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TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 Introduction - Why I Do What I Do

6 Chapter One: Get Beyond Small Thinking

8 Chapter Two: Survival Mode Off

10 Chapter Three: Break the Silence

12 Chapter Four: Check Your Numbers

14 Chapter Five: Build Investors

16 Chapter Six: Change the Conversation

19 Chapter Seven: Why Should I Give to Your Church?

20 About the Author

21 Rules of Engagement

23 What Others Say

27 Contact Ben Stroup

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Introduction - Why I Do What I Do

Have you ever thought about WHY you do what you do?

Is it because you couldn’t find anything else to do?

Is it because you let somebody else tell you how you should spend your days?

If you answered YES to either of those questions, then STOP RIGHT NOW.

LEAVE.

GO do something ELSE that ignites the very core of who you are.

If the reason you do what you do is anything less than BECAUSE YOU CAN’T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD DO RIGHT NOW, then it’s time for a change!

I call myself the CHIEF BROKER OF OPPORTUNITY.

I help churches fund their budgets.

I help pastors and church leaders do what seminary failed to prepare them to do…manage the pressure of dollars in the plate and people in the pew.

What’s really strange is that I stumbled into this world.

BUT it keeps getting bigger and BIGGER!

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I met with a church yesterday that should be thriving, but it’s not. It’s struggling due to some things it can control and – like all of us – things it can’t control. I listened. We discussed. I left the meeting not sure the direction to take BUT I COULDN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT THEM and the challenge before us.

Then it hit me.

An idea came to me that I thought might work.

I made a phone call.

It was well received.

So the work began.

I woke up early this morning…4 AM…and wrote a proposal for this church to consider.

THEY LOVED IT!

Not because it was all about ME but because it was ALL ABOUT THEM…even better…the end result was FULL of POSSIBILITY!

And they said….

YES!

LET’S DO IT!

WE’RE IN!

Don’t we all love it when we put ourselves out there and someone else says that’s EXACTLY what I was looking for but couldn’t find. OF COURSE!

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I help pastors and church leaders be successful balancing ministry and money. But MONEY is not the end result…it’s the vehicle that God provides to fund the ministry HE has called the CHURCH to accomplish, a unique purpose that only the CHURCH is designed to fulfill.

I do what I do because I believe…

the CHURCH CAN’T FAIL. There is no PLAN B.

The thought of playing a role in the Church realizing its God given potential is what gets me up early and keeps me up late. It’s what causes me to take on the challenge, even when it seems impossible.

I CAN’T HELP MYSELF. So I keep going. Why? BECAUSE I CAN’T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE I WOULD BE DOING RIGHT NOW if I wasn’t doing what I do!

Why do you do what you do?

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Chapter One: Get beyond small thinking

I’m convinced that FAR TOO MANY are thinking…

small….

instead of T-H-I-N-K-I-N-G B-I-G!

We say we are people of THE WORD. Our Bible is full of the impossible:

Abraham and Sarah are too old to have a son.

David is too small to fight Goliath. (Later, he’s too young and ordinary to be King.)

Paul is an unlikely champion of the faith.

(There’s more. I promise. Read it for yourself.)

Yet these stories fade when we are asked to believe the impossible. When we are asked to believe that God can fully fund (and over fund) our ministry budgets WITHOUT REGARDS for the American or World economy.

So what do we do? We SEAL OUR FATE by professing a big God and live as if He is small. We…

Worry. Fret. Pace. Sweat. Wonder. (All over the WRONG STUFF!!)

Where will the money come from? And when that happens we take our focus off of vision…direction…purpose…context…(the core necessities of funding)

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AND we allow ourselves to be trapped by what we can see. We fight over how we will split the dollar instead of believing that God has intended MORE for us.

We can only DO MORE MINISTRY when we practice our profession in a BIG GOD.

NEWS FLASH…NOT EVERY CHURCH IS STRUGGLING.

