The Coming Revolution in Church Economics: Why Tithes and Offerings Are No Longer Enough, and What You Can Do about It

By Mark DeYmaz and Harry Li

Our entire understanding of funding and sustainability must change.

Tithes and offerings alone are no longer enough to provide for the needs of the local church, enable pastors to pursue opportunities, or sustain long-term ministry impact. Growing financial burdens on the middle class, marginal increases in contributions to religious organizations, shifting generational attitudes toward giving, and changing demographics are having a negative impact on church budgets. Given that someday local churches may be required to pay taxes on the property they own and/or lose the benefit of soliciting tax-deductible gifts, the time to pivot is now. What's needed is disruptive innovation in church economics.

For churches to not only survive but thrive in the future, leaders must learn to leverage assets, bless the community, empower entrepreneurs, and create multiple streams of income to effectively fund mission. You'll learn why you should and how to do so in The Coming Revolution in Church Economics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781493420223

Mark DeYmaz

A recognized leader in the Multiethnic Church Movement, Mark planted the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas in 2001 where he continues to serve as Directional Leader. In 2004, he co-founded the Mosaix Global Network with Dr. George Yancey and today serves as its president, and convenor of the triennial National Multi-ethnic Church Conference. In 2008, he launched Vine and Village and remains active on the board of this 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on spiritual, social, and financial engagement and transformation in Little Rock's University District, the 72204 ZIP code. Mark has written six books including his latest, Disruption: Repurposing the Church to Redeem the Community (Thomas Nelson, March 2017); and Multiethnic Conversations: an Eight Week Guide to Unity in Your Church (Wesleyan Publishing House, October 2016), the first daily devotional, small group curriculum on the subject for people in the pews. His book, Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church (Jossey-Bass, 2007), was a finalist for a Christianity Today Book of the Year Award (2008) and for a Resource of the Year Award (2008) sponsored by Outreach Magazine. His other books include, re:MIX: Transitioning Your Church to Living Color (Abingdon, June 2016); Leading a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church(formerly Ethnic Blends, Zondervan, 2010, 2013), and the e-Book, Should Pastors Accept or Reject the Homogeneous Unit Principle? (Mosaix Global Network, 2011). In addition to books, he is a contributing editor for Outreach Magazine where his column, "Mosaic" appears in each issue.  He and his wife, Linda, have been married for thirty years and reside in Little Rock, AR. Linda is the author of the author of the certified best-seller, Mommy, Please Don't Cry: There Are No Tears in Heaven, an anointed resource providing hope and comfort for those who grieve the death of a child. Mark and Linda have four adult children and two grandchildren.  Mark is an Adjunct Professor at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, and teaches D.Min. courses at seminaries across the country including TEDS, Western, and Phoenix, where he earned his own D.Min. in 2006.  

Book preview

"Mark DeYmaz is one of the most creative thinkers I have had the privilege of meeting. To some extent he is a futurist, and in The Coming Revolution in Church Economics he challenges local churches to think innovatively in order to fund and fulfill the Great Commission. Toward that end, I have spoken many times on the subject of generosity; this book, however, takes us a step beyond generosity alone as part of the equation. I highly recommend a thoughtful reading of this engaging challenge."

Ron Blue, cofounder of the National Christian Foundation, founder of Kingdom Advisors, and author of seventeen books on personal finance, including Master Your Money

"In The Coming Revolution in Church Economics, Mark and Harry give us a thoughtful path to innovation in church finance. But it’s more than that—these proven leaders provide a practical plan to pursue greater mission through a better understanding and stewardship of resources. The fact is, churches and ministries can do more to advance the kingdom if they have more resources by which to do so. You and your leadership team will find this guide a helpful resource for effective ministry in the third millennium."

Ed Stetzer, Billy Graham Distinguished Chair, Wheaton College

With the burning heart of a prophet and the well-worn hands of a seasoned pastor, Mark DeYmaz offers a clarion call to innovate and engage in the task of economic capacity building, without which the local church will not be sustainable, nor will its gospel mission flourish.

Tom Nelson, pastor of Christ Community Church, president of Made to Flourish, and author of The Economics of Neighborly Love

"This stimulating book is needed to stretch the financial imagination of every church in America. Immensely practical, it could have been titled Innovative Ways to Expand Your Church’s Mission by Strategically Leveraging Its Assets. It gives hope to churches uncertain of their long-term sustainability. More important, it offers a fundamental, systemic, and perhaps necessary shift in asset awareness and stewardship to help churches better position themselves for the future."

