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Wyden Your Horizons! |
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The Newsletter of VanderWyden Consultants, Inc. |
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Providing Professional Counsel |
E-mail: Bill@WydenYourHorizons. com • Web: www. WydenYourHorizons. com | ||||||||
December 2007INSIDE THIS ISSUE. . .
1. Wyden Your Horizons with Hope Click |
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In this Christmas Edition of Wyden Your Horizons, we are reminded in this season of the power and necessity of hope in our lives and in our churches. This time of year is also known as the season of giving, and we have learned in our work that giving and hope go hand in hand. Our lead article helps to clarify that relationship, as it illustrates how to transform a church that is struggling financially into a church that is thriving and hopeful. And as we near the end of this year, we have highlighted some year-end giving and tax savings opportunities, and one major tax-savings opportunity that is ending this year. We have also included in this issue a very helpful tool, our Ministry Facility Review Form, which can enable you to view your facilities from the vantage points of first time visitors, so that you will be able to identify facets of your facilities which may be impeding your church's ability to grow. Finally, we have provided some profound quotes about Hope and Giving. Wyden Your Horizons is provided as a free resource for churches, non-profit
organizations, and individuals who are raising funds for good causes. Our
mission is to enable churches and non-profit
organizations to implement faith-raising programs that inspire their members to find the
"Joy of Generosity." When individuals adopt this lifestyle,
they experience giving as a joy and a privilege and eagerly contribute their
resources for the ministries and programs of their churches and non-profit
agencies who work to create a better world for all.
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Wyden Your Horizons with an attitude of Hope"Our church has been struggling financially for several decades. Every year it seems to get worse. We just can’t afford to give more. Our members are good people. We have tried to get more money for the expenses of the church. But our members say they can’t afford to give any more. " In my 20 years of assisting churches with their fund-raising needs, I have heard the above lamentation many times. Many churches in our country continually struggle financially to support their ministries, and many at this time of year put out an appeal for additional funds so that they can pay their bills as the year ends. Some of these churches due to their financial struggles have had to reduce staff and/or to decrease ministries, which, of course, creates a vicious circle of decline, because less staffing and less programming leads to less individuals attending church, which leads to less members to support the budget, and so on and so on... This plague of churches struggling financially sometimes seems to be an epidemic in our country. But I have found that it doesn’t have to be so. There usually is not a shortage of money, but rather a shortage of faith in God's providing, and a shortage of creativity in ways to inspire members to be more generous. The attitudes of the leadership of a church about money make all the difference in the world as to whether the church has enough money, or is constantly struggling. We Live in an Age of Unprecedented Wealth We live in a time when Americans have far more personal wealth than at any time in history. Compared to Americans living 50 years ago, we are incredibly wealthy. We have twice as many cars per person, our houses are twice as big, and we eat out almost three times as often. With the terribly unfortunate exception of those Americans who are living in or near the poverty level, never have so many people had so much financial wealth, had so many possessions, and had so much discretionary money to use as they desire. Yet even as many Americans are enjoying such previously unforeseen wealth, many churches in our country are struggling financially, even though much of the time their members have abundant financial resources to fully support their church's ministries and programming. The Mythology of Scarcity
Many churches in our country are growing smaller every year. They spend as little as
possible on their ministries, staffing and programming. They delay
maintenance of their facilities year after year until the necessary repairs
become extremely costly. Many members in these churches feel that it is
a virtue to not spend money in the church.
Somehow the concept of being a good steward in these churches has come to
mean not spending money. So at the end of the year it is celebrated when the
Christian Education committee has not spent all of its allocated funds
because they cut back on the educational materials that they provided for
the Sunday School. The music leadership is applauded that they used the old
music that they had on hand rather than buying new music. The Personnel
Committee is commended for doing a good job because it has kept raises for
staff to a minimum. Unfortunately this thriftiness often means that church programs and ministries are out of date and do not speak to young
people and young families who the church needs to attract if it is to have a
future. In these settings, just scraping by is seen as the way the church
should function. And of course those who believe in a theology of meagerness
in God’s providing and who adopt an Attitude of Scarcity when it comes to
providing for the church, attract other members who also believe there just isn’t enough
to go around.
