FEBRUARY • 2015
HELPING LEADERS BECOME
B E T T E R S T E WA R D S .
Church Growth ESSENTIALS
Presented by: Impact Stewardship Resources, Inc.
Table of Contents UNDERSTANDING THE “BIG PICTURE”
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In the context of church growth, “big picture” thinking provides the framework for establishing, maintaining and improving church financial health.
By Chuck Klein and Dean Byler
HOW GENEROSITY FUELS THE BIG PICTURE
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We take a closer look at the role of generosity on church growth, viewed in the context of “Big Picture” thinking.
By Chuck Klein and Dean Byler
CREATING MOMENTUM FOR THE GENEROUS HEART 5 The series wraps up by exploring how to create momentum in the heart of the generous giver.
By Chuck Klein and Dean Byler
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CHURCH EXECUTIVE • C h u r c h G r o w t h E s s e n t i a l s • February 2015
churchexecutive.com
Church Growth ESSENTIALS Presented by: Impact Stewardship Resources, Inc.
UNDERSTANDING THE
“BIG PICTURE” By Chuck Klein and Dean Byler In the context of church growth, “big picture” thinking provides the framework for establishing, maintaining and improving church financial health. Such a mindset requires focus and education in four interconnected areas of church finance: 1) Operational budget support (Tithing) 2) Missions (Great Commission obedience) 3) Capital Campaigns (Expansion and improvements) 4) Legacy Giving (Vision-minded, forward-looking) Developing a big-picture financial strategy involves equipping and engaging your church in a way that hearts and lifestyles, and therefore decisions, change and mature. To kick off this three-part series, we explore how the transformation of the heart — and its motives — prompts faithful, eager participation in each of the above areas. Part 1: Transform the Heart, Align the Treasure If big-picture thinking provides the framework for church growth, the foundation rests on John 15:5. “I am the Vine,” the Savior reminds us, “and you are the branch.” The evidence of lives rooted in Christ — discipleship, service, outreach, giving, etc. — proves and lends momentum to healthy churches. The collective character of Christ, in motion and on display in individual lives, fuels good works and brings unity to your people and your process. Why, then, do many church leaders and administrators instead look to statistical markers — parking spots, certificates of baptism, annual tax letters — to determine progress (or lack thereof)? Do we look equally hard at attendees’ giving motives, relationship attitudes and spiritual maturity? How about our own? If you allow yourself to look beyond headcount to do a heart check in your congregation, it becomes clear that many of the people filling the pews are struggling. An uncomfortably honest assessment of the condition of your church body will reveal the full range of emotional challenges, including depression, anxiety and anger; in turn, these yield the full range of sinful behavior. All of this hurt and consequence robs your congregation of its power to advance God’s work through the witness and productivity of their lives. With so many needs left unaddressed, overlooked and unhealed, can we honestly wonder why offerings run low, participation stays sporadic, and vision goes unfunded? By contrast, when the heart of the believer is healthy — rooted in Christ and bearing the fruit of His strength and peace — his or her treasure churchexecutive.com
will align with Godly motives and Biblical objectives. When we identify with the character of Christ, we join Him in doing the things He sees the Father doing (John 5:19). Biblical priorities, including the financial areas mentioned above, are held in higher regard than ever before, and obedience to the Father springs from a place of love and joy, not fear and dread. Consider guiding your church through a simple course designed to address the type of attitudes that frequently undermine the believer’s peace and effectiveness as a disciple of Jesus. In our work with churches, we use a four-week study, Be Transformed, which we developed in conjunction with counselor and author John Murphy, founder of RockHouseCenter.com. Many courses endeavor to teach the mind and end up manipulating the heart; our priority remains fostering a heart of spiritual prosperity (3 John 1:2) while growing the congregation’s desire to know God, and to please Him (Rom 8:8). Viewed as a group, the hearts of the individual believers comprising a church body represent the heart of that church. Individuals need the transformation God offers them so they can experience more of the promised divine nature. Romans 12 encourages us to be transformed, not to conform to the world, and that He desires to mold us to progressively reflect the heart of Christ. The path to a vibrant, passionate, missional, empowered and growing church lies in reaching the heart of the body at the individual level. Read more about heart transformation. Chuck Klein leads Impact Stewardship, a capital stewardship ministry headquartered in Nashville, TN. Serving churches for more than 14 years, he offers mature insight into all aspects of church financial health, guiding churches to fulfill their vision through heart transformation and radical participation. Dean Byler serves as Impact’s education coordinator and director of business development.
