Episode 16 - How to Raise Money for Your Church

Your flock spends way more time online than in the pews and churches are in the dark ages with online passing of the plate.

What makes people... specifically Christians... give? What makes them give online?

Today we look at the ways churches try to fundraise and how the Bible gives us examples of "Christian Fundraising." We also take a look at Christian organizations and offer solutions for churches wanting to improve their mission and kingdom minded projects. 

Transcript

Welcome to. This is His Story Podcast the executive director

and Pastor guide to sowing and reaping online givers.

Welcome to episode 16.

How to raise money for a church.

I gotta say. This is the most vague title ever because those who are listening,

maybe here of all for different reasons.

And sometimes the answer is different,

depending on what you're trying to do. Is that a capital campaign.

Is it for debt relief, Mission and budget considerations?

Are you trying to hire a staff?

Is this long-term funding short-term?

For a particular earmark purpose.

So there's different ways. Right?

So, you know, if you're trying to raise a large sum for one time use right there are,

you know, feasibility studies and hiring consultants and working on a case for support.

Right there. There are things that are supposed to be done in particular,

kind of orders, but I'm talking right now in general,

because my specialty is Mission minded.

Fundraising I know churches don't use the word fundraising

but I am because it's a fun set aside for using,

right. It's, you know, you're you're raising money to do something Kingdom Minded Mission minded.

And and my case my specialty is digital.

So I'm going to have that lens on

and I would say that 95% of everybody listening regardless of what you're trying to raise money.

Any for still can utilize the content?

We're going to talk about because almost no matter what you're doing.

You still have a digital component. And so I want to speak into that.

I have a drum.

I've been beating a lot lately with the world with my niche of working with churches

and Christian nonprofits.

And that is flogs been way more time online than in the pews in churches are just in

the Dark Ages with the online passing of the plate.

It's like it was all the church could do to say,

well. Yeah, we used to pass the play. Need or,

you know, we'd have giving boxes but now we have a website.

So yeah. Yeah, let's just make sure that we have a way

for people to give online and then that sort of gravitated with more sophisticated,

Church databases,

and member databases. There's some slick software out there.

And so that it became well, we just need to make sure our online giving platform

and our accounting system and membership systems talk.

So I think electric think there's quote,

unquote sophisticated, because the technology connects,

but what is happening is the end of the day.

There's just a giving button in the top right of your website,

or your, if your Church's. You know,

I was going to say lucky enough to have a nap. I totally disagree Church's.

Most churches do not have a lot of success with apps,

with a whole nother story. The people who sell them love to give certain stats,

but the Is the most churches people don't use on.

And of course, I've heard plenty of discussions is,

you know, the website it's made for visitors,

but the app is where we want our members to go,

but that's not a reality either. These are all topics for another day.

I'm here to scream, churches are in the Dark Ages

when it comes to fundraising and they don't like the word fundraising.

So there's a problem right there. Christian's give a lot of money.

Money online. I'm not talking about two churches,

even though it's true that Christians give to their churches,

some do there's plenty of that sit in the Pew that do not.

But in order to have this discussion,

we're going to talk about a giant theological mistake.

A lot of churches /,

a lot of pastors have and that,

is this idea that it is biblical to give to your church first.

And Then if you want to go above

and beyond you give to a parachurch Ministry to do other

things and you have to admit most of you believe that is true.

I found it in my surveying of working with churches for decades that there's this idea church,

first parachurch second,

but I'm here to tell you that,

I challenge you to look that up in scripture and find one verse that says that's true.

Kingdom. Giving is a thing.

It is promoted giving with a cheerful heart and there is not a verse that says church first,

but it is a verse plenty of verses that talk about what to give to.

Now we have examples of giving to the church

and we also have examples of not giving straight to the church.

Right? So we have both so it's not like one can say this is the exclusive way to do it.

So we'll talk about this here in a minute. I'll back this

up for those of you scratching your head right now that are listening.

But I'm here to say that not Christian nonprofits are a lot more mature

and sophisticated in their asking,

therefore. There is a lot more online money going to Christian organizations that going to churches.

So what I feel led to do,

I don't mean that as in God,

has spoke to me and told me to go do it. I'm just telling you,

I feel led because I see the churches I work with tiptoe light.

All Bond over their head. I like oh we could be doing it this way to

and then they come back to me you with their success stories and I'm like oxy,

done that feel good to do a better job communicating with the Christians in Europe,

you who by the way are giving to other places,

not some not just to you as a church,

but there are people in Europe. Use that you actually think are non givers

and they're great givers and they give online they give to someone Else there's a reason

for that but we'll talk about that here in a minute.

