Survey Sheds Light on Giving during Economic Downturn
According to a recent study by the Washington, D.C.-area Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), most evangelical parachurch ministries exceeded, met or came very close to their 2008 fourth-quarter contributions goals, despite the economic downturn. These nonprofits, or parachurch ministries, work outside of and across denominations to promote evangelism and social welfare.

The ECFA reports that 72% of responding member organizations reported that they exceeded, met or came within 10% of their goals. Another 28% percent reported being more than 10% below their goals.

"Many of the parachurch ministries we surveyed reported small donations of $10 to $100 were relatively unaffected, and in some cases, donations in this category increased," says Dan Busby, acting president of ECFA. "In fact, some of our members had the strongest fourth quarter they've had in years and ended the year debt-free."

The ECFA reports that some ministries attributed steady or increased contributions to increased prayer and widespread humanitarian interest in supporting organizations that help the poor and disadvantaged.
When asked what specific measures were taken to support fund-raising during the downturn, 53% said they increased one-on-one contact with key donors. More than 30% reported changing their messaging to donors and developing materials on how their organization is responding to the changing economy.

However, many reported concerns about how the ongoing economic crisis may affect 2009 contributions. To navigate through the downturn and recoup or minimizes losses, some ministries implemented strategies to keep operating costs and spending down. For example, 41% have frozen or delayed salary increases, and 38% have frozen or reduced hiring. Fifty-three percent cut travel and conference expenses, while 30% cut or delayed capital projects. Twenty-two percent have partnered with other organizations and businesses for additional support and to share resources.

Other less common strategies reported include renegotiating office leases, asking staff members to raise support for specific projects, borrowing money from restricted funds or considering a new loan.

"Most ECFA member ministries expect 2009 to be more challenging, primarily because major donors who made gifts in 2008 have expressed they may not be able to renew their financial commitments because of the economy," says Busby. "But for leadership and staff members, this is ministry, not a job. Despite challenges, most remain committed to making positive operational and structural decisions, including developing contingency plans [that] will enable them to continue to carry out God's purpose despite limited resources."

More than 300 parachurch ministries participated in the ECFA survey. To view a complete list of survey questions and results, visit http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/7aefda69.

www.ecfa.org

Aspen Group, ECCU Certified as Best Christian Workplaces
The Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI) of Mercer Island, Wash., a research-based organization and human resources consulting firm, has announced the results of its 2009 Best Christian Workplaces survey. The survey involved 11,869 employees in 124 organizations across North America to identify great workplaces with a Christian mission and values.

Both Brea, Calif.-based Evangelical Christian Credit Union (ECCU) and the Aspen Group of Frankfort, Ill., were among the workplaces chosen.

To be certified in the United States, organizations must complete the Best Christian Workplaces Institute Employee Engagement survey and meet predetermined standards of excellence. The survey covers issues such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, Christian witness, supervisory effectiveness, work satisfaction, personal growth and development, management effectiveness, customer/supporter satisfaction, teamwork, communications and pay and benefits. Employees answer more than 50 questions addressing these topics, rating each statement as either 1 (strongly disagree), 2 (disagree), 3 (neutral), 4 (agree) or 5 (strongly agree).

For more information about the survey and to view the complete list of the Best Christian Workplaces, visit www.bcwinstitute.com/2009us.aspx.

www.aspengroup.com | www.bcwinstitute.com | www.eccu.org

NACDB Announces Newest Certified Church Consultants
The National Association of Church Design Builders (NACDB) in Arlington, Texas, has announced its newest Certified Church Consultant (CCC) members. Members who achieve CCC status go through a multi-day training session covering a range of topics, including architecture, construction, project management, stewardship and facilities management. The NACDB requires each CCC candidate to write a thesis and pass a written exam to demonstrate knowledge of creating expansion solutions in a church building scenario. Members are originally certified for a two-year period and must participate in annual refresher courses to extend certification for another two years.

Go online at worshipfacilities.com to see the listing of the newest CCCs or plug http://tinyurl.com/ctwm4h into your browser.

For more information on the NACDB and certification, visit www.nacdb.org.

Wegener and Microspace Reaffirm Commitment to Christian Radio Consortium
Wegener Corp., a provider of equipment for television, audio and data distribution networks worldwide with offices in Duluth, Ga., and Microspace Communications Corp., a global provider of satellite delivery services for audio services, digital signage, business communications and digital cinema with offices in Raleigh, N.C., have jointly reaffirmed a long-term commitment to serving the Christian Radio Consortium (CRC).

The CRC, a group of Christian radio satellite program distributors, decided a decade ago to standardize upon a platform comprised of Wegener DVB-compliant satellite media receivers, the Wegener Compel network control system, as well as Microspace's Velocity satellite delivery services, so that they and their affiliates could transition smoothly from analog to digital broadcasting.

By standardizing on Wegener satellite receivers, CRC members, including Salem Radio Network, Moody Radio, SkyLight Satellite Network, IRN/USA Radio News and VCY America Network, established a cost-effective platform by which thousands of Christian radio stations could easily select from the hundreds of faith-based programs offered on dozens of CRC member radio networks.

