Year End Giving Email

About 1/3 of most parachurch ministry income comes in during the month of December.  Often times we as church leaders miss this opportunity. Here’s an email I have going out to our church on Monday, December 29 – feel free to adapt it for your situation:

Subject line: A courtesy reminder . . . (The Journey Church)

This is a courtesy reminder that your year-end financial gifts to The Journey Church are to be given online or postmarked in the mail by Dec 31, 2008 in order to qualify for 2008 tax benefits

In fact, it is your year-end gifts that allow us to finish 2008 strong and to be fully prepared for ministry opportunities in 2009.

And, of course, right now is a great time to make a gift to The ONE IN A MLLION Special Offering.  Maybe God is stretching you to give a sacrificial gift to this offering.

As you prayerfully consider a year-end gift, here are three convenient giving options for you:

1. To give online to either the regular offering or the special offering simply visit:

http://www.journeymetro.com/giving

Here you can give via debit or credit card.  It’s completely secure and very easy.

2. If you wish to mail a gift to our office our address is:

The Journey Church
321 W 44th St, Suite 203A
New York, NY 10036
212.730.8300 x212

3. You may also use your bank’s online website to send a check to The Journey (via the Bill Pay option).  Just direct your bank to send your check to the address above – you don’t even need a stamp!

Thank you for your faithful giving in 2008.

Happy New Year!!

Pastor Nelson

P.S. Remember, regular Sunday services will resume this Sunday, January 4 in all locations, although there is no evening service in Manhattan.  I’ll be teaching live in Manhattan; Pastor Elliott will be teaching live in Brooklyn and Pastor Jim will be teaching live in Jersey City.  It’s going to be a great Sunday!  See you then.

Nelson Searcy, Lead Pastor
The Journey Church of the City
One Church: Multiple Locations
www.JourneyMetro.com

Bad Economy + Bad Decisions = Disaster

I continue to hear of a lot of pastors and church leaders making bad decisions because the economy is bad. If you make bad decisions when the economy is good, you may be able to ride it out with minimal effects.  But if you make bad decisions when the economy is bad, disaster is almost certain.

Before you make any major (or minor) decision at your church based on the potential impact of the troublesome economy can I beg you to listen to my latest podcast? You can listen for free by clicking here:

HOW TO LEAD YOUR CHURCH DURING FINANCIAL CRISIS

Share this podcast with your elders, deacons and key leaders in your church.  You have my permission to rip it to CD or share it in whatever way is most convenient.

I hope this helps!

Nelson

P.S. My thanks to Rick Warren and Gerald Sharon at Saddleback Church/Purpose Driven for featuring this podcast in Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox Email

Q & A: How to respond to the financial crisis?

The most frequently asked question I’ve received over the last two months is:

How am I to lead my church during this financial crisis?  How do I prepare?  What do I need to do and not do?

To listen to my answer to this question, check out my latest podcast:

HOW TO LEAD YOUR CHURCH DURING THE FINANCIAL CRISIS
(Download the free MP3, Listen online or subscribe via iTunes)

I promise this podcast will leave you with HOPE!

Enjoy!

Nelson

P.S. If you have questions, simply use the Ask Nelson button on the right.

Christmas Offering Documents and Envelope

Yesterday we talked about my free report on “How to Conduct a Christmas Offering.” Today I wanted to share with you the packets we created to promote our Christmas Offering.  I’m not sharing these documents because we got it ‘perfect!’  By no means.  Instead, this document may help you with language and formating for your offering.

On Sunday I’m going to present the Christmas Offering in the middle of my sermon.  And as people leave they will receive a packet that includes:

6 x 9 Envelope which contains…

A Letter from me introducing the offering

A two page overview of the offering

A Q & A about the offering

and a Giving Envelope

During the week of November 9, everyone will receive this packet in the mail and it will also include a Christmas Offering Pen (a very fat pen that, hopefully, will make people want to open the envelope – after all, the packet is a waste if no one opens it).

OK, so here’s the documents for you to download:

Christmas Offering Packet (Right Click to Download)

Christmas Offering Envelope (Right Click to Download)

If you have additional questions about Christmas Offerings, just use the Ask Nelson button on the right.

Oh, and for all the Baptists who read my blog: Happy Halloween!

Nelson

P.S. If you still haven’t snagged your copy of the free “How to Conduct a Christmas Offering” report, click here.

