Church Campaign Services was founded in 1950 as an agency of the Presbyterian Church. Today we are an independent consulting firm, but our roots in the Presbyterian Church run deep. For more than 75 years, we have helped congregations plan and carry out capital campaigns and major funding initiatives.
We know Presbyterian churches. We understand Sessions and committees, pastors and elders, congregational decision-making, and the importance of building broad ownership before asking people to make significant financial commitments.
A successful church capital campaign isn’t simply about raising money. It is about helping a congregation make good decisions about its future, tell the story of why the project matters, invite people into that vision, and build the leadership necessary to carry it forward.
A Capital Campaign That Works Like Your Church Works
Presbyterian churches have their own culture and way of making decisions. A campaign needs to respect that.
We work with the Session, pastor, campaign leadership and other appropriate committees to build a process that fits the congregation rather than imposing a fundraising program on it.
That also means we don’t come in and run the campaign for the church. Our job is to equip your leaders to lead it well.
We help congregations develop campaign leadership, make one-on-one visits, invite leadership gifts, communicate the case for support, engage the whole congregation, and follow through during the fulfillment period. The result should be more than money raised. A good campaign should leave the church with stronger leaders and a deeper understanding of stewardship.
Before the Campaign: Are You Ready?
One of the most important decisions a congregation makes is whether it is actually ready to begin a capital campaign.
Our Readiness Study helps church leaders answer that question before launching the campaign. We listen to members and leaders, assess the congregation’s financial capacity, test the proposed case for support, identify potential leadership, and look for concerns that should be addressed before the campaign begins.
Sometimes the answer is, You’re ready.
Sometimes it is, You’re ready, but there are a few things you need to address first.
And sometimes the most useful thing we can tell a church is, Not yet.
The purpose isn’t to produce a predetermined answer. It’s to give the Session and church leadership good information for making the next decision.
From the Session to the Whole Congregation
A capital campaign needs leadership, but it cannot remain a project of the Session, staff, or a small committee.
Our approach begins by developing a clear case for support: not simply what the church wants to build, repair, renovate, or fund, but why it matters to the church’s ministry and future.
From there, we help the church recruit and train campaign leaders, develop a thoughtful table of gifts, conduct individual conversations with potential leadership donors, and then invite the whole congregation to participate.
Leadership gifts typically establish a substantial portion of the campaign goal before the congregation-wide phase begins. That isn’t simply a fundraising technique. It helps establish confidence in the campaign and gives church leaders the opportunity to lead by example.
And throughout the process, the emphasis remains on stewardship—not pressure.
What Presbyterian Churches Raise Money For
We’ve worked with churches considering campaigns for new construction, renovations, deferred maintenance and major repairs, accessibility improvements, debt reduction, ministry expansion, mission initiatives, and combinations of several needs.
The project may begin with a roof, an HVAC system, a building addition, or a mortgage. But people rarely make their most meaningful gifts simply because a building needs work.
The important question is what that building, project, or financial investment makes possible for the congregation’s ministry.
Helping the church tell that story is an important part of our work.
75 Years of Presbyterian Experience
Church Campaign Services began in 1950 as an agency of the Presbyterian Church. Although CCS today operates independently, our work with Presbyterian congregations remains an important part of who we are.
That history matters because church capital campaigns aren’t interchangeable. Presbyterian congregations have particular leadership structures, traditions, relationships and ways of making decisions. We don’t have to learn from scratch what a Session is or how responsibility is shared among pastors, elders, committees and the congregation.
At the same time, no two Presbyterian churches are alike. Seventy-five years of experience gives us a strong starting point. Listening to your congregation tells us how the campaign needs to work in your church.
Thinking About a Capital Campaign?
You don’t need to have everything figured out before we talk.
In fact, some of the most useful conversations happen while a church is still asking questions: How much could we reasonably raise? Is the congregation ready? Do we need a readiness study? When should we begin? How does the campaign fit with a construction timeline? How should the Session organize the work?
If your Presbyterian congregation is beginning to ask those questions, let’s talk.