses, Preaching and a few practical ministry classes. In all those classes I was never taught stewardship. What I learned I learned from reading books, attending seminars and buying tape series. All that education and I was ill prepared for the ministry field I was placed in.

Today’s pastors and Christian leaders are so ill equipped in the area of stewardship. It frustrates those of us who are trying to help pastors. Few see the importance of stewardship until it is far too late. Many think it is somehow not their role or unspiritual to even delve into. Most of the pastors I know have totally abandoned the field entirely. Their strategy is hope. Hope is never a good strategy!

I blame their training for a large part of this disconnect. If we are to turn around this problem it has to start with the core curriculum in college and seminary. It needs to be a separate class not some addendum to an existing class. It needs to be required not optional for EVERY degree plan in seminary and for Religious studies in our Christian colleges.

I do not agree with those in the upcoming generation that think they do not need theological training. Too many are taking the short cut path and in the end they do themselves, their church and ultimately the Kingdom a disservice. While theological training is not required for God’s blessing it none the less has huge benefits for the minister and for the churches they serve.

Those of us as alumni of seminaries and colleges need to speak out about revising the core curriculum of our alma maters. We have to make getting that degree more attractive to this generation. One way is to actually teach things that have value and meaning for practical ministry application. I don’t know about you but my Greek New Testament has a lot of dust on it. Even if I picked it up it would be all Greek to me. However I still use books on Christian stewardship that I bought almost fifteen years ago. How much of what you learned in seminary are you actually using? How much about stewardship did you learn in seminary or college. Your answer proves my point. Thoughts?

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

PS. Ok, shameless advertising time. I have devised a seminar called, “Recession Proof Your Offerings,” taken in part from my book by the same title. In one day we can teach your association, or a group of pastors how to boost their offerings even during this time of recession. It costs little and it promises to give back much more than those that attend pay. Email me for more information at Mark@thecharisgroup.org

Pastors fight daily the tyranny of the urgent. After a successful Sunday sermon you wake up on Monday realizing that Sunday is coming and you have another sermon to prepare for. Then you have meetings, visits and everything else pressing upon you. About the last thing you think of every week is stewardship. Yet if you press that issue too far back on the burner you will ultimately hurt your chances of fueling present and future ministry. The tyranny of the urgent does more to kill good stewardship planning than any other thing I can think of.

Sometimes I feel like the voice crying in the wilderness. God’s call upon my life is to help His church think about stewardship and plan for successful stewardship. As I have continually said, every church needs a stewardship plan. What is yours? Most sadly do not have one. They have a growth plan, an evangelism plan, a missions plan but few if any have a stewardship plan. Simply preaching on stewardship once a year or holding a pledge to budget drive once a year is not a stewardship plan.

So, here are some thoughts for you to consider.

It’s never too late to start planning. While each passing day you go without a solid plan will hurt your ministry it is never too late to start. Even in the middle of the summer you can and should enact a plan to help pull your giving out of the doldrums of summer giving. If you are even remotely thinking about a stewardship campaign now is the time to begin planning that campaign. The most oft heard regret we hear from our partners is that they wished they had started working on their stewardship plan earlier. Do you have a plan to even start planning?

Delaying to plan will cost you thousands of dollars. While the tyranny of the urgent presses in upon you potential dollars are going elsewhere. The myth that all church giving is down should not keep you from enacting a well thought out plan of action. Doing so will ensure that you can carry on the ministries that God has laid upon your heart. It might also ensure your salary or health care coverage!

If you don’t have the time get help! Sure, I want business. I like to eat. My point in this post is not so much that you should hire guys like me as to say, “Do something!” There are tons of places to get help. We live in an age of tremendous resources that are right at your finger tip. It is inexcusable for you not to have a plan. While you consider hiring this staff member or that staff member why not think about someone that has stewardship tasked to them? Why is it that Christian schools have foundation officers but the church never thinks about this role? At the minimum find a lay person who can help in this vital area. Please for the sake of the Kingdom, do something!

Simply put there is no excuse for not having an ongoing workable stewardship plan. While meetings, sermon prep and every other ministerial duty press in upon you it is imperative that you give attention to this crucial area.

