This excerpt is taken from “The Definitive Guide to Faith-Based Fund Development,” publishing soon by Hilborn’s Civil Sector Press.  Pre-publication offer is available until October 31st.

What if I told you fundraising isn’t really about money? Because it’s not. Really. Fundraising is about preparing your donors to respond. However, preparing your donors or members to be joyful and generous givers is the most daunting current challenge facing most faith-based churches and organizations.

Fundraising has been for decades, and remains today, one of the greatest challenges the church is facing, and it seems paradoxical that in a time of such great affluence the church continues to struggle with giving more than any time in recent history.

In almost all denominations the giving indicators are down, with many churches having to close or merge due to declining memberships and the consequent inability to pay the cost of ministry. We have all heard the stats: the United Church closes another congregation each week, and the Anglican Church is trending toward zero membership by 2040. That’s less than 20 years away and COVID has likely accelerated that timeline. That’s not just a few churches. That’s the entire denomination membership. Gone.

In addition, many ministers and church leaders have great difficulty dealing with money and stewardship issues in their preaching and teaching ministry. You really don’t have to go too far to see this in operation. The result: many people in your organization or church do not really understand basic biblical principles of stewardship in relation to discipleship and how that impacts our value systems and our giving. So, when church members are giving out of value systems that are not Christian-focused, giving is at minimal charitable levels, if at all. And to make matters worse, we don’t seem to know how to ask properly!

It sounds bleak, and to be honest, for many it is. But amid all these closures and decline in giving and attendance for some churches, others are growing and thriving! “How are they doing it? Why can’t we do that in our church?” I know you’ve asked yourself those questions. Many church leaders have.

I wrote The Definitive Guide to Faith-Based Fundraising for people who are not yet ready to give up on their church—people who believe God’s church can and will survive, as it has for thousands of years. We are being challenged right now, just as our predecessors were in the past. There are countless stories in the Old Testament of the challenges the people of God faced, and often failed to meet. But God never gave up on his covenant with his people, and His church lives on.

You can grow a vibrant culture of giving in your organization or congregation, a culture of giving based on industry best practices framed in discipleship, stewardship and the joy of Christian giving. It’s time to challenge yourself and ask hard questions about how giving and money are addressed by your organization or church.

Why does the church think we don’t have to ask for money?
Why do we feel bad talking about money in the church?
Are we really preparing our members properly to be asked for money?

Perhaps we feel as if we’re offending members when we talk about money because we really don’t know how to ask for money appropriately in faith-based organizations? The number one reason people say they do not give is because they have never been asked. So why don’t we ask for money in the church? In fact, we don’t ask because we are afraid of the rejection and/or we don’t feel confident with our level of knowledge in asking.

We’ve all heard the old accusation of, “All the church wants is money,” or “All the church wants is my money.” Yet nothing could be further from the truth. The church doesn’t want your money; rather God wants you to find peace and community in the church and your faith, so you can experience blessing and gratitude.

Michelle Harder has over 25 years of experience in fundraising and nonprofit development as a consultant and as part of an executive team. With a Master of Arts degree in Philanthropy & Development from Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota, Michelle has both theoretical and practical experience in fundraising. She is a consultant, public speaker, and author of, “The Definitive Guide to Faith-based Fund Development.”