Warren Bird, PhD, vice president of research, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), and coauthor of thirty-one books, including How to Break Church Growth Barriers

"I’ve stood in Mark and Harry’s church and seen the reality of what they share in The Coming Revolution in Church Economics. Everyone who loves the local church and is concerned with its future funding and sustainability should read this book. It will cause a positive disruption to the way things have been done."

Ron Edmundson, CEO of Leadership Network, Dallas, TX

The authors break new ground with a much-needed perspective on the financial opportunities and challenges facing the church in the twenty-first century. If the mark of a good book is that you cannot put it down until it is fully read, then this book meets that test! Combining practical wisdom and examples with sound economic thinking and realistic experience in the non-profit and for-profit worlds, this book provides a breath of fresh air for churches that are unsure how to financially sustain their mission. They do not provide an unrealistic ‘get rich quick’ silver bullet or a sketchy pyramid scheme; rather, they offer relevant, fresh, innovative, and entrepreneurial approaches. My prayer is that church planters and pastors will read this book and that the Holy Spirit will again breathe new vision and vitality into the church to transform society.

W. Jay Moon, director of the office of faith, works, and economics, Asbury Seminary

Mark and Harry’s book isn’t merely about creative ways to fund ministry. Rather, they provide practical pathways to establish more Christ-exalting, socially just, and economically responsible churches—everywhere. Local church pastors and planters need to know how to apply smart economics in today’s fast-paced and rapidly changing economy. Those who lead church planting networks and endeavors need to grapple with the ideas and solutions they’ve developed. This book will show you how to carry mission into the future and, more than that, sustain the effort.

Daniel Yang, director of the Send Institute at the Billy Graham Center, Wheaton College

Mark DeYmaz is one of the most innovative, prophetic leaders in the church today. He asks tough questions and does not shrink from challenging conversations or difficult assignments. Rather, he leans into them for the sake of the kingdom . . . and for us. Local church leadership, too, must lean into changing economic realities and not bury its head in the sand by citing empty platitudes of hope that do not require intentional effort on our part. Now is the moment the church must develop additional revenue streams and resources to fund transformative ministry in the community. This book, then . . . Ready. Set. Let’s GO!

Rev. Dr. Stephanie Moore Hand, vitality strategist for the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church

"Mark and Harry have done something in The Coming Revolution in Church Economics that is very rare but extremely important. With sensitivity and through innovation, they not only open the door but provide proven, practical insight to help local church pastors and ministry leaders rethink sustainability and apply forgotten methods of stewardship to maximize kingdom impact."

Santes Beatty, director of multiethnic ministries, The Wesleyan Church

"Pastors of existing churches and church planters today are looking for additional funding to move the vision of the kingdom forward. In The Coming Revolution in Church Economics, Mark and Harry provide proven insight to help overcome stagnant giving and declining budgets by generating additional income to sustain ministry. How can we strategically reposition our churches as agents of transformational change in the community? How can the church develop more than one stream of income and increase its influence in the community? This book answers these questions, and many more."

Noemi Chavez, pastor of Revive Church, Long Beach, CA

Mark DeYmaz hits the nail on the head! In the future, local churches will not be funded or sustained as they have been in the past. The sooner pastors and planters recognize this and adjust, the sooner their churches will be able to not only survive but thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Dr. Alejandro (Alex) Mandes, leader of the All People Initiative of the EFCA, Immigrant Hope, and GATEWAY Theological Institute

Mark’s take on past and present funding models and what will be required in the future to ensure local church sustainability is well worth understanding. I appreciate the book’s sound theological reflection, as well as its practical instruction that pastors in every context will find immediately stimulating and applicable.

Bob Roberts, founder and senior pastor of Northwood Church, Keller, TX

"This isn’t theory. What you’re about to read in this book are proven principles to bless your community, create multiple streams of income for your church, and better fulfill the Great Commission in today’s changing world. Don’t miss The Coming Revolution in Church Economics!"

Daniel Im, director of NewChurches.com, teaching pastor of The Fellowship, Nashville, TN, and author of No Silver Bullets and You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love

"In The Coming Revolution in Church Economics, Mark DeYmaz details a strategy that will enable churches to drive massive socioeconomic transformation in the communities they serve, advance their core mission, and generate income in pursuit of sustainability. This is a must-read for pastors seeking to reverse declining budgets and see their churches financially thrive."