Stewardship is not unspiritual. It is the fuel for which ministry is accomplished. It needs to be a front burner issue for you not a back burner issue. Fight the tyranny of the urgent from keeping you out of developing a stewardship plan. In the end you will go a longs ways towards building the Kingdom.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

PS. We do provide stewardship counsel for developing an over all stewardship plan for churches. Contact us today to see how we can help you.

One thing this recession is going to teach us is to be better stewards of our funds. As churches and Christian ministries feel the impact of either declines in giving or plateau’s in giving they need some creative ways to eliminate excess costs and some ability to raise additional funds.

On top of the already challenging times we are facing the price for many things that we can not do without is on the rise. Take your utility bill. The Wall Street Journal recently stated, “Surging fuel costs are about to inflict more pain on consumers, this time in the form of rapidly rising electricity bills”. If you think your bill is high now just wait.

We can sit back and let this happen to ourselves and hope that it will get better. Remember, hope is not a strategy! Or you can do something about those rising energy costs. Recently we heard about a company that develops “Green” projects that has a renewable energy product that among its many features and benefits will actually lower energy costs by up to 25%. One church that installed this system had a monthly electric bill of over $30k. After installing their “Green Box” they saw a reduction of $7K a month in their electric bill. Think about it, that $7K a month might have just saved someones job or a much needed ministry.

Listening to this story led me to think of some creative ways in which churches can easily save money but also an idea where by they could raise additional funds at the same time. On top of that you can demonstrate the greenness of your church in protecting the environment. How would this work?

First, move to cut your own power. The church I mentioned above spent a few thousand dollars getting their “Green Box” installed. The return on investment was almost over night when you think about a $7K a month savings. You need to seriously investigate your churches power usage as an easy way to save money. You can click on the link at the bottom to find out more about how to get your own “Green Box.”

Secondly, start a Green Campaign. Don’t stop by just eliminating waste at the church building. Why not get your members to install their own “Green Boxes?” As they too save around 20% monthly they could then sign Green Pledge cards to give a portion or all of that savings to your church.

For those that do sign on to get their own “Green Box” through The Charis Group we will for free design this campaign for you. We will help you with the communication process, pledge cards and all aspects of implementing your own “Green Campaign.”

With people struggling to find ways to make ends meet you can be sure that one area under consideration of cutting is your offering plate. Show your members how they can keep giving to your ministry, save energy and save money. It is the ultimate win/win. The cost for a residential “Green Box” is $299.95. Again the return on investment with 25% in savings will be made quickly.

Outside the box thinking…

This may sound totally out of the box in terms of thinking. Isn’t it time you thought outside the box? If you could save thousands of dollars annually in utility bills wouldn’t you be better able to fund ministry? If you help your members save money and encouraged them to return some of that savings back to their church don’t you think a large majority would?

Frankly I have some churches that are in the midst of their fourth capital stewardship campaign with no end in sight. They truly are the tired and the tapped! They are tired of capital campaigns and they are tapped out of money. I am always looking for creative ways in which we can help our clients raise more funds to fuel more ministry. This could be the path to saving thousands for your church and raising additional funds in a non threatening way.

I am sold on the idea and am encouraging all our clients to utilize this service. How about you? To find out more click on the link below my name.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

To find out more about the “Green Box” go to:

I hated Monday morning quarterbacking when I was a pastor. You know how it goes. Some layman or another pastor has a better idea of how you should be doing ministry or what you should have preached on. Everyone is an expert when it comes to you. One thing pastors have to do is sit and listen to people tell them what they should or should not do. I guess members feel that if they have to listen to us preach for thirty minutes then they have the right to return the favor.

At any rate, while I hate to be “that guy” there are some mistakes that I regularly see pastors making with regards to stewardship that I want to point out. You may or may not be guilty of these but in my eleven years in this ministry here is the list mistakes that are killing many ministries.

Lack of focus. This is the number one mistake. In the tyranny of the urgent stewardship gets pushed far to the back of priorities of most pastors. For whatever reason, and there are many, pastors simply do not pay attention to this crucial area. Often when giving declines happen it takes them totally by surprise. Many do not even see keeping an eye on stewardship as a role that is theirs to own. As a result of this lack of focus too often their ministries fall into difficult times. The end result is that ministry is curtailed and dreams vanish.

