Frequently Asked Questions

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION???

We will do our best to get you an answer!!!  If you have a question, please email us at kcampbell [at] horizonsstewardship [dot] com.  We will gladly respond.  If we receive several questions on the same subject, we will post them here!!!

Question: What do I do in a lousy economy?

Answers: 

  • Do not panic. Have confidence in our Sovereign God to lead you and the church through this.
  • Redouble efforts to tell your people how the church is changing lives and making a difference. People still have and will give money but will become much more discriminating. Use stories to show effective use of what has been given already.
  • Communicate clearly that you know some people are in fiscal distress and that the church wants to assist. Encourage them to contact a pastor. Prepare a team to help families in need. Make it clear that the church remains focused on giving, not receiving.
  • Be honest and up-front with your people through e-mail and letters. Tell them the church's exact condition and how those who are able can help.
  • Preach on money's role in our lives and how wealth is not our God, our refuge or our strength. People are open as never before to hearing sermons on money.
  • Create a flat or slightly decreased budget for the upcoming year, as the church joins the congregation in being prudent while remaining faithful. Support some cut items with special offerings during the year.
  • Visit your major donors. Are they OK or in need of help? These people support a huge percentage of your budget. Hearing where they are can help you determine strategy. Don't assume anything. Go see them!
  • Start or participate in a daily or weekly prayer group that prays for the nation, world, economy, church and leaders. Strongly encourage church leaders to attend. This will ground you and stave off belief that the solution is economic instead of spiritual.
  • Don't neglect planned giving. Churches with strong endowments are weathering this crisis much better than those who do not.
  • Do a study series or preaching around Fields of Gold, which deals with fear and faith in giving.
  • Immediately start or repeat Financial Peace University, Crown Ministries or Good $ense Christian financial planning classes.

Question: Do you have any suggestions on how to help people see that they do have the personal resources to grow in their giving?

Question: Do you have any suggestions on how to help people see that they do have the personal resources to grow in their giving? Our leadership in particular insists that people don't have any more to give. If they gave more than 1% of their income away, I might agree, but they don't. They're talking about cutting staff, even though we have no mortgage, no debt, and a little bit of savings left. We've been spending down our savings because giving isn't keeping up with spending. Our spending plan is already pretty skeletal, so they'd rather cut staff than "ministry." We have 1 1/2 pastors, part time music director, part time secretary,and part time lay visistation minister.

Answer: You might want to explore some labor or dept of commerce websites or just do some Internet research on your own to see how persons spent their money last year on non-discretionary things like jewelry, chocolate, fishing poles, etc. None of those things are necessary for life yet Americans spent billions on these items by their own choice. They could just as easily have chosen to give it away. Americans are the most generous people on the planet but we only give away about 2% of what we have. We own far more cars, houses, and tvs than anyone. This will help persons be aware, but it will not necessarily help them chose the church for their giving. They have to truly love Jesus to do that and trust that he can do more with their resources than they can. It is a spiritual not financial issue.