How to Conduct a Christmas Offering

Last week I released my latest report entitled “How to Conduct A Christmas Offering.” Its been the fastest downloaded report I’ve offered (over 1000 people in a few days!).  If you haven’t snagged your copy yet, grab it now (its not too late to plan a Christmas Offering) – its FREE:

HOW TO CONDUCT A CHRISTMAS OFFERING FREE REPORT LINK CLICK HERE

If you’ve already downloaded the report (and assuming you found it helpful) will you send this link to a friend or let the pastors in your network or on your blog know about it? I want it to help as many people as possible.

We are rolling out our Christmas Offering this Sunday.  That’s a little early for most churches but it ties in with my message this weekend.  You would be fine to roll out your offering on the Sunday before Thanksgiving or even December 7, depending on the amount you want to raise (start earlier if the amount is more than three or four times your regular weekly offering). Check out the free report for more details on the hows and, more importantly, the why’s.

I’ll try to post some of the documents we are using in our Christmas Offering tomorrow.

And let me be the first to say…Merry Christmas,

Nelson

P.S. I’m sure I didn’t cover everything about Christmas Offerings in the report so if you have any questions, use the Ask Nelson button on the right!

Third Quarter Giving Letters (Free Downloads)

As promised, here’s our Third Quarter Giving letter.  Right click below to download:

Main 2-Page Economic Hope Letter from me

Small Church Stat Insert from Kerrick

(Note: These may not be the final versions we actually mailed – they were proofed and designed on letterhead before the final two-color printing.  Thank God for proof readers!)

We sent the two letters above plus an auto-debit form and a giving envelope in a 6 x 9 Envelope with these words printed in blue on the front of the envelope:

An Important Economic Message from Pastor Nelson Searcy
plus your third quarter statement of giving

They started hitting over the weekend and the early reponse has been very positive.

Even though its late October, I don’t think its too late for you to do a 3rd Quarter Giving letter. People are interested in the economy and your letter (like mine above) can provide hope.  Also, you can use a letter that hits in November  to promote your Christmas Offering – see my free report here – and you can mail it first class and use it to clean up your database (the post office will send you the new addresses if you pay first class postage).  Lyle Schaller has also argued for November giving letters.

Hope this helps!

Nelson

P.S. For more thoughts on Giving Letters and Stewardship Systems, check out my Stewardship Seminar by Clicking here.

How I Saved $2000

In 2003 I had a conversation with Steve Merriman and from that one conversation I saved over $2000 in taxes that year. Steve is the founder of ClergySupport.com (you’ve heard me talk about them in the blog before – they are the ones who cleared me when I was recently audited – you can read about it here).

I’ve known Steve since my days at Saddleback when he was a consultant for us.  In 2003 he helped me adjust my housing allowance and retirement to match my current reality of living in NYC (and did I mention it saved me over $2000 in taxes).  Steve is a friend, a trusted adviser to our staff and is one of the biggest PRO-ponents of clergy that I know. He is the person I trust with my taxes, retirement and investing.

On Tuesday, October 21, Steve and his colleagues are holding a free webinar for church staff. I strongly encourage you to attend.  Steve and his team did a similar seminar at our church earlier this year and our staff and a packed room of local pastors found it to be very helpful.  I’m sure you will too.  Here’s the details:

<Begin Quote>
Clergy Financial, Inc. would like to invite you, your spouse, and ministry staff to attend our “Tax Basics & Advanced Housing Allowance Strategies” webinar. If you’ve been unable to attend the summer workshops, this is a great way to learn how to maximize your tax benefits and save money on gas at the same time!  It’s also not too late for “year end” tax planning.

How to Register

We hope to hear from you! To register and receive your log-in information and instructions, please email jenny@clergysupport.com.
<End quote>

I hope you can make the webinar but even if you can’t, make sure that you have an adviser that is fully versed on the ins and outs of clergy taxes taking care of you.

Nelson

P.S. If you decide to participate in the webinar, let them know that I you heard about it from me. Thanks in advance!

Challenge Others Toward Godly Stewardship – Pastor’s Financial Life: Part 5 of 5

Today, I’m wrapping up my five-part miniseries on the pastor’s financial life. I want to conclude by asking you to make this fourth and final commitment:

4 – I commit to challenging others toward Godly stewardship.

Most pastors make the mistake of being too timid in the area of stewardship. We aren’t afraid to challenge our congregations on many other aspects of their spiritual growth, but we often shrink back from discussions of money. Please don’t let this be true of you.