Lack of planning. This runs a close second in my list. It is the natural result of not seeing stewardship as a priority and lacking focus. As a result churches see giving not reach its fullest potential. Ask a typical pastor what his growth plan is and he will wax eloquently. Yet ask him what his stewardship plan is and he will give you a blank look. When you have no plan you are essentially planning for failure. Those churches that are suffering the most during this current recession are the ones without a plan.

Lack of courage. It amazes me that pastors who can boldly preach against sin in the pulpit get sweaty hands when they approach the topic of giving. Too often pastors succumb to the mistaken notion that what members do with their money is none of our business. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We fear preaching on giving will drive people away. It’s a myth that the church talks too much about money. The truth is we do not talk about it enough. Don’t let a few excesses keep you from fulfilling your God given role of being the shepherd of every area of your flocks lives.

We need to be men of courage and step up to the plate and preach the whole counsel of God. Remember Jesus talked more about possessions and money than any other subject. It is the god of our age and we need to help people become responsible stewards of God’s blessings in their lives.

Being a lone ranger. For whatever reason I find that too many pastors never ask for help. Sure, guys like me expect to be compensated for our help and advice. There are times you need to spend money for professional help like we offer. Yet there is so much help out there today and much of it is free. We offer a lot of free advice and resources that frankly few take us up on. In the end many pastors attempt to do a task that their colleges and seminaries never taught them about, stewardship. If you go it alone don’t be surprised if you don’t find yourself, alone.

Ceasing to learn. I find that many pastors seldom read anything about stewardship or current giving trends of Americans. While it might not be as exciting as reading Rob Bell or Andy Stanley it just might help you make budget this year. Everything I learned about stewardship I have had to learn on my own. None of my college and seminary days taught me anything about this crucial area. Like so many other areas of ministry you have to dig it out for yourself. Sadly too many pastors never take the time to educate themselves and their ministries pay a dear price for it.

This current recession has given we in the church one of our greatest opportunities to teach stewardship in a positive way. Don’t miss this opportunity by committing any of the above mentioned mistakes. Now is a great time to begin positively teaching your congregation how to be responsible stewards. In doing so you will not only help them navigate through these difficult times but you will also recession proof your offerings.

Now that sounds like a sermon and a book title. In fact it is and we give it away free to all those that ask for it. Some things in life are indeed free.

What is your stewardship plan this summer?

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

Ben Stroup is one sharp guy. I have followed his blog posts for about a year now at Do More Ministry. He once made some comment to me about not being an “expert.” I remarked that he knew more about stewardship issues than 99% of the church leaders in America. Finally Ben has authored his first book, “Church Giving Matters.” It’s a great book that should be a must read for every pastor and church leader interested in raising more money to do more ministry. That should be all of you!

This book is easy to read and can be read on a good two hour flight. Ronnie Floyd told me last year that the perfect book size should be one that could be read in one setting. So, while Ben’s book might seem small it by no means is light weight. Not only will he challenge your thinking but best of all he will give you some real life examples of how you can increase your offerings. As he says, “More money really does mean more ministry.”

For all your SBC boys you can find Ben in Louisville, Ky at the convention and get him to personally sign your copy of his new book. By the way another exciting thing about Ben’s book is that it is published by a new publisher called CrossBooks Publishing. For those aspiring authors like myself, I am mired currently working on my second book, this is an attractive alternative.

In your quest to never stop learning do yourself and your church a favor and read, “Church Giving Matters,” by Ben Stroup.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

PS. Find out more about Ben’s book through his blog at:

Do More Ministry Blog

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

I well remember the call I received last fall from a banker friend. “Donations to churches are down 20%!” I asked him where he had heard that. “Well,” he said, “the business administrator at my church every Monday calls about ten guys from across the country and that is what he is finding out.” I was dubious about my friends “data.” It did not jive with what we were seeing. I did some research and reported back to him that from my research it looks like giving was down in some places and in others it was flat or slightly up. I stated that it was too early to tell what the 2008 giving forecast would be. My friend never did accept my theory as months later he was still sending out emails with the same claim of a 20% reduction in giving.

