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What’s Up:
Telling people your church is going broke won’t inspire church giving … and it won’t fix your financial problems. That strategy is more likely to make them worse.
So What:
People are not inspired to give to a sinking ship. They invest in a vision, a future, and results that show real transformation is happening.
The Point Is:
Spreadsheets Do Not Inspire No one ever wrote a generous check because of a sad balance sheet. Vision and results move people’s hearts, not financial panic.
Misery Repels, It Does Not Attract Misery may love company, but healthy people do not run to join the miserable. Decline attracts decline unless vision changes the story.
Vision and Results Open Wallets When churches show they are making disciples and changing lives, people are eager to invest in that mission. Future-focused churches thrive.
Focus on Mission, Not Maintenance If your church is declining, it is not just a money issue. It is a mission issue. Fix the mission, fuel the vision, and finances will follow.
And … ?
There is a reason alumni associations never send “We are broke” letters. Savvy developters understand that highlighting success, future goals, and ongoing transformation draws support. Investors backed the Titanic until it hit the iceberg. After that, nobody was rushing to pour money into a sinking ship. Your church is no different. Publicizing decline, failure, and despair only speeds up the inevitable.
When a church consistently celebrates life change, shares a compelling and obtainable vision, and stays laser-focused on making disciples, the resources show up. Not every time. Not always overnight. But certainly more consistently than the “please save us” approach ever will. Casting vision, celebrating wins, and focusing on disciple-making is the sustainable path forward … not misery-laden spreadsheets.
Action!
This week, do an offering audit: Is your church communicating decline or destiny? Rewrite your next appeal to inspire belief in the future you are building.