Laura E. Owen, president of UpSkill, LLC, and former Secretary of Commerce, Kansas

"Entrepreneurship is critical to any economy, and it’s an essential part of God’s plan to restore the world. In The Coming Revolution in Church Economics, Mark DeYmaz sets the stage for a looming financial crisis facing the church in America and offers practical wisdom to guide local church leaders into a more sustainable future that benefits the church, the neighborhood, and the narrative of Christian benevolence in our age."

Luke Dooley, president of OCEAN Programs

"The American church stands poised to reclaim its entrepreneurial nature through enterprising endeavors. The Coming Revolution in Church Economics is a clarion call to pastors and churches, everywhere, to disrupt the erroneous sacred-secular divide of economics. We look forward to applying the instruction provided through Mark and Harry’s prophetic voice."

John Parker, former banker and outreach director of Forest Hill Church, Charlotte, NC

"The local church needs financial resources to accomplish its mission. However, the subject is often difficult to discuss in a society where people perceive the church as only interested in their money. For church planters, The Coming Revolution in Church Economics is an instruction manual on how to practice, benefit from, and infuse smart economics into the DNA of your church. For mainline and other existing churches, it is a clarion call by which to recognize we cannot trust any longer in ‘business as usual.’ I believe that this book will spark a very new conversation and much-needed reflections on the future of local church funding."

Rev. Chip Freed, lead pastor of Garfield Memorial United Methodist Church, Cleveland, OH

"Mark and Harry provide practical insights in a time when a pivot in church economics is not only suggested but required. We don’t have to figure this out alone; The Coming Revolution in Church Economics points the way."

Frank Bealer, executive director of leadership development, Orange

I believe Mark is speaking prophetically for today’s church. For over fifteen years, I have facilitated sessions for churches going through change. I feel soon churches will have to embrace change at a pace they have never seen before. Mark is sounding the alarm, and I pray pastors pay attention.

Tom McGehee, founder and president of WaveChanger

"Mark DeYmaz is a cutting-edge practitioner of disruption within the American church. The Coming Revolution in Church Economics will help us stop saying we’re going to change our cities and actually transform our communities through innovative financial strategies. Mark’s new work will help us swim in kingdom hope instead of human fear."

Alan Scott, lead pastor of Cumberland Community Church, Atlanta, GA

© 2019 by Mark DeYmaz

Published by Baker Books

a division of Baker Publishing Group

PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakerbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2019

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-1-4934-2022-3

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Published in Association with the literary agency of Mark Sweeney & Associates.

To the elders and the people of Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, who have inspired, encouraged, and supported disruptive innovation since 2001. In so doing you have become a beacon of hope for others daring to walk, work, and worship God together as one on earth as it is in heaven, beyond the distinctions of this world that otherwise divide, for the sake of the gospel.

Contents

Cover    1

Endorsements    2

Title Page    7

Copyright Page    8

Dedication    9

Foreword by Dale Dawson    13

Introduction    17

1. Understanding the Need    27

2. Free Your Mind    41

3. Stop Begging for Money    70

4. Create Multiple Streams of Income    97

5. Leverage Church Assets    128

6. Become a Benevolent Owner    155

7. Monetize Existing Services    182

8. Start New Businesses     208

Afterword by Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek    235

Notes    241

Back Ad    256

Back Cover    257

Foreword

My grandfather was a cowboy preacher dedicated to serving God and the hardscrabble working poor of the Texas Panhandle. My parents were small family entrepreneurs. Therefore, I grew up thinking that I needed to choose one life or the other . . . so I chose business. Over the next thirty years, I earned a CPA, became a partner in a global accounting firm, and served as the head of a large private investment banking practice. I also spent several years building the country’s largest independent distributor of truck parts, sold it to AutoZone, and then retired at an early age.

When I was fifty years old, an Anglican bishop from Rwanda in East Africa challenged me to spend the rest of my life building businesses in his country. He said, After the genocide, Rwanda had to rebuild every aspect of its society, but in the long run nothing is more important than creating jobs and a vibrant economy. He reasoned, You’re an investment banker and an entrepreneur. You build businesses, and help others build them. Surely God has prepared you to use business to build his kingdom.

That is why I am so excited about this book! Similarly, it will help you recognize opportunities, think like an entrepreneur, and create a vibrant economy in your church—one that will strengthen the financial bottom line and better position it for long-term kingdom and community impact.

