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 Coming Up Short By Rich DuBose and Brenda Fenderson
1) The congregation is not aware of the budget or the needs of the church. Members need to be systematically informed about their church's financial needs (not to be confused with urgent random offering appeals). 2) The rank and file membership of the church is not supportive of the budget that has been adopted (maybe they were not included in the process and feel out of the loop). Recently, I heard one pastor announce that a new budget was being drawn up but that it would not be voted by the church board. Instead it would be voted by the members at large--at a duely called Church Business Meeting. His rationale was, why should a small handful of members (i.e the church Board) vote the budget when it requires the whole church to help fund it? So each year he gives every member the opportunity to be involved in the process. When members are not informed about their church's budget and with how it is tracking throughout the year, you can almost be certain they will not contribute heartily to it. Brenda Fenderson, a member of the Grass Valley Adventist Church, has experimented with using a series of bulletin inserts to educate members on how giving and mission fulfillment go hand in hand. Fenderson describes below how the effort fared: "In November, 2008, our church budget was around $55,000 as we approached the end of the year. Pastor Alspaugh asked the Church Board for suggestions. It was decided that the Elders would give special emphasis to this in their offering appeals. However, I believed this would not produce an adequate response from the congregation. I also believed that our problems are often God's opportunities to build our faith and understanding. So I mentioned that I had some experience raising funds based on the idea that if EVERYONE invests the amount that God leads them to, then the money will come in. I asked if I might be allowed to prepare a flyer for the congregation. It was agreed. The flyer was inserted a few weeks later and kicked off this campaign of sorts. Our goal was to impress on everyone that even the smallest gifts, given to God in obedience and faith, would successfully bring us to our goal with funds to spare. Needing to raise $55,000 in a few short weeks, it was a leap of faith. During the month of November, my husband had given $500 toward this deficit. He said it felt like a drop in the bucket. Once the breakdown of amounts was provided showing how gifts like $50 and $500 would successfully bring us to our goal, his $500 left him feeling satisfied that he had made a meaningful contribution. The church book keeper gave me updates each week, amazed with how the money began to come in. We have some big donors in our church, but the contributions that came were smaller amounts--lots of them. By the last Sabbath in December, God had provided the $55,000, plus all the funds we needed for Worthy Student Offering, with money to spare. It was an awesome act of God and He is to be praised. Not wanting to leave this teaching opportunity uncultivated, I created a flyer in January, explaining how this same principle could help us achieve an even more exciting result in 2009." (visit pdf links below to view flyers) More Than Money What churches need most is not money. Budget shortages and economic hardships do not put churches out of business. Churches fail when they lose sight of the "business" of finding, nurturing and loving those whom Jesus died to save. We need God-sent, visionary leaders to inspire us with what we can accomplish when we, as a community of believers, respond to God's call. Churches fail when they lose their ability to dream and to believe that God can use them do great things. The proverb is still true, "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." (Proverbs 29:18) KJV. Informing members of their church's financial condition can be as inspirational as the Sabbath morning sermon. If your church is experiencing a budget short fall, ask God to help you seize the moment and shape it into a faith-building adventure of miraculous promise. God is waiting to be challenged! Fund Raise (pdf) | Fund Raise 2 (pdf) | Principled Giving (pdf) ______________________________ Rich DuBose is director of Church Support Services for the Pacific Union Conference. Brenda Fenderson writes from Meadow Vista, CA and is a member of the Grass Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church. All rights reserved © 2009 Church Support Services. Click here for content usage information. |
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