Now we know differently. Giving USA released their finding on charitable giving for 2008 and to the surprise of no one charitable giving was off by 5.7%. What I think surprised many in the Christian realm is that giving to religious organizations, which comprises one third of all charitable giving, was up 1.6%! I can’t wait to email this to my banker friend. I know its my flesh raging but I so want to say I told ya so.

So what can we learn from this?

Your experience is not everyone’s experience. I would say that my banker’s Admin guy needs to broaden his scope or get some new friends. We sometimes err in that our view is limited to only those that look like us, think like us and act like us. As a result we can miss what truly is happening as our field of view is too limited. Simply because you are experiencing a down turn in giving does not mean that everyone is.

Be careful who you listen to. I fear that many in the church listened to the prophets of doom and began to pull their ears in. I am not saying that we should not in this recession make serious cuts or decisions. I am saying that you have to weigh carefully the information you are receiving and know how to process that. Above all else you need to hear from God not your buddy across the state or the business section of your local paper.

People of faith will continue to give despite the economy. While nearly every other charitable group saw declines religion saw a mild increase. One reason why is that people of faith have tithing and giving down. That is because they understand what true discipleship is all about. I sometimes wonder if my friends seeker sensitive church did not see a sharp decline in giving due to the fact that stewardship is seldom emphasized? The truth of the matter is that those at the bottom of your giving stratum will always lag behind those on the top end. It is usually not a matter of affording to give it is a matter of spiritual maturity.

Ministry does not have to stop during recessions. I think one lesson we can learn from this is that giving will continue where vision is compelling. So ministry can continue to happen. True some cuts might have to be made but people will support a good cause. The onus now is on the leadership of the church to prove the value of the gift we are asking for. Show how it will make a difference. Show how it does fulfill God’s plan for your ministry. Show that it will be used responsible. Then you will find donors willing even during a recession to fund your dream.

Good vision trumps bad economy!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

Driving back to the airport from the church I was working with I was able to listen to the radio. Hertz had upgraded me and I was in a car with satellite radio. I found Fox News which I suppose tells something about me. The Glenn Beck show was on. Now I normally can listen to Glenn for about ten minutes or so before I start rolling my eyes and having to search for something else. It is not that I don’t agree with much of what he says or states but it is simply the way he presents it. I find that I struggle with most of talk radio hosts the same way. A tad bit of humility and graciousness would suffice for me. Still I do believe they can and do provide a valuable service and counter point to the mainstream media.

One of the problems I have with Beck is that I think he is overly alarmist. This is especially true when it comes to his views on the economy. Where many see a silver lining in the storms clouds that have hung over us for the last few months, Beck sees darker days looming. Yesterday’s show in the brief time I listened was another classic example of Beck predicting more gloom and doom despite recent reports that show some signs of recovery. Beck is guilty of what the main stream media is guilty of even as he rails against that medium. Blood leads in the media world and for Beck prophesying gloom rakes in the audience and makes him ever bit the same as the main stream media.

I could not help but wonder as I switched the channel away from Fox News is how many Christian leaders are listening to guys like Beck? Did the pastor who expressed disbelief in my view that the Market was recovering listen to Beck or his kind? Are we as conservative Christians limiting the venue’s of information solely to outlets like Fox News and Rush Limbaugh? Again, while they do provide a good service and I too listen, we need to be careful that we only hear one side.

What I have been advocating is that in the end even the experts can get things wrong. Few predicted this recession. Even those that predicted it were wrong in some of their predictions. A Christian writer for years predicted an economic melt down and then after wards said, “See, I told you so.” My response is that a broke watch is right two times a day.

In the end you can find just about any position out there that you want to about where this economy is going. After researching this I stick to my position that the recovery is underway but will take time to fully get us back on firm footing. I still maintain that fifty years from now this recession will look a lot like the recession of the early ’80’s. One difference will be in the way we responded especially in the church. In the early ’80’s we continued to build and forge ahead. Starting in 2008 and continuing to today churches by and large have scaled back and delayed plans to forge ahead.

I believe the church responded in fear for the most part rather than faith. When we had an incredible opportunity to show the world what living by faith really looked like we responded in the same way as our lost neighbors. There is still opportunity out there and my prayer is that the church will rise to the occasion.

