Church Giving and Fund Raising in a Pandemic World

By John Zehring

The corona-virus global pandemic is here. Back to normal could be a matter of years. Giving to churches is plummeting. So is the economy, leaving church members with less to give. Many congregations are forecast to go out of business. The survival of our churches is at stake. As church leaders scratch their heads to figure out how to triage the church’s declining income, this book provides guidance for how to fund the church’s mission and ministry during a global pandemic of unknown length. The focus is on how to lead the Annual Giving Campaign under these high-risk circumstances. Even after the threat of the pandemic diminishes, it’s financial impact on churches will linger for years. Author John Zehring has published books on annual giving campaigns (“Beyond Stewardship,” Judson Press) and capital campaigns (“You Can Run A Capital Campaign,” Abingdon Press).

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Zehring
• Release date: Jul 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005107079

John Zehring

John Zehring has served United Church of Christ congregations as Senior Pastor in Massachusetts (Andover), Rhode Island (Kingston), and Maine (Augusta) and as an Interim Pastor in Massachusetts (Arlington, Harvard). Prior to parish ministry, he served in higher education, primarily in development and institutional advancement. He worked as a dean of students, director of career planning and placement, adjunct professor of public speaking and as a vice president at a seminary and at a college. He is the author of more than sixty books and is a regular writer for The Christian Citizen, an American Baptist social justice publication. He has taught Public Speaking, Creative Writing, Educational Psychology and Church Administration. John was the founding editor of the publication Seminary Development News, a publication for seminary presidents, vice presidents and trustees (published by the Association of Theological Schools, funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment). He graduated from Eastern University and holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary, Rider University, and the Earlham School of Religion. He is listed in Marquis' WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA and is a recipient of their Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. John and his wife Donna live in two places, in central Massachusetts and by the sea in Maine.

Book preview

Church Giving and Fund Raising

in a Pandemic World

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John Zehring

Copyright 2020 John Zehring

Contents

Introduction

Truths about church giving and fund raising

About the Author

Introduction

The coronavirus global pandemic is here. At the beginning, a few church signs simply said that the church is closed. Now signs say that the church is worshipping online. The building is closed, but the spiritual mission of the church continues and is needed and cherished more than ever. No one knows how long the pandemic’s isolation will last or how long until church buildings will open again for worship. Even when they do, the most vulnerable among the participants will likely remain self-isolated. For them, it could be a matter of life-or-death. The most vulnerable – seniors or people with pre-existing medical conditions – constitute a huge portion of church membership. With so many unknowns, back to normal could be a matter of years.

The headlines tell how giving to churches is plummeting, along with many other sectors of the economy, leaving people with less to give to their church. Attendance online does not approximate in-person participation. Worshippers do not have the opportunity to place their gift in an offering plate, so the alternative is to mail it in or use an electronic payment. Some congregations are forecast to go out of business.

Traditional methods of giving and raising funds for the church have flown out the window. Committees cannot meet in person. Personal visits for an annual giving campaign cannot take place under a shutdown or where risk to health is involved. Leaders scratch their heads to figure out how to triage the church’s declining income, and for many churches, we could be talking about the very survival of the local church. Many congregations were already facing hard times financially before the pandemic started.

And so, an instruction manual is needed for how to fund the church’s mission and ministry during a global pandemic of unknown length. That is the intent of this book. I have written books on annual giving campaigns (Beyond Stewardship, Judson Press, 2016) and capital campaigns (You Can Run A Capital Campaign, Abingdon Press, 1990). Many of the strategies for traditional campaigns involve face-to-face visits, meetings, and being together in worship and in church functions. However, there are foundation principles that are always true no matter what the circumstances and that is what this book shares: 20 truths about church giving and fund-raising which will always serve you well, even in a pandemic world. Following the 20 truths are sections on Bible Verses and Quotes About Giving and Tips on Recruiting Volunteers.

Notes about this book

Scriptures used in this work come from the New Revised Standard Version, unless otherwise noted.

