How is “giving to God” different from giving to charities, in your opinion?
What sources inform you about charitable giving besides the Bible or other sacred texts?
When “giving to God,” how important is it to you to know how the funds will be used?
What have been your personal experiences with “giving to God”?
What do you believe about the attitudes others have about knowing how the funds will be used?
What do you believe about the attitudes others have about “giving to God?”
TRENDS IN CHARITABLE GIVING
✔ Overall Giving up 0.7% ✔ 1.7% decline adjusted for inflation ✔ $427.71 billion ✔ Religious giving down 1.5% ✔ 3.9% decline adjusted for inflation ✔ $124.52 billion
Data from Giving USA 2019
TRENDS IN CHARITABLE GIVING
While U.S. charitable giving remains near record highs, the share of Americans who make donations is falling.
Decline in Number of Giving Households
FAITH CAPITAL
Money, assets and historical narratives that communities of faith contribute to the work of ministry and the upkeep of the church’s property.
PROJECTED OFFERING
Average Weekly Donation: $40
Average Weekly Attendance:___
RULES OF THUMB
Membership = (3x Average Weekly Attendance)
Visitors = (5% of Average Weekly Attendance)
New Members = (20% of Visitors)
POTENTIAL OFFERING
Area Median Household Income/52 weeks
10% of AMHI (Tithe)
Average Weekly Attendance:___
FAITH CAPITAL WORKSHEET
FAITH CAPITAL BUDGET
✔ Most congregations (78%) received less than $500k in total income in 2017.
✔ Faith Capital is generally insufficient to sustain buildings and ministry.
FAITH CAPITAL BUDGET
✔ Most congregations are primarily dependent on Faith Capital.
✔ Individual donations accounts for more than 81% of total revenue.
✔ Less the 5% of Black Protestant congregations have an endowment.
On average, 78% of all giving occurs during worship services.
FAITH CAPITAL BUDGET
Do you also have a capital budget?
Missional
Budgeting
What percent of your budget is spent on local ministry or missions?
What percent of your budget comes from dweller (or members)?
Ministry
Church Administration, Clergy Compensation
Social Impact for the poor, widows, orphans and foreigners; etc.
What percent of your budget comes from non-members?
FAITH CAPITAL BUDGET
• Define where you want to take your ministry.
– Who do we want to reach?
– Who do we want to reach us?
• Decide if you need God to help you.
– Is your vision limited to our own resources?
– What new relationship will we need?
• Do you trust God to send people?
– What is the point of building a bridge?
LISTENING TO THE STORIES
Put the pivotal events in chronological (date) order
Rank events in order of importance to the church
LISTENING TO THE STORIES
Discussion:
• Why were these events ranked in this order of importance?
• Are these events important to the church today?
• Have we heard these stories before?
• Are these events important to the future of the church?
• How can these stories inform how we plan for the future?
LISTENING TO THE STORIES
List 6 pivotal people in the history of your church (Members and/or Non-Members)
LISTENING TO THE STORIES
Put the pivotal people in chronological (date) order
LISTENING TO THE STORIES
Discussion:
• Why did these people support this church?
• How have these faithful people and/or their contributions been celebrated in our church and community?
• Are these people and/or their contributions important to the future of the church?
• How can these faithful people inform us of how we plan for the future?
PARADOXES OF RESTORATION
Paradoxes must be resolved before moving forward with a project!
Poor designs lead to unexpected detours. DETOURS
UNCERTAIN OUTCOMES
If we can’t measure the results, then we can’t know the social impact.
PARADOXES OF RESTORATION
(A paradox consists of true statements that lead to an apparent or real contradiction in logic or intuition.)
Nehemiah Paradox – Household vs. Community Requirements
“Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews.2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.” 3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.” 4 Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.” Nehemiah 5:1-4
Jonah Paradox – My Church vs. The Perfect Church
2 He prayed to the LORD, “When I was still in my own country this is what I said would happen, and that is why I quickly ran away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a God who is kind and shows mercy. You don’t become angry quickly, and you have great love. I knew you would choose not to cause harm. 3 So now I ask you, LORD, please kill me. It is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah 4:2-3
Ezra Paradox – The Former Glory vs. the New Foundation
“But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.” Ezra 3:12
NEHEMIAH PARADOX
Nehemiah had to learn what the hierarchal needs of the community were and how best to meet them, so that building the wall was transformative over the long term —both for the nation and for individual families.