Certainly we do need to weigh our options. I am not saying faith is plunging ahead despite the circumstances around us. Faith is finding the will of God and boldly and confidently moving onward and upward.

While we try to figure out which way is up here is a thought. Instead of listening to the Glenn Beck’s of the world why not listen to the one who created it all, our Heavenly Father. Call me a mystic but what I want is a leader who stands and says, “thus says Wall Street,” but says, “thus says the Lord!” That is the kind of leadership we need. Rise up oh men of God!

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

A few days ago I met with a church and remarked that many “experts” are now saying that the stock market losses will be erased in about two years. The pastor remarked, “That’s not what we are hearing.” My response was that you can find any view on the economy and its future that you want. Those that make their living short selling the market are still talking about how this current 34% gain will evaporate soon. They want the market to crash so they can make money. While there are a few that are still preaching gloom and doom about the recovery most economists are saying we are at the bottom on the way out. Here are some reasons for hope.

The Stock Market has shown a 34% rebound in the last three months and last Friday pushed into positive territory for 2009. Economists say that you can gauge where the economy is going for the next six months by how the Market is performing today. While its true that it is still 38% below its 2007 high of 14,164 our 401K’s are in better shape than they have been in recent days. While the Market will continue its ups and downs for the most part I think we will see it continue to rise. 14,000 might be many years off but I do think we will return to the 10,000 plus level within two years or less.

Housing is showing faint signs of recovery. First the excess supply of homes is beginning to be absorbed. That is crucial as builders are waiting to unload inventory before they begin building more homes. The housing up turn will bleed over into other industries thus improving the chances for a recovery.

Consumer confidence continues to improve. Since bottoming in February, consumer confidence has had the fastest three-month increase on record. This is crucial for recovery as consumer confidence is followed by spending which fuels economic growth. While it is true that the confidence of consumers has not shown itself in wild retail spending it has meant some recovery and is significant towards full recovery.

Jobless claims are slowing. Much is made of the unemployment rate being now over 9%. Much like stopping a speeding car you can expect the unemployment rate to go slightly higher before it will decline. There are signs that manufacturing is on the increase which will ultimately lead to the jobless numbers improving.

Banks are beginning to once again loan money. Whether they are in a better position or they simply fear the governments intrusion upon them, 10 large financial institutions are paying back their TARP money. This and the overall return to confidence is causing banks to once again loan money. Thankfully gone are the days of easy money. It might take longer and you might have to prove your worth the risk but money is starting to flow back into the market place.

So, looking at all these indicators I choose to side with those that are predicting a recovery starting in this next quarter and gaining speed in the fourth quarter. The recovery will not be sudden or over night. It will take well into 2010 before we see the full effects of recovery but we have begun to recover. As I have said repeatedly we did not get into this over night and we will not get out of it overnight. Recessions occur region by region and sector by sector. Expect the recovery to happen the same way.

How does this impact the church?

Donor confidence is returning but will continue to be impacted. Don’t expect donors to write you a blank check to spend. You will have to now more than ever prove the worth of your cause. Americans have learned some hard lessons and they are being more careful about their spending. While your leaders may have stewardship down, most of those attending your services view giving to your ministry as an option they exercise if they feel they can afford it. This caution in spending will stay with us for at least a decade making your job in raising dollars much harder than in the past.

Churches are beginning to dust off their building plans. About six weeks ago our telephone starting ringing again. For whatever reasons churches see the light at the end of the tunnel and are now working on projects that they had put on hold. Now is a good time to move forward as building costs are stable and builders are hungry for work.

After delaying projects for 12 to 18 months many churches realize they can not wait any longer. When you factor in that a typical building from start to finish takes from 12 to 18 months to complete many have delayed crucial facility additions almost three years! Each month you wait to move forward you add more time to the completion of your project thus potentially limiting your growth both numerically and financially.

So, are we at the bottom on the way up as most feel? Or like the profits of gloom and doom do we have more months of misery left? I think the facts show we are starting to recover. For me the real issue for the church is not what the economy is or is not doing but what hath God said? Sadly we have seen a lack of real leadership from Christian leaders through this current recession. I am praying we learn our lessons so we can do better when the next recession hits us in a few years.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group