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Being Capital Weary Does Not Allow for Christians to Become Stewardship Lazy
Researchers and "experts" have written that local churches should accept continuous capital campaigns as a fact of life. I don't agree. Jesus spoke so much about money and possessions because he knew this area robbed people of true spiritual joy by holding them hostage to greed and self promotion. While there is not much JOY in the grind of constant campaigns; there is tremendous JOY in generosity when it is based on TRANSFORMED stewardship.
It is possible for churches to buy land and build facilities, even relocate or start a second site without necessitating a series of capital campaigns. Moving away from a dependency on cyclic campaigns toward comprehensive holistic resource development is possible. It requires deliberate and well planned change in the way churches carry out the ministry of stewardship.
 No… I Did Not Check the Fine Print About Being a Stewardship Expert
Let's face it; most congregations think their pastors should be good at stewardship. That is where Kairos comes in. We know that stewardship transformation begins in seminary where future pastors must be taught how to excel as a stewardship leader. Successful stewardship pastors know how to create vision, supervise and inspire people, tell the mission story, and excel at resource development. It should be part of their religious training to EDUCATE them in these areas. It is my experienced evaluation that less than 5% of mainline churches are being adequately led by their ordained staff in these major areas. This is a fault of the system rather than a lack of desire on the part of ordained personnel.
Kairos is doing something about that. We have researched and developed basic principles of vision, leadership, communications and resource development that we teach to pastors at forums and workshops. These are taught at seminaries, national conferences, judicatories and local congregational coalitions. We also serve as mentors to individual pastors in these tactical but essential foundations of ministry and mission.
Yes, Dear Christian… Being a Disciple of Jesus Does Mean Being Generous
A second and equally important area of focus is the maturation of the individual believer. Stewardship done correctly can be taught and it can be caught by people of all ages, all socio-economic situations and in every phase of one's life journey. If churches want to break the cycle of campaigns, they must embrace and implement a strong, gospel based, no-holds-barred stewardship ministry. This direct, honest approach brings joy and a feeling of living life as Christ prescribed rather than the slipshod, disjointed message most churches and parishes send regarding stewardship. Remember, stewardship is first and foremost about the heart of the believer rather than about the budget needs of the church.
Kairos is doing something about that. Working annually with over 140 churches and parishes, we deal with real life situations and we listen and we learn. The result is a new, different and better approach to holistic resource development that is truly transformational rather than another quick fix or gimmick. It is called The Awakening, a two-year consulting relationship focusing on Discipleship/Leadership, Mission Plans/Communications, Ongoing Resource Development and Transformational Lasting Value. It is important to note that Discipleship is listed first since that is the key to teaching a life of joyful generosity.
 Send Me One of Those Stewardship Silver Bullets, Please
As much as we would like one, there is no silver bullet that can be discharged to suddenly make all believers generous. Undoubtedly many churches will continue to engage in three year capital campaigns to finance large capital projects and Kairos will continue to serve these churches with integrity and industry leading results. HOWEVER… we already are working with entrepreneurial church leaders in transformational stewardship with phenomenal results. This involves a more consistent gospel driven approach to ongoing resource development that goes broader than the offering plate and deeper than the capital campaign. To paraphrase a popular pop culture icon, Kairos teaches and guides churches "to go where no 'church' has gone before."
Contact Kairos today to explore how to get to that place in your pastoral call or in your congregation where there can be visionary life without capital campaigns. Ask to speak directly Ann Rauvola Bailey, Founder/CEO or Dr. Glenn Schoonover, Vice President for Congregational Services.
Call 800-851-3019 to speak with:
Ann Rauvola Bailey, Kairos Founder and CEO
or
Dr. Glenn Schoonover, Kairos VP for Congregational Services
or email us at kairos@kairosandassociates.com |
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