The Bible speaks so frequently about stewardship that we just can’t ignore the subject with our people. And the fact is, once you’ve made the other commitments we’ve discussed over the last week, you’ll have the moral authority to address stewardship head on.  With this moral authority and Biblical imperative, there’s no reason you need to shy away from challenging your congregation to:

- Make a commitment to being debt free for the rest of their lives.
- Make a commitment to always giving more than a tithe.
- Make a commitment to living out Biblical stewardship.

If you missed the earlier installments of this “Pastor’s Financial Life” miniseries, use these links to check them out:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

I hope you have found this miniseries both challenging and encouraging. Let’s all commit to leading the Stewardship charge in our churches.

Nelson

P.S. Today is the last chance to take me up on my offer to receive a free copy of my resource “Debt Free Pastor: Free Yourself to Lead Your Church.” Just email cristina@churchleaderinsights.com with the subject line “Debt Free Pastor” and we’ll send you a free download.

Become An Expert on Biblical Stewardship – Pastor’s Financial Life: Part 4 of 5

This week, we are discussing four financial commitments I’ve made and that I’m challenging you to make. Today, let’s examine commitment #3:

3. The commitment to become an expert on biblical stewardship.

I don’t think I had a single class on stewardship in seminary, so I had to go searching for the knowledge.  Here are the books that helped me the most:

Money Possessions and Eternity by Randy Alcorn

Money Matters in Church by Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Stroope

Rich in Every Way by Gene Getz

Developing a Giving Church by Elmer Towns and Stan Toler

Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey

I encourage you to pick up these books and work through each of them. With the current economic problems, now is the perfect time to become an expert on biblical stewardship.

I’ll wrap up this series next Tuesday.  In the meantime, have you taken me up on the offer to receive a free copy of my resource “Debt Free Pastor: Free Yourself to Lead Your Church”? You can request it by sending an email to cristina@churchleaderinsights.com with the subject line “Debt Free Pastor” and we’ll send you a free download – no questions asked.  And if  you know someone else who might want it too, just invite them to contact me.

Nelson

Give More Than the Tithe – Pastor’s Financial Life: Part 3 of 5

This week, we are discussing four financial commitments I’ve made and that I’m challenging you to make. Today, let’s examine commitment #2:

2. The commitment to give more than the tithe

Within weeks of becoming a Christian I was taught the biblical principle of tithing. I remember thinking: “What a great deal! God has gives me heaven and forgiveness and all he asks from me is 10%!” Now I’ve grown in my understanding of God since then, but my excitement about tithing has rarely waned.

I am a committed tither – not because I think God will punish me if I’m not, but because I believe it honors Him when I am. Here’s what I believe about the tithe:

1- The first 10% of all income I receive should be returned to God.

2- I return it to God by giving it to my local church

3- By returning the first 10%, God blesses the other 90%

I believe that I argue these three beliefs on solid biblical foundation (but please don’t send me argumentative notes or comments until you read the resources I’m recommending in tomorrow’s post). Here’s a belief that I’m not sure I can back up with one or more specific verses, but I do believe it captures the spirit of giving as found in the New Testament:

As I grow as a Christian, the percentage of my income I return to God through his local church should increase in proportion to my maturity.

This is why I’m committed to giving more than the tithe! Do you need to increase your giving to the local church? Is your giving increasing as your maturity is increasing?

More on the pastor’s financial life tomorrow.

Nelson

P.S. A friend of mine is committed to become a reverse tither by giving 90% of his income to the local church and living on 10%. I love it!

P.P.S. Have you taken me up on the offer to receive a free copy of my resource “Debt Free Pastor: Free Yourself to Lead Your Church”? You can request it by sending an email to cristina@churchleaderinsights.com with the subject line “Debt Free Pastor” and we’ll send you a free download – no questions asked. And if you know someone else who might want it too, just invite them to contact me.

Live Debt Free – Pastor’s Financial Life: Part 2 of 5

Yesterday, I talked about four financial commitments I’ve made and that I’m challenging you to make. Today, let’s examine Commitment #1:

1. The commitment to be DEBT FREE for the rest of my life.

In 2002, just after Kelley and I had started The Journey Church, we were surprised to discover that we had over $16,000 in credit card and graduate school debt. (For the sake of this post, I will not focus on mortgage debt. Mortgage debt, if incurred through a conservative loan, could be considered secured debt – but now I’m splitting hairs!). Back to the story…about four months into our new church we felt like God was saying to us, “Get out of debt!”

