Fueling Generosity
Are you ready for Christmas? If you’re like most church leaders, the Christmas season is one of the busiest, if not the busiest, seasons for you. That’s true for most people in the United States. All the parties, pageants, and purchases leave our credit cards and calendars maxed out, and have the potential to distract us from the true meaning of Christmas.
I love Christmas. Yes, it’s a busy season, and yes, there’s no shortage of things to spend money on, but all that reminds me of what Christmas is all about – the generosity of God. This Christmas, let’s remind our churches of the generous, gift-giving God we serve. As 2 Corinthians 8:9 reminds us, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
Paul wrote those words to inspire believers to give sacrificially to the work of God’s kingdom. Over the last several weeks, you’ve probably been asked to donate to multiple charities. It’s the time of year when non-profits make a push for donations; after all, it’s the giving season, right? While there are many amazing organizations out there soliciting for donations, are any as important as Jesus’ Church, the people entrusted to carry out Jesus’ Great Commission?
My point is, as church leaders, we may be tempted to shy away from asking people to give generously to our churches this time of year. We rationalize that people are stretched financially and are already being bombarded with giving appeals, so we are tempted to tell people about the birth of our Savior without inviting them to imitate his generosity so that more people can come to faith in him. How about this year we challenge everyone to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and give generously to his church, which offers people the peace and joy they long for?
Whether you’re a church planter raising startup funds, or a pastor entrusted to fuel generosity in your church, don’t miss the opportunity Christmas offers us to help people express their gratitude to God for his greatest gift.
To help you with this task, we’ve packed this newsletter full of fundraising resources. They’ll help you invite more people to imitate Jesus by honoring God through their generosity. Enjoy!
-Patrick Bradley, Director of Operations
December 2024 – Content
- Fundraising Strategy Template
- Launch Vision Resource
- Budget Worksheet
- Fundraising 101
Fundraising Strategy Template
If you’re feeling the pinch in your finances this time of year, remember that God is the God who provides (Matthew 6:30-32; Psalm 145:15-16; Genesis 22:14). Whether by providing a ram to be sacrificed, splitting a sea, healing sickness, or providing the finances to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, God provides. When church leaders are listening to God’s voice and following his direction, he delights to provide. God’s provision follows His vision. Don’t blame people for not standing in line to join your support network. Take responsibility. Ask yourself, “Am I following God’s vision? Am I communicating God’s vision in a clear and compelling way? Am I trusting in my own strength for the solution, or will I trust that God enjoys providing if I seek His kingdom first?”
Once you can answer those questions confidently, it’s time to develop a fundraising strategy. How will you go about raising the funds necessary to support the vision God’s given you? Don’t just wing it. Write down a plan. That will help you steward your time as you invite others to be good stewards of the resources God has entrusted to them. To help you develop a fundraising strategy, we’ve developed this Fundraising Strategy Template for church planters. Download yours today! Before working on this strategy, get some inspiration from Jason Zellmer’s blog post 5 Important Steps for Successful Fundraising.
Launch Vision Resource
Have you ever heard a church planter or pastor lament about their church’s “giving problem”? We have, but we don’t buy that excuse. In most cases their churches don’t have giving problems. They have vision problems. They lack a clear, compelling vision that communicates where God is leading the church, a vision that inspires people to join you on the journey.
Vision is the one of the most powerful allies a church planter has while fundraising. In most cases, church planters have to solicit support before they can demonstrate ministry results. However, what they do have is vision – their dream of what God is going to do in and through the new church.
To help church planters share their vision with potential supporters and launch team members, we encourage them to create a Launch Vision. This prospectus document summarizes your vision using compelling pictures, captivating stories and noteworthy facts and data. Download your free Launch Vision Template today.
Budget Worksheet
Did you have a budget for all your Christmas shopping this year? Church planters may not fret over developing a budget for Christmas gifts, but many do when faced with the task of creating a multi-year church plant budget. That’s why we created our church plant budget worksheet. The worksheet with walk you through developing a contextualized budget for your church plant. It even does math for you, so you don’t need to waste time calculating monthly and annual totals.
If you like our budget worksheet, check out our fundraising worksheet as well. Like the budget worksheet, this template will crunch the numbers for you and help you keep track of all the funds that individuals, churches, and organizations commit to give to your church plant.
Fundraising 101
Does the task of fundraising intimidate you? It can be scary asking other people to support you and your ministry. That’s why it’s helpful to have a healthy understanding of fundraising. Fundraising is sometimes viewed as asking people for money, but when done to support the ministry of a local church, it’s so much more than that. What does the Bible say about money’s role in God’s plan to redeem the world?
Ministry leader Steve Shadrack answers those questions and offers a fresh perspective on support raising in his seminal book, The God Ask. Instead of fretting about fundraising, develop your confidence and competence as a kingdom resource raiser by reading the book and considering what God’s word says about fundraising. Another book that will help you develop the mindset and strategy needed to raise money for a worthy cause is People Raising by William P. Dillon.