I have attempted to use inclusive language wherever possible in the words I have written, although I have not altered the author’s reference to God as he. I recognize that the Divine has no gender and for many it may be just as appropriate and accurate to acknowledge God as Mother or Father. Whichever pronoun is used, consider God as a loving parent.

Much of this work is adapted from my book (with co-author Kate Jagger) Beyond Stewardship published by Judson Pressed and used with their permission. I am grateful to be a Judson Press author and for their allowing me to apply some of my writings to this urgent and critical time.

Jesus Christ is the head of the church. He is the head of the body, the church; says Colossians (1:18). He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. It is Christ’s church. It cannot be destroyed. It cannot fail. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. (Matthew 18:20). However, individual congregations face dire circumstances and, sadly and with heavy hearts, a number will go out of business. And so, it is my prayer and my hope that this book will be helpful to give leaders a compass as they navigate troubled waters to develop the resources needed to fund the congregation’s present and future ministry.

John Zehring

Truths about church giving and fund raising

The 80/20 rule prevails

When it comes to the raising of funds, 80% is planning and 20% is asking. The 80/20 rule is the cornerstone for all giving and fund-raising campaigns under every circumstance, even in emergency times like a global pandemic. If you rush to get to the asking before the foundation is laid, the campaign could fail. Take it one step at a time, although realize that multiple small committees or task forces can pursue sub goals concurrently.

A church governing board led by good intentions but inadequate know-how decided they needed to raise $150,000 quickly to repair the church roof, address antiquated plumbing and electrical issues, and paint the fellowship hall. The chairperson gave each member a 3 x 5 card and asked each to write down how much he or she would pledge to the campaign. By the end of the evening, a generous $17,000 was pledged. They felt they were off to a good start and ended the evening on a note of celebration. In succeeding weeks, they talked among themselves about what to do next. They decided to form a campaign committee, which they voted in at their next meeting. The campaign committee did not know how to proceed, so decided to send a form letter to the church membership inviting each member to give to the campaign. In the following two months, $9,000 in pledges poured in. Total raised to date: $26,000. Now what? They had jumped the gun, were $124,000 short of their goal, and had no one left to turn to for support. Their lack of preparation and planning cost the church a failed campaign.

The church is under siege. Giving to churches is plummeting. Churches were facing hard times before the word coronavirus popped up. The largest portion of any church budget is personnel, the pastor(s) and the staff. Before the Covid-19 spreading wave, many churches were already reducing staff because of financial necessity. Churches with a centuries-old history of full-time pastors were now reducing to half-time, if they could find a professional willing to work half-time. Office hours were being reduced, Christian education budgets were trimmed to less than bare bones, sextons were being reduced or eliminated, and music programs were threatened. And then, states closed schools, non-essential businesses, and reduced gatherings to fewer than ten people. Churches shuttered their physical plant and morphed to electronic contact. Nursery schools and others who rented space from the church ceased, and so did the income the church received from those sources. The financial markets tanked, sending what endowments the church owned into a tailspin. So, no more robbing the endowment to cover annual shortfalls. The need to raise urgently-needed revenue from regular givers increased dramatically, while the ability to do so became confused and in disarray. Worse, the financial plight of regular givers suffered due to the economic downturn, business closures, and joblessness rate.

Jesus taught For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? (Luke 14:28). That is good preparation. First sit down to see what will be necessary to conduct a successful giving campaign. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Because the need is critical, there is a sense of hurry-up. Perhaps there is the feeling of we need to get out there quick and ask for more help. If that sense prevails over a thoughtfully planned and prepared campaign, failure is a high possibility. Therefore, tell yourself and everyone involved that the 80/20 rule prevails. Even under emergency conditions, 80% of a campaign is preparation and 20% is implementation. The twenty truths in this book will help you to gather yourself and understand the necessary sequence of a campaign’s basic timetable.

The 80/20 rule is understood by every successful fund-raiser, who knows well that 80%