Chicago-based Moody Radio, one of the nation's premiere Christian radio networks, recently upgraded its Wegener Compel network control system. With this upgrade, the Compel system in Moody's network operations center now has the latest Compel software for the most efficient, addressable scheduling, management and delivery of content to its affiliate network. Moody owns and operates 35 U.S. radio stations and provides programming to more than 400 radio affiliates, serving over one million listeners per week.

"Compel enables us to easily streamline, customize and control our program delivery to meet the needs of our affiliates," says Doug Hastings, manager of administration for Moody Radio, part of the Moody Bible Institute. "By utilizing Wegener technology and Microspace satellite services for the past four years, we have simplified the process of getting our programs to our affiliates and ultimately to our listeners."

As business partners with a 20-year relationship, Microspace has long supported the Wegener media distribution platform that CRC member networks use for radio broadcasting, and representatives report that the company is committed to expanding its support to include next-generation models, such as the Wegener file-based broadcasting solution. Wegener's file-based solution is currently supporting various radio and video applications in thousands of sites around the world. File-based broadcasting and DVB-S2 satellite modulation will enable the CRC to migrate to more efficient, store-and-forward transmission of content to stations. A global entity with U.S. offices in Raleigh, N.C., Microspace manages reliable media transmission around the clock to more than 340,000 receive sites via the world's top satellites.

www.wegener.com | www.microspace.com

All Givers Great and Small
By Jim Sheppard
One of the challenges church leaders face when it comes to engaging givers is the economic diversity that exists among their members. A common perception is that some members are the givers while others are the receivers. So how do you teach that generosity is for everyone, regardless of their economic condition?

Start with stewardship
Biblical stewardship is based on the principle that God owns it all and we are His stewards, entrusted with the resources of time, talent and treasure that He has given each of us to manage. The good news about stewardship is that everyone has something to give.

Recognize the different types of stewards
Patrick Johnson, vice president of Church Services at The National Christian Foundation says, "Most churches are made up of three types of stewards--scarce, stable and surplus stewards--and as the current economy proves, individuals could find themselves in a different category at any time."

There are: 1) scarce stewards--who have very limited financial resources but possess time, talent, influence and other assets, 2) stable stewards--who are relatively secure in their finances but without any surplus, and 3) surplus stewards--who are blessed with financial wealth but may be struggling to handle the complications that this type of prosperity creates. Despite their differences, people in each of these groups need ministry. After all, Patrick says, "Generosity teaching should not be about what you want from your people, but what you want for your people."

Meet them at their need
Scarce stewards – While it's essential to address their current needs, it's equally important to uncover the root issues of their financial woes. Debt has brought many middle-class families to the point of scarcity. Yet even scarce stewards can learn generosity, and it's important to remember that giving doesn't always involve money. Essential ministry to this group is financial counseling through lay volunteers using resources such as Good $ense or Financial Peace University.

Stable stewards – This is a group where generous givers rise up. They don't have great financial needs nor do they have an inordinate focus on financial gain. Resources such as Randy Alcorn's, The Treasure Principle, or Andy Stanley's Fields of Gold can be life-changing. Also, connecting them with a like-minded financial advisor could help them develop an intentional strategy for giving. Kingdom Advisors is a good place to find advisors who operate their practice with a biblical worldview.

Surplus stewards – Those entrusted with much have a need for peer-to-peer relationships and are often the loneliest. Special events designed for high-capacity givers such as the Generous Giving Conference or The Gathering can provide the important sense of community that wealthier stewards crave.

Offer vision and opportunity for all
Although the people in your church may be in different places with their money, they all need a vision of God's Kingdom that motivates them beyond their current financial circumstances. Often, a spontaneous culture of generosity can spring forth when a meaningful, attainable giving need is presented in a powerful way--even in the most unfavorable economic conditions.

For example, in the summer of 2008, Liquid Church in Morristown, N.J., decided to launch a giving campaign in the dead of summer--the season that is typically considered the most financially and spiritually dry time in the life of the church. With gas prices at an all-time high and attendance at the mid-year's low, they began to cast the vision of bringing clean water to sub-Sahara Africa.

They partnered with Charity Water to come up with the goal of providing three water wells at a cost of $5,000 each. Pastor Tim Lucas explains, "We harnessed the power of great story-telling to give us all a vision of what we could do and suddenly, the fire of sacrificial giving swept through our church. One man who had been saving for three years to buy a Harley decided to donate his $5,000 to build a well". Lucas says, "He thought about investing in the motorcycle, which would end up as rust in a few years, or his option of investing in a well that would provide clean, safe water for 800 men, women and children for the next 20 years."

Hundreds of similar stories from all types of givers developed over the next three weeks, and more than $100,000 was raised in under a month--enough to finance 20 wells.

The power of God at work
As you begin to teach biblical stewardship, minister to all types of stewards, and offer vision and opportunity for all, your church will become a place where all givers--great and small--see the power of God at work through their giving.

Jim Sheppard serves as CEO of Generis, a consulting firm that provides counsel to churches and religious organizations in the areas of generosity and stewardship. Since 1992, Jim has had the privilege to lead more than 100 capital stewardship campaigns that produced over $800 million in funding for church and ministry-related projects. Jim can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

www.generis.com