We put together a 3-year plan and through God’s power we were debt free in 2.5 years!

I learned a great number of stewardship principles through this process of becoming debt free. The most important one is that a pastor’s personal stewardship will impact the stewardship life of the church.

In other word, how I manage my money will promote or limit God’s blessing on our church’s finances. I believe that one of the reasons our new church was able to become financially self-sufficient in less than three years is because I honored God by getting and staying out of debt.

I would like to give you a resource where I describe the exact process I used to become debt free. It’s called:

Debt Free Pastor: Free Yourself to Lead Your Church (FREE Download)

It’s my gift to you as an encouragement for you to become debt free. To receive the free download, send an email to cristina@churchleaderinsights.com with “Debt Free Pastor” in the subject line.

If you are in debt, I hope you’ll make the bold decision to become debt free. If you are debt free, I hope you’ll determine today to remain debt free. The future stewardship vitality of your church just might depend on the financial decisions you make.

Nelson

Pastor’s Financial Life: Part 1 of 5

For the last two months I’ve been preparing for Financial Peace, a new series we started on Sunday at The Journey. This preparation made me think about my own financial journey.

If you know some of my story (and I won’t repeat it here) then you know that in my teenage/pre-Christian years I made a lot of money writing computer programs and building a computer business. Basically, I earned more money than any 16 year old should be allowed to earn. I wasted quite a bit of it but also used some of it for good (to graduate college debt free and to start my first evangelism ministry after I became a Christian).

In 1990, shortly after I became a Christian, I learned the principle of tithing. I remember thinking, “This is great! God gives me salvation and all he asks from me, from a financial perspective, is 10%.” Sounded like a good deal! (Still does, although I’ve grown quite a bit in my understanding of what God expects.)

Over the next 11 years, through marriage, pastoring, moving and attending seminary, I racked up over $16,000 in credit card debt. This slide into the red began my journey toward becoming a student of biblical stewardship.

Now, I’m happy to say that I’ve been debt free since 2004 (see my P.S. for a free resource on this). And I’ve been living according to biblical stewardship principles at a higher level than ever before. I’m sure I have a long way to go, but I’ve learned a lot.

In fact, my up and down financial journey has led me to make four very strong commitments:

1- The commitment to be debt free for the rest of my life
2- The commitment to always give more than a tithe
3- The commitment to become an expert on biblical stewardship
4- The commitment to challenge others toward Godly stewardship

Let me challenge you to make these four commitments, too! I’ll be going into more detail on each one for the rest of the week…

Nelson

P.S. In 2006, after being debt free for a couple of years, I recorded a resource where I challenged my fellow pastors to also become debt free. It’s called Debt Free Pastor. I would like to send you a free copy – just send an email to cristina@churchleaderinsights.com with the subject line “Debt Free Pastor” and we’ll send you a free download.

3rd Quarter Giving Statements

It’s October 2 so its time to start thinking about your 3rd Quarter Giving Statements.

I haven’t written our third quarter letter yet but I will post it here as soon as I do (for a sample of my 2nd Quarter Giving Letter click here).  The obvious issue to address in the letter is the ecomony. My letter will be a letter of hope and encouragement. I suggest you do the same.

Here’s items you can start thinking about and preparing for as you get ready for your 3rd Quarter Giving Statements:

- The financial statements (make sure all giving data thru September 30 is entered).

- The inserts (what are you going to put in with the letter.  Could you use the letter to promote a November series or an upcoming special event).

- An offering envelope (always enclose one that your givers can mail back to your office.  Do you need to get some printed?).

- Auto-debit forms (it’s not too late to get this set-up; call you bank today. You can take them our auto-debit form to show them what you want to do – download it here)

- A speciality item (A pen for example, gives your letter bulks and encourages people to open your letter.  We sent a tin of mints with our second quarter giving letter.  Your letter is a waste if no one opens it).

- The mailing envelope for the packet (will it be a regular envelope or a custom envelope.  I suggest you avoid window envelopes).

- Postage (you might consider doing this mailing via first class mail so you’ll receive the address updates from the postal service for anyone who moves.  This will help you clean up your database).

And finally, there’s your target mail date. When will the letters/packets go into the mail.  I’m planning for ours to hit in mid-October.