But this is this is the issue nonprofits,

a lot more sophisticated. Your flocks are spending way more on

online More Time online than they are in the pews

and the churches find it too.

Taboo to ask.

They're scared to ask quite frankly.

There's too many. I don't want to use the word too many.

There are past examples of pastors who greedily.

Drive fly their planes more,

multiple Jets. They squander money sent into Kingdom work,

and they spend it incorrectly. So pastors,

do not look guilty of asking for money.

A lot of churches just don't ask because they're like,

we don't want to be even be close to that problem.

So we're just going to not talk about it.

If people want to give they can give that's between them the Lord.

And we're not in going to talk about it. Well,

unfortunately, that's not biblical. And that's the problem.

I'm telling you right now half of already listening to this.

I've already turned it off because that's how taboo it is.

To talk about Church's money,

giving and asking it's a bad dirty word.

And anybody who talks about it must be dirty.

They must be greedy and it's just not true.

It's sad but not true. So let's go biblical for a So let's look at Paul.

I know Paul was not a pastor. But Paul he is a missionary and he is out planting churches.

First, Corinthians 16 went through, for now about the collection,

for the Lord's, people do what I told the galatian churches to do on the first day of every week,

each one of you should set aside a sum of money,

and keeping with your income, save it up.

So that when I come no collections will have to be made,

then when I arrived, I would give letters of introduction to the menu,

approve, and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.

If it seems advisable for me to go, also,

they will accompany me. So you can see that Paul is collecting money,

and he didn't to the Galatians and the Corinthians,

and he basically says, set aside money and keeping with your income,

save it up. He's collecting money

for a purpose and then he's talking about giving it their gift to Jerusalem.

And that's not Church giving, and his kingdom giving Galatians to 10.

He says, all they asked was that we should continue to remember Poor

the very thing I'd been eager to do all along.

So once again, the Bible talks about giving giving to the poor widows,

you know, there's things that the Bible talks about being a cheerful giver

and it doesn't always say.

And they laid it at the apostles feet, which by the way,

those were Apostles not pastors,

but I like the concept is that sometimes we do we just give straight to the church

and then we trust the church to do what they're going to do with it.

Now, that's another conversation

for another day of our Our church is doing what they're supposed to be with it.

It's another another topic,

but giving there are people who are passionate about giving

and they give to things they're passionate

about and the kingdom and it does not go through the church.

Why the church? That the mask Romans 15 25 through 31 now.

However, I'm on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord's people there

for Macedonia and achaia.

I don't know how to say that. We're pleased to make a contribution.

For the poor among the Lord's people in Jerusalem.

They were pleased to do it.

And indeed, they owe it to them.

For the Gentiles have shared in the Jews spiritual blessing.

They owe it to the juice of share it, with them,

with their material blessings. So after I've completed this task and have made sure,

they have received this contribution. I will go to Spain and visit you on the way.

I know that, when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessings of Christ.

I urge you brothers and sisters by our Lord Jesus Christ.

And by the The love of the spirit to join me in my struggle by praying for God to God for me,

pray that I'm in be kept safe from them, Believers in Judea

and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem,

May be fairly received by the Lord's people there.

What did Paul do? He stated a need?

He asked for people who are Christians to give to the need

and they gave and Paul executed the contributions to the people.

Need. Imagine a Paul had a social media account and he wasn't just writing letters and visiting.

But he literally could and mass let people know of a problem

and a need and then people could give to that.

Need. Imagine how well he would do. That is what Christian nonprofits are doing a way better job.

They're saying there are needs that aren't met by local churches.

And they need funds to help them do it and they fund raise churches,

think that's a bad word churches.

Just leave the give button in the top right corner,

and they hope people give out of quote unquote,

obedience or quote unquote,

their tithe, and their don't ask

and they don't tell people why they should be giving to the church and it's not obedience.

Okay, it's not through. Idiots.

Not necessarily through obedience Darrell wage to show people how to help in the Kingdom,

too. Many churches are still passing the plate,

putting the give button on the top, right? And they're calling it good.

I want to change that. If you,

if you've made it through this podcast,

I urge you to go to my website creative digital guide.com

and go to the button that says churches start here

and watch my webinar that talks more about out this phenomenon of churches,

being in the Dark Ages, and I want to get you out of them

and train and teach your people opportunities to give help them be cheerful givers and not robots.

Who have to look for a button on your website.

Give it a shot. Thank you for listening today.

Thank you for listening to today's episode of.

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