ECCU Blog

Despite the economic challenges of the past few years, some ministries were actually able to boost giving during the recession. Three of them, all ECCU member ministries, were recently featured in a webinar titled Proven Ways to Increase Giving to Your Ministry. A recording of this webinar is now available online.

Watch this free recording and you will hear what these ministries did to generate more revenue. You’ll also discover how to manage finances in ways that free up more for ministry.

By listening to this webinar, you can expect to learn:

• Specific things ministries have done that actually increased giving
• How to communicate your ministry’s story so people clearly see how it aligns with their passion for ministry
• How to better manage financial resources and free up more to invest in ministry

You’ll also have access to additional giving and stewardship resources, including: Attendee questions with answers from the webinar presenters, online tools, videos, articles, book recommendations, and much more.

To watch this webinar recording and access the additional resources, visit www.eccu.org/giving-webinar.

There are three ways to communicate. You can tell people something. You can show them. Or you can do both. A couple days ago I told you that ECCU is presenting a panel discussion workshop at the upcoming Christian Leadership Alliance (CLA) National Conference. It’s called How to Build a Better Budget. I also told you that the panelists know whereof they speak when it comes to ministry budgeting.

Starting with today’s post, I’d like to show you that these people know their numbers. How? I emailed three questions to each one of them and asked them to respond from their ministry and financial perspective. Consider this a preview of the richness of the discussion you’ll get to experience by attending this workshop.

First up is Billy Burnett, executive vice president and CFO with Joni and Friends.

MBG:  What top three priorities should guide the budgeting process?

Billy:     First, make sure it aligns strategically and tactically with your ministry’s mission. Second, be sure it’s based in biblical and financial reality. And third, be sure to tap into the collective wisdom and experience of your entire organization.

MBG:  What are two or three major changes you’ve made to your budgeting process and what was the result?

Billy:     One is that we switched to a live budget preparation, collaboration, and approval process. The benefits were that we got instant approvals and people walked away from the process with their budgets in hand. Second is to shorten the budget preparation time, which resulted in sharper focus and better planning.

MBG:  How can an attendee prepare to gain the most value from this workshop?

Billy:     I’d say come with a list of objectives. Include problems you’re facing that need solutions. And come prepared to contribute to the group by describing things you’ve done that have proved to be fruitful.

Like I said, these panelists know how to budget. Their workshop will be on Thursday, April 11, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.

To register for the CLA conference, visit www.claconference.org.

If you attended the recent ECCU webinar Proven Ways to Increase Giving to Your Ministry, you heard about a group of ministry leaders who gathered at a church in the San Diego area for a simulcast of the event. They spent some time networking before the webinar started, then enjoyed lunch together afterward and talked about what they had learned.

One who joined that group was Aaron Jayne, senior pastor at Coastline Church in Carlsbad, California. Coming out of the simulcast experience, Aaron immediately applied some of the concepts and ideas in an article for their church’s online newsletter. Under a simple headline—Online Giving—he concisely (just 250 words!) communicated:

• A reminder that financial gifts fuel pursuit of the church’s mission
• An expression of gratitude for people’s gifts
• Teaching…the distinction between tithes and offerings
• A summary of the benefits of online giving
• Answers to three frequently asked questions

Not only did the webinar turn out to be a learning opportunity for this pastor, he also turned it into a learning opportunity for the church.

If you weren’t able to attend the giving webinar, the good news is that it was recorded and is available online at no cost. Check out Proven Ways to Increase Giving to Your Ministry at a time that’s convenient for you.

Or…host your own simulcast and invite a group of your ministry peers to watch it with you.

Now is a good time to be thinking about next year’s budget, for at least two reasons. One is that, depending on your fiscal year, there’s probably plenty of time before you actually have to start budgeting. The other is that a session at the upcoming Christian Leadership Alliance (CLA) National Conference can help you prepare for that budgeting process.

It’s a panel discussion workshop, moderated by Mark Jones, titled How to Build a Better Budget. Mark is an ECCU vice president and senior banking consultant. The panel will feature three seasoned ministry financial experts: Hugh Burns, vice president of operations for the Denver Rescue Mission; Billy Burnett, executive vice president and CFO with Joni and Friends; and Vonna Laue, audit partner with CapinCrouse LLP.

Here’s what the panel will be discussing:

• Why and how to build a better budget
• Who should be involved in the budgeting process
• How to monitor and adjust your investment in ministry
• How to align money and mission

If you attend the CLA National Conference this year, plan on joining Mark and the panel for this workshop on Thursday, April 11, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.

To register for the CLA conference, visit www.claconference.org.

An upcoming lunch meeting of the Sacramento chapter of the National Association of Church Business Administration (NACBA) offers church business administrators and financial decision makers an opportunity to learn about how to hire the right people.

After a networking time and lunch, attendees will watch a Summit video on “Healthy Hiring” and dialogue during a round table discussion facilitated by Dave Schottky, church administrator with Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church.

This event is scheduled for Thursday, April 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church in Fair Oaks, California (11427 Fair Oaks Boulevard).

Reserve your spot by emailing Dave Schottky at dschottky@fopc.org. To learn more, visit www.eccu.org/sac-nacba-lunch.