I hope this helps you prepare.  I gotta run…I’ve got a giving letter to write!

Nelson

P.S. For my complete thoughts on a Stewardship System, check out The Stewardship Seminar and my collection of Stewardship Sermons by clicking here.

Where There’s Slack There’s Lack – Part 6 of 8

SYSTEM #6: THE STEWARDSHIP SYSTEM

Wednesday has rolled around again! Time for the weekly installation of our eight-part “Where There’s Slack There’s Lack” series. I’m particularly excited about the system we are looking at today. It’s a crucial system and one that’s surrounded by a lot of questions and misconceptions…

Have you ever had a hard time getting new believers to tithe? Have you ever wished you had more faithful givers? Of course you have. We all wrestle with the money issue. That’s where The Stewardship System comes in. This is the system that asks, “How do you develop extravagant givers at your church?”

Stewardship is a tough issue. That’s why most of us, as church leaders, tend to separate it from other spiritual disciplines, like praying, reading our Bibles and going to church. We are afraid to hold our attenders accountable in the personal area of money.

But, let’s face it – money is not only essential to Kingdom growth, it’s also an essential factor in the spiritual growth of our people. We will never develop strong disciples until we learn to develop strong givers.

How effective is the stewardship system you have in place? To get an idea of how things are going, ask yourself these questions:

• Are you modeling extravagant giving?
• How do you know when someone gives a gift for the first time? How do you respond?
• When was the last time you taught on the spiritual discipline of giving?
• Have you given your people a tithe challenge in the last year?

Most new givers – and even a lot of more seasoned givers – don’t understand the importance of bringing the full tithe. There is a path we have to lead them down, as they mature in their understanding of stewardship. That kind of growth doesn’t happen haphazardly. But as God blesses and works through the Stewardship System, we can build churches of faithful, and even extravagant, givers.

This week, spend some time with your Stewardship System. Think through your process for explaining the importance of giving. Think about how you follow up with those who give. Write out your own financial testimony.

If you will give this system some true attention, you can begin to recast the sticky issue of money as the important spiritual discipline it really is.

Nelson

P.S. – If you haven’t already, make sure you download the free Church Systems Report, to learn more about the eight church systems and how they work together for the healthy growth of your church.

P.P.S – To dig deeper into this issue of developing extravagant givers, check out The Stewardship Seminar.

How to Survive an IRS Audit

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I’m being audited by the IRS. The case is ‘almost closed’ although there are still some minor paperwork issues to be handled. Hopefully everything will be settled by August. As it turns out, everything was ‘proper and in order’ with my 2006 return but I did learn some important lessons.

First, I was selected for the audit by an IRS computer because my charitable giving was too high. Before you think I’m boasting, let me explain. If you are a minister, you claim a large portion of your salary as housing allowance, which means the part of your income that is deemed ’salary’ is pretty low.

For example, if you make $40,000 per year and you claim $25,000 per year as Housing Allowance, your effective Salary is only $15,000 per year. But if you tithe (or more) off the full $40,000 and give, let’s say, $5,000 to your church then the IRS ’sees it’ as if you are giving away $5,000 of your $15,000 salary – which, as you can imagine, raises some flags. (Full disclosure, you pay some taxes on the housing allowace but if it’s done right, you generally don’t pay state or federal tax on the part of your salary you deem as housing. Full disclosure 2: I’m a big fan of paying taxes. I love the benefits of living in America and the roads/schools/etc. that my taxes pay for. I just don’t believe in paying more than you should).

My situation aside, its an interesting commentary on American generosity when the IRS computers raise flags when someone gives away more than 10% of their income! I guess since the average American gives less than 3% of their income to charity it’s justified. Sad.

Second, I learned that the IRS can ask you for copies of your charitable giving statements (the forms that churches send out at the end of the year) and the canceled checks to back it up. I had the giving statement in my files…it was the canceled checks that gave me the problem. Fortunately, my bank and our church keeps scanned copies of the checks but it took some digging.

Third, I was audited for stuff on my 2006 return that I didn’t even claim. For example, I was audited for medical expenses. I had claimed zero medical expenses in 2006. The IRS computer chose to audit me on medical expenses because its a common issue where people cheat. Just thought you’d like to know.

