Church Interrupted: Reviving Your Congregation’s Capital Vision for the Future “Ready to Restart Your Congregation’s Capital Vision? Rev. Terry Epling Lead Campaign Strategist Remember 2019? It was a time when we made big plans. We looked forward to 2020 with high hopes and created new missions and visions. We had dreams and goals for … Continue Reading
Before you ask your congregation to make a significant financial commitment, it helps to know what your congregation is thinking. “How much do you think we can raise?” That’s usually one of the first questions I hear when a church begins talking about a capital campaign. And it’s an important question. But it’s not the … Continue Reading
Thank you for participating in Finding Your Church’s Why: Building the Story That Inspires Generosity. I hope our time together encouraged you to think differently about financial campaigns—not simply as fundraising efforts, but as opportunities to tell the story of God’s work through your congregation. Download the Presentation slides (PDF) Which contain: Discovery Questions Five … Continue Reading
What’s next for your church? This simple one-page conversation starter is designed to help church leaders identify their priorities, take stock of the financial tools they’ve already explored, and name the questions they’d like to consider next. Use it with your church council, governing board, finance committee, stewardship team, or other leadership group to start … Continue Reading
*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* What good will capital improvements be if you can’t keep the doors open and the lights on? Church leaders hesitate to run a capital campaign at the same time as the annual pledge drive. They wonder whether a capital campaign will hurt annual revenue. With the right process and good counsel, a “dual” … Continue Reading
A Campaign Website Bringing the Campaign Online This month, a guest article from Jason Smith, founder of GivingTools.com. How to create an effective, affordable capital campaign website Capital campaigns are all about people: welcoming their ideas and building a shared vision, and then asking the right people at the right time for the right gift … Continue Reading
No doubt about it: managing an effective capital campaign takes planning and organization. So what are the benefits? People will work very intensely during the campaign. Undertaking a campaign will be a major congregational activity for a period of months. Church leaders will devote even more time than that to the campaign. Consider, however, the … Continue Reading
“There was no feasibility study to make sure people were in favor of the project and willing to give.” Glenn and Barbara Holliman have an excellent little book about capital funding in churches. With Generous Hearts is well worth your time to read before considering a campaign. I was struck by their introduction. There, they … Continue Reading
There is nothing glamorous or exciting about building improvements like roof repair or window replacement. That was the reality that a recent client faced. Built in the late 1950s, their building had become worn and dated. Each proposed improvement seemed minor and cosmetic. All together, though, the updates added up to a substantial sum. As … Continue Reading
*|MC:SUBJECT|* New Year: Ask Your Church This One Simple Question The sanctuary always seems a bit bare in that first week of January. The Christmas greenery has been taken down and stowed away. The Advent Wreath is gone, the Christmas banners have been taken down. After the celebration of Advent and Christmas, the sanctuary seems bare, … Continue Reading