Rave Reviews
The Lost Art of Church Fund Raising: Getting the Details Right
Ashley Hale
Precept Press, Inc., 1993
If you enjoy a book that uses humor and tongue-in-cheek to teach, you have found an excellent book to read. You won’t read very far before you will feel like Mr. Hale must have been a member in your church. He has great insight into the church and fundraising.
The ways to raise funds are well laid out in a format that has 28 chapters with about 2-4 pages per chapter. You will never be bored. A few chapter titles will illustrate the style: Winners and Losers, Five Who Said “Yes,” The Campaign Batting Order, Your unemployed Millionaires, Happy Money, Is Giving A Spiritual or Financial Matter? And 16 Ways to Increase Giving.
Aspects of the material that were of particular interest to me included the concepts which follow: The Winners and Losers Chart, how to select leaders, never hear the deadly “No,” your church is not a charity, teaching churches not to beg, 5 levels of giving in the church, how to know your giving potential, 8 essential criteria for success, and the secret may be going back to your biggest donor again, are but a few of the topics I was interested in. This is a good book, which quickly gives some pertinent data, with a little humor, and in a brief easy to read format.
There are many lists, tables, and documents in this 149-page book.
Suggested audience: pastors and key leaders of the church and those interested in entertaining reading that teaches fundraising.
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The Pastor’s Guide to Fund-Raising Success: Step-by-step Details That Will Improve Your Church’s
Donor Program
Rev. Dr. Dorsey E. Levell and Wayne E. Groner
Bonus Books, Inc., 1999
Are you wondering what the differences are between raising dollars for your budget, for a capital campaign, and for an endowment? You will discover those differences and much more in this well-written 197-page guide, which is an easy read. The authors are professionals in the field of fundraising rooted in the life of the church, and they are familiar with the role of the pastor and what happens in fundraising. Topics covered include who should lead a campaign, the needs of donors, models of stewardship education and fund-raising programs, how to ask for major gifts, and ethics and accountability in fundraising.
Some aspects of the material that were of particular interest included the following concepts: raising funds for ministry and program; what motivates people to give; the need for policies; the fund-raising process; and ethics. The book also discusses the Web as a resource, training for asking for gifts, and information about what a gift is. Those are but a few of the topics of interest. Whether you are wondering where to begin and know very little, or feel like maybe you already know how to do this, this is a good book!
The book concludes by sharing stories of affirmation, and teaching the importance of celebrating success. There are many tables and helpful documents in the appendix. If you are looking for a contemporary resource on funding the ministries of your church, this is one of the best usable books available today.
Suggested audience: pastors and key leaders of the church.
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Get Well, Stay Well: Prescriptions for a Financially Healthy Congregation
Wayne C. Barrett
Discipleship Resources, 1997
This small book is big on impact and information. You should read it before your next financial enlistment campaign. Barrett knows churches like ours, and provides practical guides to making healthy financial churches.
Check out the giving pyramid on page 13. It will be a good place to begin your analysis of the numbers in your congregation.
There has been a lot of discussion in the stewardship community about commitment. For some it has become an unwelcome one. Barrett gently defends the call to commitment. His four techniques to developing commitment are useful.
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The Testament
John Grisham
Doubleday, 1999
This is probably John Grisham’s best book. It is about stewardship. It seriously questions the basic assumptions of the consumer culture that surrounds us. The book is loaded with preaching material and metaphors.
The major character is a self-sacrificing missionary with the conviction to turn down an inheritance that would make her the richest woman in the world. The hero of the story, enabled by faith, overcomes an addiction to alcohol. One of the leading characters is a pastor who, contrary to all current stereotypes, is a man of faith who loves his congregation and helps people discover faith in God.
The stewardship story includes marvelous descriptions of the Pantanal region in Brazil, with warnings about destroying the largest remaining rainforest in the world and the affects of approaching industrial/commercial life on the aboriginal peoples.
This book is the challenge to consumerism and the tacit assumption that money brings fulfillment and joy in life. A key sentence early on reads, “The money is the root of my misery.” Let John Grisham encourage you to take the consumer culture on in your preaching and teaching.