The leaders of these churches
love their churches, and worry and wonder why their churches are struggling
and dying, while other churches just down the street
are thriving and growing. This Attitude of Scarcity and living as if there isn’t enough
for the church, and
there is never going to be enough, leads churches to act discouraged
and depressed. It's no wonder that people don't want to join churches with
these attitudes. The attitude that next year is going to be more difficult
than this one, and we just have to get by with less,
creates a vicious spiral that can only lead toward the death of a church. And yet many of these same people wonder why more people aren't coming to their church, but they don't seem to notice that the parking lot is decaying, and it has no landscaping, and inadequate lighting at night. They wonder why young families won’t come a second time to their church, and don't realize that it is important for the nursery to be attractive and on the same floor adjacent to the sanctuary, and that it needs to have nice furniture and cribs and new toys that are not hand me downs. There seems to be a disconnect between Sunday and the rest of the week. These churches don't seem to realize that church facilities and programs need to be constantly updated to meet the needs of each new generation. With the amazing wealth in our society the expectations about facilities and programs have risen dramatically. Churches that live with the Attitude of Scarcity are like those who look at a half glass of water and who conclude that the glass is half empty. These church leaders in effect feel that the funding for their churches is totally in their control, and vision for the future is limited because they can't see God's role in providing abundantly. On the other hand, those who look at this same half-filled glass with an Attitude of Hope, in essence see God's presence in the empty portion of the glass, and believe that God will provide resources that will overflow the glass, that the "cup" will overflow with blessings, and that miraculous blessings will come if you start out with faith. The Attitude of Hope There are also many churches in our country who have broken out of the vicious circle of the meagerness mentality. These churches face the future not with fear but with faith, and with hope that God will provide. They remember that Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life and life in abundance.” In the first line of the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews it is stated, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not yet seen." Churches and individuals that live with an Attitude of Hope function with the faith that the things they envision will become substance as they act out that faith in their giving. These churches are not shy about talking about money and giving and preaching the gospel message that giving is beneficial to the giver. They realize that Jesus spoke about money often because he knew that the major barrier to our trust in God is money. And money by its nature can be very seductive. For example, if you have a little extra money one year you may say, "I'd be wise to save some of that money for a 'rainy day.'" The following year you also have a little extra money, and you say, "I'd feel even more secure if I save a little more money for a 'rainy day.'" And this habit of thinking that your security equates with having a lot of money tucked away for a rainy day becomes ingrained to the point that some people have enough saved to be ready for Noah's time and they still worry that they don't have enough! This is obviously a very unhappy and unhopeful way to live, and Jesus wants us to live with Joy and Hope, not with worry, fear, and discouragement. Jesus had a gift for being direct. In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the 38th verse, Jesus is quoted as saying, "Give and it shall be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken and overflowing shall be poured into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back." That statement is more direct than most sermons. It is important to notice the order of events in this statement. We are expected to first give, and then God will bless us. The order is not the other way around. We often hear people say, "When I become rich, or when I win the lottery I'll give generously." Jesus makes it clear in this statement that it is important that we demonstrate our faith in God by first giving, and then God will bless us. This statement of Jesus reminds us of the statement of God from the 10th verse of the third chapter of the book of Malachi from the Old Testament. In this verse, God is quoted as saying, "Bring the full tithes ...and I will open the windows of heaven and will shower you with blessings." (notice once again the order, "Tithe, and then God will bless you.") Those individuals who I meet in my work who tell me that they have a habit of tithing always seem to be very joyful individuals. They have hopeful, enthusiastic attitudes about life, and they have faith that God will provide everything that we really need, if we have a life habit of giving generously. I have found this to be true in my life. I was not raised in a home where tithing was the norm. I did not hear anything about tithing in seminary. I first encountered the word when a layperson humbly said to me with great confidence, "I have always tithed, and God has always provided everything I needed." That statement caught my attention as this person had very humble resources, and yet had great joy for life. I began to hear that word more often, and it was always from individuals who seemed to have great peace of mind about their lives, and great confidence and with zest for life. They also often told me that the longer you tithe in your life the easier it becomes, because you get in the habit of giving the tithe in gratitude to God first, and you learn to live on what's left, but that God always seems to make sure that plenty of what is really necessary is provided. I wondered if perhaps these people knew something that I should know, and I really wanted to have the confidence, and peace of mind, and Hope and Joy that they had. So one year we decided to indicate on our Intention to Give Card an amount that was easy to figure out based on our income, but it was hard to envision how we could afford to give 10% of our income with four young children. Our indication on that card was in essence a statement of faith, the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not yet seen. Our children were young at that time, and we were living on a small church pastor's salary, but I wanted to learn if God really would provide. We changed our lifestyle, borrowed movies from the library where it's free, ate out less often, didn't buy new cars, etc. and we found that we could afford to tithe and our family did not have to go without anything that was essential. The following year I was given a bonus on my pay that was unanticipated, so we tithed on that as well to our church. Our children have now grown up in a home where tithing is the norm of life. I have found that God does provide and that you can't out-give God. If you start out by giving generously first, God truly does shower you with blessings, overflowing in your lap.
How can your church develop an Attitude of Hope? One other way to develop an Attitude of Hope in your church would be to create an opportunity where your congregation can experience God’s abundant providing. If your church has not had a positive experience of generous giving in quite awhile, it might be time to conduct an ambitious Capital Fund Campaign. By definition, Capital Fund Campaigns are conducted to enable a church to raise significant amounts of capital to provide for major repairs, renovations or additions to facilities. Capital Fund Campaigns can be wonderful, faith-raising, unifying, inspiring experiences for churches, and they can also stimulate giving for programs, ministries and operating expenses.
No matter how effective your pastoral and lay leadership may be, if your
facilities are in disrepair, or are not up to date, or are cramped or
unattractive, they can stifle your church’s ability to grow and to thrive.
