Excerpted From
The Coming Revolution in Church Economics
By Mark DeYmaz & Harry Li
Excerpted from The Coming Revolution in Church Economics by Mark DeYmaz and Harry Li. To overcome the challenge of stagnant or declining tithes—a reality many congregations face today or will encounter soon—it is no longer sufficient to simply think outside the box. Instead, leaders must free their minds to embrace a shift in perspective. To advance the coming revolution in church economics and ensure long-term sustainability, we must move beyond unnecessary fears and the inherent limitations of a scarcity mindset.
Establishing and sustaining a local church requires significant financial resources. Consequently, denominations and networks often steer church planters toward affluent, upwardly mobile communities where residents can more easily underwrite ministry efforts. This trend explains why many of the largest, fastest-growing churches in the United States are located in wealthy suburbs. While God is undoubtedly at work in these settings, we must ask why so many leaders feel called specifically to areas that can afford high salaries while urban environments and difficult contexts remain neglected. Future church planters should be encouraged to go where the needs are greatest, equipped with the smart economics necessary to minimize financial risk and eliminate the fear of failure.
Ministry leaders who embrace an abundance mindset are able to envision new possibilities, inspire optimism, and unleash entrepreneurial creativity within the church. Rather than waiting for financial stability to happen, they proactively leverage church assets to establish profitable business enterprises, create jobs, and revitalize abandoned properties. These efforts reduce local crime, generate tax revenue, and provide tangible hope to their communities. In doing so, the gospel and the kingdom of God are advanced through the strategic application of church economics as benevolent ownership.
To be such a revolutionary leader you must first free your mind. Only then will you be able to embrace a mindset of abundance and position your church for long-term sustainability through the disruptive innovation of its economics. Take a moment to imagine the possibilities.
Imagine without restriction what a better understanding of economics might mean for your church today and what opportunities might be worth pursuing in light of it tomorrow. Solve similar but simpler financial challenges first before pursuing bolder (riskier) initiatives in order to increase the odds of success in learning how to overcome the problem of stagnant or declining tithes and offerings.
Eyes Wide Open
Daniel Cook writes, “While there are hundreds of ways that churches can bring in additional income, it is imperative to do this with a solid business plan utilizing business minds … and in some cases outside consultants.” So where might you begin in terms of considerations? Michael Feuer suggests, “Take your biggest issue, envision solutions, commit to the most logical or innovative fix, and then set a time frame for completion. Put one of your best and brightest in charge. And don’t be afraid to fail. Even if you succeed only one out of three or four times, the math likely still works. By accepting ‘that’s the way it is’ as a mindset (docile acquiescence) you’ll always follow, but never lead.”
As for strategy, Cook suggests the following five steps for pastors and churches looking to move forward:
1. Develop goals and objectives that are both short and long term. Methodologies should be included to get your congregations on board.
2. Identify the income strategy that best fits your ministry, facility, and community.
3. Select revenue source(s) to pursue. Research each of these and gain expertise either internally or through consultants.
4. Write and execute a revenue source (business) plan.
5. Evaluate the results quarterly while continually striving for improvement.
Cook concludes, “The easiest money you will ever raise is the money you will no longer need by operating your existing facilities wisely from a standpoint of reducing costs on energy, maintenance and janitorial expenses,” or by generating rental income and monetizing existing services.
These principles are important to understand and critical for churches to apply.
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Excerpted from The Coming Revolution in Church Economics by Mark DeYmaz and Harry Li. Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Copyright 2019. Used by permission. BakerPublishingGroup.com