Write down one thing that is causing you to experience worry, anxiety, guilt or stress.
People now function more as connected individuals via social media in contrast to the longstanding social hierarchies between households.
JONAH PARADOX
Jonah wants to serve God on his own terms in the place he desired, while the people he deemed unfit for God’s mercy are willing to serve God on God’s terms.
Are you angry with the church or angry with God? What is your vision of a healthy church?
“Parish glamorization is ecclesiastical pornography — taking photographs (skillfully airbrushed) or drawing pictures of congregations that are without spot or wrinkle, the shapes that a few parishes have for a few short years. These provocatively posed pictures are devoid of personal relationships. The pictures excite a lust for domination, for gratification, for uninvolved and impersonal spirituality.” (Peterson, Under the Unpredictable
Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness 1994, 22)
EZRA PARADOX
An excellent illustration of this paradox is the appreciation of a freshly cut rose, versus the safekeeping of a rose from a loved one’s funeral. The paradox is that both roses have substantial value, and both require preservation, but neither is a suitable substitute for the other.
How can we honor the past while embracing the present?
Rather than creating space for new models for ministry, the church is more focused on maintaining the memories of their childhood church or grandmother’s church.
FINDING THE WAY FORWARD
COMMUNITY REQUIREMENTS (External)
MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS (Internal)
Congregations must find the constructive harmony between building capital and meeting requirements.
SOCIAL CAPITAL
Changes in relationships between people and organization that empower new actions.
HUMAN CAPITAL
Changes in people that produces new skills and capabilities that equip them to act in new ways.
FINDING THE WAY FORWARD
We use the FISH model to help organizations discover what’s possible.
DESIGN
Our facilitators and subject matter experts lead our clients through a project/program planning process.
We use our analytical tools to reimagine the future with access to multiple sources of capital - FISH.
This approach is the opposite of identifying and finding solutions for problems.
DESTINATION
We walk with our clients through the implementation process to achieve a measurable social impact.
KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE
FISHING DIFFERENTLY
✔ Discovering strengths
✔ Dreaming about possibilities
TRADITIONAL APROACH
✔ Identifying problems
✔ Analyzing causes
✔ Designing what should be
✔ Destination determined
>> An organization with a mystery to be embraced<<
✔ Presenting reasonable options
✔ Choosing the best option.
>>An organization with a problem to be solved<<
BEING THE DIFFERENCE
PROBING QUESTIONS
There must be an underlying belief, on the part of the leader, that the participant(s) have the experience, knowledge, and capacity to analyze and discover for themselves without the facilitator interjecting outside preconceptions or opinions.
POWERFUL LISTENING
The leader is listening to the stories for deeper understanding, by observing body language and emotions, hearing what they are saying and not saying, and listening for how they take or divert responsibility.
FISHING DIFFERENTLY
Leveraging the power of storytelling to access Faith, Intellectual, Social, and Human Capital (FISH).
MAKING THE DIFFERENCE
INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL
The collection of all the gifts and talents within a congregation that can be accessed to gain new members, launch new ministries and accomplish the mission and vision that has been set forth. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
SOCIAL CAPITAL
Social capital is created by changes in relationships between people and organizations that empower new actions.
(Luke 16:9)
HUMAN CAPITAL
Combining the Intellectual Capital within our congregations with the Social Capital in our communities, increases the human capital for all participants.
ACCESSING INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL
Employers calculate their employees' value (Intellectual Capital) by monitoring the goals and objectives set for each worker and then measuring how quickly, completely, and how much cost was related to achieving those goals and objectives. Key performance indicators identify mistakes, delays, or breakages caused by the employee and what they cost the employer.
Whatever number is ultimately reached will reflect only an individual's partial worth. Employee intangibles —attitude, punctuality, and willingness to "go the extra mile"—cannot be quantified, although they add substantially to an employee's value. Tithing only reflects 10% of what the employer has determined the employee is worth.
ACCESSING INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL
CELEBRATE CONTRIBUTION S NURTURE DIFFERENCES
SHARE INFORMATION
MUTUAL BENEFITS
SOCIAL CAPITAL
Members need be empowered to be the same person at church and outside of church. Transparency is beneficial no matter how bad the news or in what direction it’s flowing.
Few members will remain at a church that takes more than they give. Churches thrive when they have a clear mission.
Members should be proud to tell other people where they worship.
Members should feel like they’re working for a common cause.
BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL
According to Henri Nouwen, Fundraising or (Building Social Capital) is:
o “Grounded in prayer and undertaken in gratitude.”
o “Always a call conversion for both those who seek funds and those who have funds.
Whether we are asking for or giving money, we are drawn together by God, who is about to do a new thing through our collaboration."
o “Proclaiming what we believe in such a way that we offer other people an opportunity to participate with us in our vision and mission.”
Changes in relationships between people create social capital and organizations that empower new actions.
o based upon political action and confrontation with vested interest to overcome discrimination and to increase social and economic opportunities (Vidal, and Gittel, pg 51)
o consensus not applicable for irreducible win-lose confrontations
o based upon ‘working’ relationships with the private and public sectors who have resources, power, and influence (Vidal and Gittel, p 51)
o building ‘cultural’ competencies
o constructive confrontation when consensus is not available
BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL
SOCAP (Social Capital Markets) is at the vanguard of the emerging global impact economy, convening ideas and capital to catalyze world change. It is a network of investors, entrepreneurs, and social impact leaders addressing the world’s toughest challenges through market-based solutions. For more than ten years, SOCAP has achieved its goals through a series of events, initiatives, and partnerships that leverage the power and effectiveness of collaboration.
Social Capital Markets is Dedicated to Accelerating a New Global Market at the Intersection of Money + Meaning
BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL Impact Investing
MOTIVATION
BEYOND CHARITY
Increasing dissatisfaction with sustainability and impact of traditional charitable models
BEYOND GOVERNMENT
Increasing dissatisfaction with gaps and inefficiency in public services funding
BEYOND WALL STREET
Increasing dissatisfaction with role of the financial system in allocating resources in productive way.
BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL Impact Investing
Source: Adapted from SIITF WGAA (2014) adapted from Bridges Ventures. SPECTRUM
BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL
Impact investments are made with the intention to generate social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.
GOALS
Below Market Returns
Measurable
Impact
Investor Commitment
BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL Impact Investing
1744 - “Use of Money” Sermon “We are…to gain all we can without hurting our neighbor.”
- John Wesley, Founder of Methodism
1971 – Pax World Fund
Inspired by the social unrest of the 1960s, the fund integrated social and environmental factors into the investment process.
1983 – Grameen Bank
Nobel Prize Winner Muhammed Yunus launches Grameen Bank to provide credit to the poor, launching the microfinance industry.
1977 – Sullivan Principles
1928 – Pioneer Fund
First mutual fund to implement a screen for alcohol & tobacco companies.
Rev. Leon Sullivan drafts principles that form the basis of a campaign urging American corporations to divest from apartheid South Africa.
2007 – Rockefeller Foundation
The term “impact investing” is coined at Rockefeller Foundation meeting to describe emergence of investment practices focused on generating social impact alongside financial return.
FISHING DIFFERENTLY CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY – MINISTRY CONTEXT
Desired Outcomes: (a) Raise Impact Capital; (b) Make a Social Impact; (c) Improve Facilities
Increasing Wealth Gap:
Declining household incomes
30% at or near the poverty line
African American Population:
25% during the 1970s.
14% as of 2010, mostly seniors
Steady decline.
Hispanic Population:
34% as of 2010
Steady Incline
Church Property: Significant deferred maintenance. No Flood Insurance (2010).
Morristown, NJ
Est. 1843
Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams Senior Pastor
Bethel AME Church
CASE STUDY – RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS
HOW MUCH CAN CONGREGATIONS POUR OUT (2ND KINGS 4:1-7)?
CFAITH APITAL
An average of 23% of revenue is used for facility rental/maintenance.
The work most congregations put third on their list – right behind worship and spiritual life – is “fellowship.”
a) What buckets are we missing from this table?
b) Which of these buckets makes the greatest social impact?
c) Can this one bucket adequately fill all six buckets?
CASE STUDY – ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS
“Rising inequality affects virtually every part of the country, not just large urban areas or financial centers.”
- Estelle Sommeiller, Institute for Research in Economics and Social Sciences
CASE STUDY – IMPACT CONSTRAINTS?
Rather than being part of a formal network, most congregations contribute their intellectual capital through informal networks.
NURTURING SUSTAINABILITY
Social capital is created by changes in relationships between people that empower new actions.
Human capital is created by changes in people that produces new skills and capabilities that equip them to act in new ways.
Sustaining viable communities of faith requires leaders to nurture a network of money, volunteers, and other support – what Robert Putnam has called “social capital.”
