Perspectives – Fall 2016 Issue

Your Resource for Capital Stewardship Concepts
jdka-logo-308
jefferson-memorial

Welcome to the Fall 2016 edition of our online newsletter. We are delighted that you continue to follow the services our firm provides to churches throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

We had an outstanding year and feel so blessed to have worked with so many great churches across the country. As we continue to partner with church clients, assist them in their fundraising goals, become part of their church community and establish forever friendships, we want to take this time to thank every single one of our clients for making our job one of the most rewarding jobs out there! We take pride in the work we do and will always stand by our motto of “once a client, always a client.”

This edition of PERSPECTIVES features articles written by a few of our consultants and staff on a variety of different topics. They’re full of helpful tips and experiences from every aspect of capital campaign involvement. I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed putting them together!

I wish everyone a fun, safe and fruitful summer ahead! We look forward to reconnecting with previous clients, as well as connecting with new ones in North America, Canada & Europe in the coming months!

Blessings,

Erin West
Vice President of Operations

Get Your Church Out of Debt

By Jim Klote

CSPE-Chapter

The number of congregations around the United States with significant debt is growing every day. To say it is reaching epidemic proportions is not an overstatement. Years ago, most prospective clients called regarding the need to raise funds for new construction, renovation and property acquisition. Today, most calls discuss the need to reduce debt. The reasons they are in debt are many. Some have used a line of credit to pay for deferred maintenance issues; some have construction loans; others purchased property for future expansion that is now on hold.

I must confess that I do not like church indebtedness at all. There is certainly no economic advantage to a congregation servicing indebtedness for an extended period of time. Though, I often hear from church leaders that they believe debt for a church is good. I can understand the viewpoint of making church members feel they are needed through their offerings. I can even understand the desire to have members feel a challenge to support new and needed ministry opportunities. However, when the debt reaches a point where the current budget cannot sustain the payments, or the loan payments significantly impact the current ministries, I cannot see the good in that debt. When 40-50% of a church’s budget is earmarked for debt payments, it undermines the church’s financial stability. It can undermine confidence in the church leadership.
Read more…

The Big Mo

By Glenn Wagner

Just Do It on Blackboard

“Our future is only limited by our commitment to keep the momentum going”

Whether you are talking about sports, personal life, business or your church campaign, one of the key aspects that will determine your success is momentum. Which begs the question, “What is momentum, and if it’s so important, how do we get and maintain it?”

Perhaps it is best to begin by stating what momentum is not. It’s not being a cheerleader, handing out compliments like candy, endless positive feedback or getting people stoked. These things might help keep momentum alive, but they aren’t “it.”Read more…

Lay Leadership During Days Of Transition

By Skip Schlafer

Transition is stressful. We’ve all been there at one time or another for one reason or another. Whether couch potato or activist, transition is a challenge. For the couch potato, it is especially stressful when the pulpit is empty – the pastor/priest is no longer in residence. For the activist, it is also stressful suggesting opportunities for change without clerical guidance. No matter how you identify yourself, the time between a known clergy leader and a yet to be revealed clergy leader change is a hectic one.

I relate to Danaan Parry’s The Parable of the Trapeze with his image of a trapeze artist swinging comfortably along, hanging onto a trapeze bar with a known clergy person and seeing a new unoccupied trapeze bar swinging freely ahead. The trapeze artist knows that a decision is imminent. One must release the old bar and make the leap toward the new, the artist must take a leap of faith.Read more…

Contact Us Anytime At:

Contact Us Anytime At:

Virginia Office
10001 Georgetown Pike #462
Great Falls, Virginia 22066
Toronto Office
1920 Yonge Street, Suite 200
Ontario, Toronto M4S 3E2
Canada
London Office
London Trafalgar Square
1 Northumberland Avenue
London, England WC2N 5BW
United Kingdom
Illinois Office
180 N. Stetson Street
Chicago, Illinois 60601
California Office
1800 Century Park East, Suite 600
Los Angeles, California 90067
Texas Office
5050 Quorum Drive,
Suite 700
Dallas, TX 75254

Erin West

Hello! Welcome to our website! My name is Erin West and as VP of Operations I would like to invite you to browse our hundreds of testimonials from people just like you!

Click here!

You have Successfully Subscribed!