Many times devoted members work very hard to try to get their churches to
grow, but they do not realize the limitations of their church’s facilities.
Inadequate facilities usually condemn a church to a continuous struggle for
survival, because their facilities do not meet the needs of younger
generations. If you want your members to experience and to enjoy the Attitude of Hope, and you want your church to thrive, it may to be time to conduct an inspiring Faith-raising Capital Fund Campaign to repair, update, renovate and possibly to expand your facilities. A Capital Fund Campaign can enable your church to raise the funds required to refurbish or add on to your present facilities, and at the same time your members will experience God’s abundant providing. Many times individuals tell me that their church's Capital Fund Campaign was the greatest faith-raising experience of their lives. Churches that have an Attitude of Hope conduct Capital Fund Campaigns often to renovate their facilities because they understand that Stewardship means being a good steward in providing the facilities, ministries and programs that are required by each new generation. They understand that if a church is to to thrive and have a wonderful future it must continually be attracting young people and young families, and nothing attracts young people to a church more than exciting joyful programming, energetic hopeful attitudes, enthusiastic state of the art facilities and inspiring ministries that meet their needs.
Having conducted Faith-raising fund-raising campaigns with hundreds of
churches I have found
that God does always provide the resources to fund required ministries.
There truly is never a shortage of money, it's rather a shortage of creativity and
faith in God’s providing. Churches that function with an Attitude of Hope,
have broken the vicious
cycle of the meagerness mentality, they have Wydened their Horizons,
and they look forward to the future with joy, enthusiasm, faith and
hope. |
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Ministry facility needs review Form Neglect in the areas listed below will limit your church’s growth
because new visitors will be turned away. Place a check in areas that
require attention. |
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PROFOUND Quotes About hope and giving (from Bits and Pieces Magazine, Lawrence Ragan Communications, Inc.)"Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have." H. Jackson Brown, Jr. "I have never seen a monument erected to a pessimist." Paul Harvey "There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things that we do." Freya Madeline Stark "Change your thoughts and you change the world." Harold R. McAlindon "You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you." John Wooden "There is nothing like a newborn baby to renew your spirit and to buttress your resolve to make the world a better place." Virginia Kelley Top |
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CHURCHES and individuals MAY BENEFIT GREATLY FROM GIVING TAX Savings Opportunity THAT ENDS in 2007As our population ages churches have more older members. Even though many of these members may be retired some of them may have significant assets. Sometimes these older members worry whether they will have enough saved up for however long they will live. But sometimes these individuals do not realize that if they give some of their appreciated assets to their church, they may also have more to spend. This can apply in many ways for retired individuals, but this year especially it can benefit older retirees. If you're 70.5 before the end of 2007 and you have a traditional or Roth IRA, you may be able to exclude from your gross taxable income IRA distributions that are directly donated to charities. The Pension Protection Act of 2006, which was extended through 2007, allows you to exclude up to $100,000 per person per year in giving to qualifying charities. To take advantage of this tax break, you must do the following:
Keep in mind that since this charitable distribution will not be included in taxable income, you cannot claim a tax deduction for the charitable contribution. This is especially good news because qualifying charitable distributions from IRAs will eliminate the need for donors to claim an income tax charitable deduction; even people who don't itemize their tax returns will enjoy the equivalent of a charitable deduction. Also, people who have reached the 50% of Adjusted Gross Income limitation can give more because the qualifying charitable distributions operate independently of the percentage limitation rules. Therefore, they don't affect other gifts to which the limitations apply. If you are interested in taking advantage of this new tax law, be sure to talk to your accountant about how to claim this exclusion from gross income on your tax returns. The IRS has not yet made this procedure clear. The above illustrations are meant to provide ideas for gifts to
charity. They are not professional recommendations. Remember to consult your
professional financial tax advisor before implementing the above
giving illustrations to see how they may or may not apply to your personal
tax situation. Top |
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more year-end giving ideas that can provide significant tax benefitsAs you consider your year-end tax planning, you will be wise to make good use of the income tax charitable deduction. Not only will this enable you to save significant taxes, but it will also enable you give more generously to make the world better. Year end giving is of course much more than tax savings, you gifts will help to bring hope to the world.
The above illustrations are meant to provide ideas for gifts to
charity. They are not professional recommendations. Remember to consult your
professional financial tax advisor before implementing the above
giving illustrations to see how they may or may not apply to your personal
tax situation. Top |
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ABOUT VANDERWYDEN CONSULTANTS, INC. . .VanderWyden Consultants provide professional fund-raising
guidance to non-profit organizations and churches who need assistance
with their fund-raising. We provide professional guidance for Capital Fund Campaigns, Stewardship
Operating Budget Campaigns, Planned Giving Campaigns, Comprehensive
Financial Feasibility Studies, and Workshops on the dynamics of stimulating growth in
membership. If you would like to meet with us, since we provide our services
throughout the United States, we may be available to meet with you and your
church leadership when we are in your area, or if your church would like to
host one of our Professional Workshops for churches or non-profit
organizations in your area. | |||||||||
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