Some churches are posting ridiculous gains in overall giving…and investing in more ministry than they ever have. I heard from one pastor recently who is nearly $100k over in receipts to date!

Get beyond small thinking. And you’ll find a VERY B-I-G G-O-D who is able to help YOU…

DO MORE MINISTRY!

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Chapter Two: Survival Mode Off

Survival Mode…now that is a great strategy for funding. NOT!

Here is the problem with survival mode. In the NPO world (that includes churches) we place a high degree of value on efficiency which means we do as much as we can on as little as possible.

There is NOTHING inherently wrong with that. It’s always important to ensure our expenses are in line with our revenue.

What IS inherently built into that mode is a LACK OF investing. Investing involes risk. Risk sometimes leads to REWARD…

and sometimes it leads to the “F” word…F-A-I-L-U-R-E.

For-profit companies believe in RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT. They know they have to build in a system of failing if they are ever going to SUCCEED.

When churches decide to slip into survival mode…they STOP innovating…being creative…looking for new opportunities…new ventures. And they simply exist.

Wonder why you’re having trouble finding leaders who are passionate about what your church is doing? (Are you passionate about what your church is doing?)

Maybe you’ve flipped the switch (even unintentionally) to survival mode.

Let me give you a hint: TURN IT OFF. Right now…And after you’ve turned it off…

BREAK IT OFF so you never have that option again.

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There is nothing that will kill a church’s ability to fund its ministry than operating in survival mode.

Rule #1…(It doesn’t really matter what rule number it is.)…People don’t want to fund an organization that is only interested in self-preservation.

Better…people WON’T fund self-preservation.

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Chapter Three: Break the Silence

Read this:

“Money has demonically usurped the role in modern society which the Holy Spirit is to have in the Church” – Thomas Merton

Wow! Wonder how that happened?

When the church is silent on the subject of money and funding, the Christian has no alternative lens to compare what others are saying.

(Yes, the church is responsible to talk about money. Period. There is nothing to argue about.)

Start TALKING. Get LOUD.

If we remain silent, the end result is this:

Money God intended to fund the work of the Kingdom…will find its way to other organizations…doing good things…lead by good people.

BUT it won’t go to fund the work of the Church. Don’t believe me? Just ask a few people you know if they split their tithe between the church and other organizations.

You’ll be surprised at their response. And they see nothing wrong with it.

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Why? (Really, why should we be surprised?) Because we’ve been SILENT.

H-E-L-L-O. Problem. Major Problem.

What will you say…this weekend…at your next gathering…to break the silence about money, stewardship, and generosity?

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Chapter Four: Check Your Numbers

We measure everything. EVERYTHING.

Personally…we have bank statements…investment returns…utility bills based on cost per use…etc.

Corporately…we have P&Ls…D&Bs…trends…etc.

Why do we STOP MEASURING when we come to church. I’m not talking about “pastoral” perception that begins with…”we think” or “it seemed.”

We should expect more from ourselves. We should demand MORE accountability.

The pastor is in a unique spot. He is trained to parse the Hebrew and Greek language of Scripture and to preach. BUT (and this is a big one) he is held accountable for…

dollars in the plate…

and people in the pew.

Don’t believe me. Does the finance committee get blamed when giving is down? Does the assimilation commitee get blamed when the attrition rate exceeds the rate of acquisition?

NO. T-H-E-Y don’t. The pastor DOES.

If you’re held accountable, then you are responsible. Thus, this “numbers stuff” is not SOMEONE ELSE’S problem…it’s yours! (And if you don’t take ownership, it will own you!)

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When was the last time you reviewed the giving habits of your membership? (Not to see if there is enough money to pay the bills and last until next Sunday. BETTER! Am I (as pastor…spiritual leader…the primary one responsible to facilitate spiritual formation in the lives of my congregants) ensuring I’m cultivating a generous people – in time, talent, and treasure.

