Funding Ministry

By Rev. Patrick L. Clements
President, Church Extension Plan

Funding ministry in a troubled economy is, in my view, very much the same as funding ministry in times of economic boon. The basis for successfully funding ministry is to focus on basic principles which are not subject to the vagaries of economic cycles and swings. Some of those key principles are:

  1. Ministry leaders must have a clear focus on the true source of the resources needed for ministry…our source in all things is the Lord. He is the creative force in our world, and He is singularly the trustworthy source of economic resource for ministry.
  2. God has made it clear in His word that men and women of faith are capable of robbing God by withholding His tithe. It is incumbent on Christian leaders to teach the whole counsel of God by openly teaching the rightly divided Word of God. The tithe, the bedrock of Christian stewardship, must be taught without apology.
  3. Moses gave us a very clear track on which to run regarding developing a positive stewardship environment in the local church and in other parachurch ministries. He conducted the first capital campaign for a portable worship center…the Ark of the Covenant. His focus was on gold, silver and bronze. It is a classic stewardship model if you picture a pyramid shaped graph with gold at the top, silver in the middle, and bronze at the base. Every ministry has adherents or members who are gold (affluent), silver (moderate wealth) and bronze (average or below wealth). There will be fewer folks of means, more in the middle and a whole lot at the bottom.  Programs of stewardship should bring these realities into their planning by focusing efforts appropriately.
  4. Scripture is clear that, “we have not because we ask not.” Too many church leaders hide behind some sort of pseudo-spirituality saying that they do not want to know who the big givers are so that they can treat everyone the same. This is in a word, hogwash! We have a responsibility as leaders to treat each person as God’s unique creation without regard to any other factors, including their giving history. That being said, we also have a responsibility to use God-given opportunities to know where our funding comes from so that we know who to approach when a God moment occurs and resources are needed. Pastors and parachurch leaders have a clear responsibility to know and cultivate key givers in their churches and ministries. Focus on the gold in these efforts. Another level of key endeavor is required to cultivate and motivate the 2nd and 3rd tier givers.
  5. Key to funding ministry is a clear mission statement that is well communicated and a well articulated vision of what it is God is leading the ministry to accomplish.  Mission and vision clearly communicated are strong motivators to giving. We must be willing to think beyond our comfort zone of the “now” in order to see and embrace the “can be” of God’s preferred future for our ministry.

With these principles in mind, we can pursue the money needed to provide life-giving ministry.