In 1999, The Dow Jones broke records by reaching 11,000. The average US income per year was $40,810. Average Monthly Rent was $645. The cost of a gallon of gas was $1.22. We were still in a pre-9/11 mindset. Things were different then.
Thinking of all that has transpired in human history since 1999. It’s pretty amazing to sit here and type these words and reflect on the blessings of the past 20 years. Actually, it’s very humbling.
For twenty years, Impact Stewardship has been blessed to serve the local church and we have seen the Lord do some miraculous things. Through Him, we have seen over $1 billion raised for ministry and served over 500 churches in the area of stewardship in 32 states.
We’ve seen a lot of changes in the local church since 1999, as well. It’s amazing to think of the transformation that has occurred in communication over 20 years. The way we do church has been revolutionized.
There has been a huge change in the way churches handle their capital fundraising. In fact, 9/11 and the recession of 2008 had huge effects on church giving patterns. Having personally observed 500+ projects conducted by Impact Stewardship over the years, you begin to see patterns emerge and best practices for navigating the storms. That has been one of the many blessings for me. Enabling churches to focus on doing what they do best and letting Impact Stewardship be a resource to come alongside them to help navigate the areas that can distract and divert attention from the main focus: ministry. Twenty years has taught us many things. But our two goals have always been to put God first in all we do and serve the church with excellence. That is the value that I feel we bring: ministry and experience.
Any of the folks we have assisted know that it is about the ministry first and not the money. Of course, money is needed to expand ministry and retire debt thus enabling more ministry and planting seeds for the future. There is so also much more competition out there for ministry dollars from many places. We are bombarded daily by appeals to be generous. Education and communication are even more a necessity than ever. Churches need an ongoing generosity plan because dollars are being diverted to other areas (sacred and secular) that are more vocal and do a better job of communicating.
If your church needs to develop a generosity plan or understand the best practices for raising over and above funds for expansion, building or debt retirement, we can help. Feel free to contact us to start a conversation. We are happy to assist. It’s what we do.