In time, I accepted the bishop’s invitation and began a sixteen-year journey of building a bridge from the United States to Rwanda that would transform lives at both ends. The organization we founded in 2007, Bridge2Rwanda, has helped encourage entrepreneurship, launch businesses, attract foreign investors, earn international scholarships, and develop a fellowship of globally educated young African leaders in Rwanda as well as in three of its conflict-torn East African neighbors.

As part of this journey, I have also had the opportunity to serve on the advisory council of Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, and witness Rwanda’s extraordinary demonstration of national reconciliation and robust nation building. In 2000, when the post-genocide conflicts had ceased and the nation had been secured, Rwanda’s leaders across all sectors—public, private, social, and church—came together and created a vision of the country they wanted to build for themselves and their children. Working together, they have made spectacular progress, so much so that two years ago the United Nations named Rwanda the fastest-developing country in the world. It is a place to see God’s hand at work for those with eyes of faith.

The church leaders I have worked with in Rwanda have been notably different from those I have met in traditional American churches. The Rwandans believe they and their churches have a critical role to play in building the country and are wholeheartedly committed to helping fulfill the national vision. Many are fearless social entrepreneurs who plunge into solving problems and meeting the needs of their communities and country, whatever they might be. They zealously search for and befriend widows, single parents, street kids, the sick, the poor, and other marginalized people in their communities. They comfort victims of the genocide and gently reconcile them with its perpetrators. Out of necessity and with scarce resources they build schools, hospitals, churches, homes, farms, and businesses. They mobilize others, innovate, and bring hope to desperate situations.

After working in Rwanda and with its church leaders for several years, my wife, Judi, and I began looking for a church in Little Rock that was not afraid to get out of its comfort zone, pursue fearless social entrepreneurship, and address current realities affecting both the American church and a rapidly changing society. We found these things in Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas. Like the churches in Rwanda, Mosaic does not compartmentalize spiritual, social, and financial concerns. Like church leaders in Rwanda, leaders at Mosaic are pursuing disruptive innovation in ways I believe all churches should and will have to do someday, not only to bring the hope of Jesus to desperate situations but also to remain financially solvent.1

With this in mind, I commend to you this important, informed, and groundbreaking work.

Dale Dawson founder and CEO, Bridge2Rwanda board of directors, Halftime Institute Kigali, Rwanda, and Little Rock, Arkansas

Introduction

On May 17, 2001, Linda and I (Mark) responded in prayer to a very specific call of God on our lives. That day we committed ourselves and our families to a journey of faith, courage, and sacrifice that would lead to the establishment of a multiethnic and economically diverse church in the heart of central Arkansas, a church founded in response to the prayer of Jesus Christ for unity and patterned after the New Testament church at Antioch (Acts 11:19–25; 13:1), a church for all people—a church we called Mosaic.1 By October 2002, Harry and Melanie Li, along with their three daughters, had joined us as colleagues in pursuit of the dream.

From the beginning, due to the multiethnic and missional nature of our church plant in Little Rock’s urban center, tithes and offerings alone have never been enough to pay the bills, fund our vision, or expand our impact in the community. Therefore, we determined early on to get beyond tithes and offerings in order to establish the church and effectively engage the needs of people.

For more than twelve years (2003–15), we rented an abandoned building that formerly housed a Walmart. Today, we own and occupy a nearly 100,000 square-foot former Kmart, as we’ll discuss further in chapter 6. At the time of this writing, we make more than $150,000 a year (12–13 percent of our annual budget) by renting parts of our facility to other businesses. The rent checks total $12,000 or so a month, almost enough to cover our $16,000-a-month mortgage payment. With approximately 18,000 square feet of space still available to rent, we are hoping to pick up an additional $4,000 a month in rental income so that soon we can look our people in the eye and say that not one penny of their tithes and offerings services the debt. In addition, $100,000 or so (just over 8 percent of our budget) comes each year in the form of staff support raised outside the church by members of our team and another $100,000 is aggregated through other means.

By shifting works of compassion and justice out from under the church’s budget and into the budget of an umbrella nonprofit we launched in 2008, named Vine & Village, Mosaic has also been able to repurpose what would be another $150,000 to $200,000 in related ministry costs. Vine & Village is underwritten primarily through local, state, and federal grants, contributions from other churches, interested donors, and the like.