Finally, I had a great sense of dread when the IRS audit documents arrived at my house but I had no sense of fear. Honestly, as soon as I read the paperwork I knew it was going to be a major pain and I dreaded having to produce all the canceled checks and documents in questions but I knew that I had nothing to fear. And this ‘lack of fear’ has nothing to do with my confidence in my own financial prowess. In fact, I’d give myself a grade of C+ when it comes to financial management. So why wasn’t I afraid of the IRS audit?

I was completely in unafraid of the audit because I knew I had done absolutely nothing wrong! I knew that no matter how much the IRS would poke around in or question my return that everything was proper and in order. And again, this is not to brag on my financial acumen but rather I knew I had done nothing wrong because since my days at Saddleback Church in the late 90s, I have willingly submitted my financial management to an outside firm – the #1 clergy financial management firm in America (you can read about Clergy Financial Services by clicking here).

Because I had allowed a trusted adviser to manage my salary, housing allowance, retirement and tax documents I knew that I was in the clear no matter how many questions the IRS asked. In fact, as soon as I received the IRS audit papers, I called Clergy Financial, faxed over the documents and entrusted them with the full process (I still had to find canceled checks and other paper work but they did the heavy lifting).

Why do I tell you all of this….well, one day you might be audited (apparently, ministers are audited at a higher rate than the general public because of the housing/salary issues I mentioned above). So, if you don’t have your financial house in order, an audit can be a major distraction. I want to spend as much time as possible focused on ministry! Also, a lot of pastors I know live in fear when it comes to their taxes. Clergy taxes are confusing and if you are trying to use ordinary tax software to handle the ‘extraordinary needs’ that arise from being a minister you may be in trouble.

And the final big lesson I want to share…get people around you who are good at the areas where you are weak! I’m weak when it comes to personal financial issues so I’ve made a point to bring folks like Clergy Financial around me. I’m weak when it comes to a whole bunch of other issues too so I’ve tried to find trusted advisers that I can call on. Don’t be afraid to pay for good advice. In the case of Clergy Support, the advice is very inexpensive (maybe your church will even provide it for you) and they are great. But the old saying is true…beware of cheap advice, you may get what you pay for!

I hope these lessons are beneficial to you!

Nelson

P.S. If you do call Clergy Financial, please tell them I recommended you. I need all the good will with them I can get!

Stewardship Seminar – Video Webcast – Last Chance!

In less than 48 hours, we will be doing a video webcast of my Stewardship Seminar.  Why don’t you join me for the event?  It’s Thursday, July 24, from 9:00am – Noon Eastern Time.  Here’s how it works:

- I’ll be teaching the seminar live here in NYC to a great group of pastors

- You will watch the video-stream of the seminar on your internet – with both audio and video!  In fact, your entire staff can watch with you (you could even project it on the screen in your conference room).

Pretty cool, huh?

Here’s the link to register now (click here) or you can call 212.730.8300 x212 to register by phone or if you have any questions.

For more information on what will be covered, click here.

I hope to “see” you on Thursday!

Nelson

P.S. If you’d like to be in the ‘live audience’ here in NYC, we still have a couple of spots available, just follow this link.

Do You Have Enough Money?

Let me guess… No! None of us ever feel like we have the money we need to do all of the ministry we want to do. But the truth is that you have enough money to do everything God has in store for you and your church. The question is not whether it is there; the question is whether or not you understand the importance of tapping into it in the right way…

Every dollar you need to do ministry is in the pockets of your regular attenders and members. To often, we just don’t know how to harness the power of that money like the Bible says we should.

Let me remind you of a critically important truth – Financial stewardship is inseparably linked to spiritual growth. If your people aren’t giving like they should, they aren’t growing like they should.

That means that if you aren’t challenging them to bring the full tithe, you are doing them a disservice as their pastor. And you are also doing your church and its ministry a disservice. But when your regular attenders and your members are giving as they ought to, your church will be fully financed. That’s the way God set it up. Not to mention the fact that you will have a church full of faithful, growing Christians!

So, next time you feel like you don’t have enough money, step back and take a hard look at the situation… are your people bringing the full tithe? Why not? Are you challenging them to give in the ways we’ve all been instructed to give? If not, your problem isn’t a money problem, it’s a stewardship problem.

Nelson

P.S. – If you want to learn more about teaching your people to give in a God-honoring, practical way, check out The Stewardship Seminar.