That’s measurable. And…news flash…generosity is a matter of the heart, not the pocketbook. BUT the pocketbook is the best tool we have to measure the behavior of the people who profess “saved by grace.”

Maybe…just maybe…if you’re people aren’t generous…or aren’t becoming generous…you should revisit the whole “salvation as free gift from God” conversation and use that as an introduction to generosity.

C-H-E-C-K Y-O-U-R N-U-M-B-E-R-S. NOW.

It will tell you more than you ever imagined. Even about stuff that is…well…hard to measure.

This is KINGDOM business.

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Chapter Five: Build Investors

People don’t have a GIVING problem. They have a giving to YOUR CHURCH problem.

The fact of the matter is…the person in the pew is the one God has endowed with the resources to fund His church. And that person takes his or her role seriously. They are looking for the best place to “invest” those resources.

Sometimes it’s in stuff that is self-serving.

Sometimes it’s in other like-minded organizations that look and feel like things the church should be doing.

Sometimes…but not always…(and maybe less and less these days)…it’s in their local church.

WHY?

Americans don’t have a money problem. At least not compared to…well…um…the REST of the world.

So where does that money go?

Most of the time?….Somewhere else!

It goes to hospital and educational systems. It goes to civic organizations and political campaigns. It even goes to para-church organizations.

BUT far too often (YES…FAR TOO OFTEN) it never makes it’s way into the offering plates (or whatever collection device of choice) of the church.

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I think it stems from one reality. We aren’t treating the people in the pew like the INVESTORS they are.

They…just like we do in our personal investing…want to see a ROI. Maybe that looks different than a quarterly 401(k) report. SO WHAT?

The church leader still has to PROVE a ROI. Why? Because if we don’t, we RISK LOSING the dollars God intended for the church due to our own effort and not God’s intention.

What are you doing today to offer a “Kingdom investment plan” that returns eternal dividends?

If you don’t…well…let’s face it…someone else already is.

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Chapter Six: Change the Conversation

It’s time to change the conversation of church funding.

STOP ASKING “What do we have to cut to survive?”

START ASKING “What does God want us to do next?”

If we believe…

…that the church is the only institution ordained by God on the day of Pentecost to carry forward the earthly ministry of Christ until His return…

…that the church should embody the hope the world needs to see in difficult times (anyone can be full of hope in good times)…

…that the God we serve today is the same God who provided bread and water for His people in the desert…used a small boy to slay a giant…allowed and old couple to become parents of “many nations”…and that God entered the world as a human, conceived by the Holy Spirit to come and set all people free from their sin forever…

THEN WHY…W-H-Y…

do we walk around as if we believe in a small God?

Sometimes (not always) I think church leaders…don’t dream enough…profess in a BIG GOD and practice as if He is small…and far too often miss the opportunity to lead their congregations to a generous lifestyle in the name of…

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efficiency…expense management…and practicing “as good as it gets” theology.

People want to be a part of organizations that represent something larger than themselves.

People want to fund causes that are larger than life and embody their core values.

People want to believe that the church is God’s plan to build the Kingdom but are too often disappointed by small thinking.

Before the greatest leaders of our faith became GREAT LEADERS OF FAITH…they had to take a deep breath and make a critical decision to change the conversation from what they think they could accomplish to what they BELIEVED God could accomplish through them.

Every one of them took a second to pause (probably more than once) and yet they still chose to follow through.

Even Jesus paused in the Garden and asked if there was another way.

BUT after the question was asked…the decision made…there was no backing down. All the world (and our faith) depended upon it.

The same is still true for Church leaders and all Christians TODAY!

We must change our posture and practice the Gospel we profess. Otherwise we will forfeit our opportunity to share the Good News we have received with a world yet to believe.

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Change the conversation. Ask God what’s next for your church? Then believe that what God has called you to do, He has already provided everything you’ll need to bring that vision into reality.