February 2015 • C h u r c h G r o w t h E s s e n t i a l s • CHURCH EXECUTIVE
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Church Growth ESSENTIALS Presented by: Impact Stewardship Resources, Inc.
HOW GENEROSITY
FUELS THE BIG PICTURE
By Chuck Klein and Dean Byler Our first of three articles in this series — on page 3 — explains how heart transformation sets the tone for church growth. In this installment, we take a closer look at the role of generosity in church growth, viewed in the context of “Big Picture” thinking. To put this into perspective, we must first examine what motivates people to be generous. SACRED VS. SECULAR GENEROSITY The more I talk to churches lately, the more I see concerned leaders endeavoring to nurture generous believers. At the same time, I see all manner of worldly agendas funded by benevolent folks who do not know God and disdain Biblical truth outright. So, I pose the question: If both groups are being generous, what’s the difference? What’s the real end game? For the church, the focus remains on developing people who produce the fruitfulness of life rooted in Christ (John 15:5). All blessings — including money, along with the responsible stewardship thereof — directly stem from our connectedness to the Vine. Money is the fruit, not the root. By contrast, a secular mindset puts focus on developing funding, in order to advance an agenda. American culture abounds with social and cultural programs whose “benefits” pale miserably, when viewed in the light of Biblical priorities and values. People end up hurt, not helped, when money serves as the root of (so-called) solutions. So it follows that generosity alone will not build new sanctuaries, fund missions work or expand ministry. One can be generous without being a disciple of Jesus, but one can’t be a disciple of Jesus without being generous. When understood as the fruitful outworking of Christ’s character in us, our generosity helps to bring about “more than we could ask or imagine” (Eph 3.20).
instruction to do so (2 Cor 9). Keeping the annual budget on track happens only when enough people honor God with their first fruits, their tithes and their offerings. Annual stewardship emphasis is met with excitement and anticipation, rather than a “here-we-go-again” reach for the wallet. Close behind this comes honor for leadership (Heb 13.17). Where you see a lack of respect and honor for spiritual authority, you will find a church undermined by self-centeredness, disinterest, and eventually demise. By contrast, generous disciples who appreciate and lift up their leaders enjoy committing their resources to the work of the local church. They expect accountability and prayerful decisions from those leading the charge, and they trust God to multiply their faithful gifts to His purposes. Campaigns. Generosity flows from a sacrificial heart. There’s always something else you could spend your money on. So, when the faith promise card makes its way down the row, where is your heart? Your treasure is already there. By definition, generosity isn’t just giving; it implies giving more than what’s needed, expected or even immediately available. It’s about going “over and above.” Many factors contribute to the success of church capital campaigns, but chief among them is the eager willingness of the disciple of Jesus to deny himself / herself in the advancement the Father’s will — just like Jesus did. Missions. Generosity focuses on others. This almost goes without saying — or does it? A cursory glance at today’s culture reveals grand “selfgenerosity.” By resisting the patterns of the world, while renewing our minds (Rom 8.29), we align our generosity with God’s will, not ours. And His No. 1 mandate to the church to “go and make disciples” (Matt 28.19) will only happen when generous disciples who “get it,” GIVE! If virtually all churches today already support missions from their annual budget, what does “over and above” funding look like for that line item? It thrills us to know that many of our partner churches commit 10 percent or more of their campaign proceeds specifically toward their missions budget, thus connecting sacrificial campaign giving with ongoing emphasis on missions. Legacy. Generosity shows a heart of purpose and vision. Whether sharing a meal with the homeless, supporting a teen’s summer mission trip, or setting aside college funds for your grandchildren, generosity happens when you envision a different, improved situation for the recipient than when you first encountered them. Romans 5.8 reveals how God demonstrates generous, forward-thinking love: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!” He understood what was required of Himself in the now to produce something beautiful later. When we establish long-term priorities, and exercise the discipline to see them accomplished, we exhibit the ability to see beyond today — something Christ regularly modeled. Chuck Klein leads Impact Stewardship [ www.impactstewardship.com ], a capital stewardship ministry headquartered in Nashville, TN. Serving churches for more than 14 years, he offers mature insight into all aspects of church financial health, guiding churches to fulfill their vision through heart transformation and radical participation. Dean Byler serves as Impact’s education coordinator and director of business development.