P.P.S. You might also check out my upcoming Stewardship Seminar Webinar – you and your entire church can watch in as I teach the Stewardship Seminar to the live audience in NYC. Click here to learn more about the audio and video webcast or click here to join us live in NYC!

Break the Summer Giving Slump with a Mid Year Giving Statement (plus a free download of my letter)

If you’ve listened to my Stewardship Seminar then you know that I’m a fan of quarterly giving statements. The IRS only requires that you send “Giving Statements” once a year (in January) to everyone who has given financially to your church but I recommend you do it four times a year.

Even if you can’t send giving statements four times a year, let me highly suggest that you do a mid-year giving statement. In fact, if you jump on it, you could probably get it mailed out this week or next.

We are currently putting the final touches on our mid-year giving statements which will be mailed out next week (I recommend you mail them as opposed to emailing them).  Here’s what we are including:

- An update letter and challenge from me.  You can download the rough draft of my Mid-Year Giving Statement Letter by clicking here. (Note: I offer this letter to you as an example only)

- A unique giving statement that shows what each family has given between Jan 1 and June 30, 2008 (our accounting software makes this pretty easy to print)

- An Auto-Debit from. You can download ours here. Feel free to complete it and send it back to us – I suggest you start at $500 per month!  OK, seriously, check with your bank before you ‘adopt’ our format.  Some banks are more friendly to auto-debit set-up than others.

- A small free gift. We only do a free gift with our mid-year giving letters.  I want the envelope to be ‘lumpy’ so people will open it.

- A postage paid giving envelope that people can use to send in their next tithe/offering.

We place all this in an oversize envelope and mail it at the non-profit rate (we will send our third quarter update via first class mail so we can get the new addresses form the Post Office for anyone that has moved).  Overall, this costs us pennies a piece but the return on it is incredible!

Here’s a few of the benefits of a mid-year giving statement:

- A great way to communicate vision

- A great way to challenge people during the summer slump

- A great way to shepherd your people by showing them what they have given

- A great way to keep your stewardship system tight

- A great way to lower end of the year edits to giving statements

- A great way to honor God by reporting to those who are supporting your church

Plus so much more.  I can promise you that your people will appreciate the statement if you do it well and make it attractive and professional.

So get started…even if you can’t get this out until early August, I still recommend you do it.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Nelson

P.S. Here are two additional Stewardship Resources for you:

1- The brand new podcast with Steve Stroope, author of Money Matters and Church and Senior Pastor of Lakepointe Church, click here to listen now.

2- My bestselling seminar on developing extravagant givers in your church, click here to learn more about The Stewardship Seminar

Lessons Learned From Rick Warren – Lesson #3

Lesson #3 – You Are Blessed To Be A Blessing

Rick taught me The Principle of Generosity. This principle states that you are blessed to be a blessing. God wants to work through you. He wants the blessings He pours into your life and ministry to flow out of you and bless others. Picture a living river, being fed from the source and giving out to the tributaries. If you just take God’s blessings for yourself and never pass them along, you become more like a stagnant pond.

Not only does Rick teach this principle, he models it. During my years at Saddleback, I witnessed his extraordinary generosity many times over. He was constantly giving away books and materials to pastors who couldn’t afford to buy them. He was always pouring free stuff into the community. When we had conferences, he made sure that price didn’t keep pastors who needed the information from being able to be there – We always sold thousands of tickets to people who could legitimately pay and also gave away thousands to those who couldn’t.

I’ve really tried to take this principle to heart. Through Church Leader Insights, I have made intentional efforts to model generosity. God has blessed me, The Journey and CLI greatly, so it is my responsibility to let that flow through me and back out to you. That’s why we give away almost $7000 worth of free materials every week to church planters. We recently gave away more than $50,000 worth of Evangelism Seminars, and our free reports are packed with information we could sell but would rather give away. And you know what? God continues to bless us even more. I’ve learned that you can never out-give God.

This kind of mindset has exponential results. I understand and model The Principle of Generosity because of Rick. Hopefully, in some small way, you will take to heart and model The Principle of Generosity because of me. Who will learn The Principle of Generosity because of you?

Every day, ask yourself: “How can I use my blessings to bless others?” Just imagine the ways God would move if we all committed to being flowing rivers.

- Nelson

P.S. – Speaking of giving away free stuff, if you haven’t had a chance to download the free “Maximizing Summer” special report yet just click here to get it! The information will really help you grow through the summer and set yourself up to have great momentum in the fall!