Every political party has a platform. The more the platform connects with the public, the greater the chance of success in any election. Not only do political parties have platforms, but candidates have them as well. It is essentially a vision of what a party or candidate is working to achieve and attempting to rally the people to support. It is a blueprint for the future.
Churches too have platforms or visions. The better your platform or vision the more you will find people willing to give to support it financially. So, let’s begin by building your platform!
How to Build a Platform That Will Lead to Year End Success
I believe that with a good platform 99.99% of all churches can raise the funds they need to do ministry. Let me add one qualifying statement. If your church is dead as a hammer, then nothing, not even the best plan can help you! So before we begin let me state the three major reasons why people give. People give when…
- They have confidence in the fiscal responsibility of the ministry.
- They trust the leadership of the organization and hold it in high regard.
- They believe in your vision.
So, how do you stack up to the above? Fail in anyone of them and you are in trouble. I am assuming you have numbers one and two down. Let’s talk about the importance of number three, vision. Vision is a huge driver. Here is what I say…
Good vision trumps bad economy!
What is vision?
Vision is what God has birthed in your heart. Vision is your story. I have been using story interchangeably with vision to help people understand what a vision or story is. My mantra for the last few years is to tell my client churches that they need to…
Get a Story, then,
Work their Story, then,
Tell their Story, and watch,
People Give to support the Story!
The Three C’s of Vision
While I am not a huge fan of catchy vision statements, I do readily admit that how you communicate your vision is crucial. Down through the years I have counseled on what I call the three C’s of vision. Evaluate your vision on the basis of these three C’s.
Make it Clear
Above all else do your members clearly understand what it is you are attempting to do? Is your vision clear? Can your members easily tell their work associates, neighbors and friends what you are doing and why? When visions are not clear people will not donate even in the best of economic times.
Keep it Concise
Remember the old KISS acrostic? It stands for Keep It Simple Somehow. KISS is a good advice for communicating your vision. Your people ought to be able in one to two sentences tell what it is you are about and how you propose to do it. Remember Keep It Simple Somehow!
Cast it Compellingly
The most important thing of all is to make your vision matter in the hearts of your members. A compelling vision that motivates the heart will even in the worst of economic times cause dollars to come to your ministry. Show your donors how their gift will make a difference and they will rise up to support it financially.
So, how is your vision? Your answer will in a large part determine whether you make budget this year or not!
A prolific writer and founding partner of The Charis Group, Mark Brooks brings not only a rich background of ministry experience but also years of successfully helping Christian ministries raise funds for capital projects. He has also written several e-books such as “The Top Ten Stewardship Mistakes Churches Make.” Follow Mark on Twitter