The CATCH is we must cultivate the gifts of time, talent, and treasure of the people he has given us to accomplish HIS vision.

(Did you really think He was going to give it to you on a sliver platter?)

Read Matthew 9:36-38. Only think about it through the lens of stewardship.

Church leaders…MUST…inspire every community member to change the conversation in their own lives and acknowledge all we have been given, are, and will ever be as God’s assets entrusted to us to invest and build the Kingdom.

Only then…can we change the “meta-conversation” and bring into reality the vision He has given to His church.

The CHOICE to operate in survival mode is a decision toG-I-V-E U-P.

Bottom line…survival mode is NOT an option.

What are you doing to change the conversation, inspire generosity among those entrusted to you, and direct all available divine assets toward Kingdom investments?

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Chapter Seven: Why Should I Give to Your Church?

If you can’t answer that question…

Neither can the PERSON in the PEW.

That’s a BIG problem. And a proven strategy to NOT FUND your organization.

This is your most important asset. Focus on it. Lose sleep over it. Write it over and over until you get it right.

THEN…practice saying to yourself, your wife, your closest friends (and maybe your biggest critics).

Only when YOU’RE convinced will you be able to inspire others to join you (notice I assume you are already funding your vision).

Answer the question in 30 seconds or less.

BETTER…answer the question in 30 words or less.

Then you’ll know you know what you think you know.

And then you’ll be ready to “ask” others with confidence and expect a generous response.

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About the Author

Ben Stroup recently joined GENERIS, an innovative stewardship consulting firm focused on accelerating generosity and funding the work of the Kingdom, after more than four years of ministry on church staff and five years of ministry with LifeWay Christian Resources.

His primary focus is helping churches maximize their giving capacity and diversify their funding streams while providing the structure needed to build long-term sustainable ministries.

Ben writes and presents at various events on subjects such as leveraging technology to drive funding, understanding the changing rules of church giving, and establishing sustainable funding models for ministry. His writing has been published in magazines such as Church Solutions, Church Executive, The Ledger (NACBA) and other trade and industry publications.

He maintains an ongoing dialogue about stewardship and giving with pastors and church leaders through the Church Giving Matters blog, Twitter (@ben_stroup), LinkedIn (Ben Stroup), and Facebook (Ben Stroup).

Ben calls himself the “Chief Broker of Opportunity” because he helps pastors change the conversation from “What do we have

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to cut to survive?” to “What does God want us to do next?” He graduated cum laude from Belmont University. Ben and his wife, Brooke, and son, Carter, live near Nashville, Tennessee.

Ben published his first book, Church Giving Matters, in 2009 which sold more than 6,100 copies in the first 10 weeks and is currently available in more than 100 retail stores across the country. He is currently working on a second book.

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Rules of Engagement

People don’t have a giving problem. They have a “giving to your church” problem.

My goal is to help church leaders translate proven, non-profit development techniques and strategies into the life and practice of church that result in…

FULLY FUNDED budgets.

And long-term SUSTAINABLE ministries.

When stewardship and generosity are addressed strategically and systematically, the outcome is…

INCREASED giving capacity.

MULTIPLIED ministry opportunity.

And MAXIMIZED Kingdom impact.

Top areas of client interest…

1. Technology and Giving

2. Sustainable Funding

3. Multiple or alternative revenue streams

4. Communication strategy

5. Giving capacity

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Types of client engagement…

1. Learning experience

2. Coaching relationship

3. Campaign management

4. Content development

5. Project planning

Discliamer: What I DON’T do is “campaign in a can.” Each client relationship looks different and is specific to the situation and goals defined by the the pastor and senior leadership team.

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What Others Say

“Ben has one of the most agile minds I have ever known. He is deeply committed to understanding and facilitating churches with a generous stewardship mindset and practice.”