IT’S ALL CONNECTED To bring about the long-term vision that God has stirred in your church, our giving must originate from an attitude of generosity as modeled by the selflessness of Christ (Phil 2.6). In a Big Picture framework, generosity sows seeds capable of reproducing incredible harvest and health in these four inter-related areas. Budget: Generosity stems from honor. The Biblical motivation for giving toward the function of the local church is obedience to God’s clear 4
CHURCH EXECUTIVE • C h u r c h G r o w t h E s s e n t i a l s • February 2015
churchexecutive.com
Church Growth ESSENTIALS Presented by: Impact Stewardship Resources, Inc.
CREATING MOMENTUM FOR THE GENEROUS HEART By Chuck Klein and Dean Byler In the first series installment (on page 3), we launched our discussion on “Church Growth Essentials” by explaining how heart transformation sets the tone for church growth. We built on that in the second installment, on page 4 by looking at the role generosity plays in fueling growth, as viewed through the lens of “Big Picture” thinking. In this installment, we wrap up our three-part series by exploring how to create momentum in the heart of the generous giver.
COMMUNICATE VISION If you were to ask a random sampling of your staff and key lay leaders to write out your church’s vision and / or mission, how varied would their answers be? Many churches think they are doing a good job articulating these concepts, but we routinely discover otherwise. How often do you ask your churchgoers this question: Do you “get” what we’re trying to accomplish? How well is your church really doing in communicating vision? Do you even want to wrestle with the answers? Anyone with resources — whether believers or not — will only give generously to what they understand and value. If your givers can’t articulate the result, or if they don’t fully support the outcome that their gift is meant to achieve, they won’t give much. Typically, they won’t give consistently, and they certainly won’t give lavishly or at great sacrifice. Clearly communicating vision provides both the roadmap and the destination for the generous heart. Over-and-above giving will be sustained in your congregation only when individual motivation aligns with corporate vision. Generous people must know where you’re going as a ministry, while grasping a clear understanding of the process you propose to get there. Consider taking your church through a “Vision” series, or invite your leadership team to a weekend “Vision Retreat.” Use your Sunday school and / or small group environments to foster discussion on how this topic relates to your church, to households, and to individual destinies. PROMOTE CREATIVE GIVING Many people, when challenged on the topic of giving generously, respond similarly: “I’ve been a believer (or attended ABC Church) for 25 years, and I know how to give.” While that is probably true with respect to giving out of their income, we have found that most donors have never been informed or challenged in the area of creative giving. Even though income is a logical place to start, for many in your church there’s already too much month at the end of their money. Most households work with a finite amount that can be given out of income. In our work with churches, we bring great focus to this topic. We invest significant time developing a fresh perspective within their giving base. From tax-beneficial asset contributions, to numerous “why didn’t I think churchexecutive.com
“[I]f your church is growing simply because more people come in the front door than leave via the back door, then it’s time for a serious look at why — and how — you do what you do.” of that” ideas, we nurture prayerful creativity. Our training prompts people to consider the following points, among others. Appreciated assets given directly to your church entitle the donor to avoid paying any capital gains tax while still getting a fair market value deduction based on its current value. Land, homes, investments and retirement accounts are just a few of the possibilities in this category. When it comes to “stuff,” we move it, we store it, we insure it, and we dust it. Items in this category might be collectibles such as stamps, coins or memorabilia, or perhaps valuable antiques, art or jewelry. How about giving a 1966 Mustang Shelby GT worth $200,000? (Yep. True story!) We talk “sacrifice,” but we need to walk it more purposefully. According to USA Today, the average family eats out more than four times per week. Five-hundred families giving up a typical $40 meal, every week for a year, can increase campaign or general budget giving by more than $1 million! SERIES SUMMARY: ASSESS > ADJUST > ADVANCE Forgive the cliché, but if your church is growing simply because more people come in the front door than leave via the back door, then it’s time for a serious look at why — and how — you do what you do. Church growth must be assessed in the context of advancing God’s Kingdom, which is inextricably tied to making disciples. Givers who grow in relationship with God and with others, and who buy in to your vision, are going to be inclined to stick around, get involved and actively support what you’re doing. If that’s not happening, ask the hard questions and take the bold steps needed to move your church off the status quo treadmill, and start making true forward progress. Chuck Klein leads Impact Stewardship [ www.impactstewardship.com ], a capital stewardship ministry headquartered in Nashville, TN. Serving churches for more than 15 years, he brings a seasoned perspective to all aspects of church financial health, guiding churches to fulfill their vision through heart transformation and radical participation. Dean Byler serves as Impact’s Education Coordinator and Director of Business Development.
February 2015 • C h u r c h G r o w t h E s s e n t i a l s • CHURCH EXECUTIVE
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