Rod Wiltrout, Church Finance Specialist, California Southern Baptist Convention, Fresno, California

“Ben is a bright young leader with huge potential to help churches and ministries build their platform for Kingdom-building. Ben is a constant learner, he knows his market and subject area well, and he’s motivated to accomplish his goals. You can’t go wrong with Ben!”

Ron Edmondson, Co-Pastor, Grace Community Church, Clarksville, Tennessee

“I have known Ben for many years as our paths cross when I assist at our diocesan cathedral in Nashville. He attends worship there periodically and has also performed some consulting work with their governing body. He is a fine Christian man with much depth and wisdom. His recent work in Christian stewardship reveals a keen understanding of congregational dynamics and life in a parochial setting. He has taught me many things I can use relating to stewardship in my parish. Given I have been a priest for 15 years and a banker prior to ordained ministry for 10 years, that says a great deal! I can highly recommend him to any organization seeking his gifts and talents.”

Rob Courtney, Episcopal Priest, Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee: Saint James the Less Episcopal Church, Madison, Tennessee

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“Ben has a huge heart for God and a passion for helping churches create cultures of stewardship that reflect the generosity of God. He has produced some terrific resources (e.g. Church Giving Matters and his blog) that have made an impact for me personally as well as in our stewardship efforts at The Chapel. I would recommend that churches strongly consider partnering with him in their generosity efforts.”

Jim Alexander, Pastor of Operations, The Chapel, Libertyville, Illinois

“Ben is a leader with a passion for developing, sharing, and encouraging Biblical Stewardship. I appreciate his understanding of More Money…More Ministry.”

Gary Anderson, Director, Cooperative Program and Stewardship Office, South Carolina Baptist Convention, Columbia, South Carolina

“Having been closely associated with hundreds of brilliant young minds during my tenor as an associate professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, I am keenly aware of young men and women who are effectively the “cream of the crop.” Ben Stroup not only has the mental and intellectual capacity to sit with the great thinkers of our day, but he also has the wisdom to put to use in the most effective way, the data he holds in his hands. Given all the gifts with which he has been blessed and the cultivation of those gifts to which he has given much labor, that he brings with him a charm and winsomeness makes Ben a pleasure to be around and an exceptional communicator in our day. I expect Ben Stroup to factor significantly in the information that informs our coming generation.”

Dr. Steve Drake, Director of Corporate Relations, LifeWay Christian Resources, Nashville, Tennessee

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“I have known Ben since 2005. He has great insight in his approach to assessing finances in the church and not for profit settings. He understands ministry and the direct link between ministry and funding. As a strategic and innovative thinker he develops action plans, and is able to implement them in a way that produces results that lead to increased ministry in the church. Ben stays abreast of new technology and is able to relate it to the church. His understanding of existing thoughts and methods enables him to develop plans that blend will with the expectations of emerging generations. Ben is an excellent team player. Any organization would benefit greatly by having him on their team.”

Ty Salter, Team Coordinator Church Finance Ministry, North American Mission Board, Atlanta, Georgia

“I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Ben and working with him. Here are some of the characteristics I think you’ll enjoy about working with Ben. 1. Ben is a highly motivated self-starter. You won’t be sitting around waiting for him to do something. 2. Ben is both highly intelligent and creative. He “knows his stuff” and is one of those gifted people who will be adding to the “stuff” that others will have to know. 3. Ben has a deep faith and is committed to the life of the community of faith. 4. Integrity. I’ve experienced Ben as someone who embodies integrity all the way around. I recommend Ben without reservation!”

Dr. Tom Knowles-Bagwell, Executive Council Member, Pastoral Center for Healing, Nashville, Tennessee

............................................................................................................Contact Ben Stroup

Phone: 615.829.6420E-mail: ben@generis.comFax: 615.349.3523Mail: P.O. Box 40, Greenbrier, TN 37073Blog: churchgivingmatters.comTwitter: @ben_stroupFacebook: Ben StroupLinkedIn: Ben Stroup

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