Eight Key Questions
October 1, 2002
Westside Baptist Church in Fort Pierce, Florida, was once a quaint family chapel on half a city block. Charter members recall fondly how the old chapel was floated on two barges down the inter-coastal canal from a military base and reassembled on the edge of town. And there it sat for almost 50 years as the church grew to 200 and the town grew up around it. Today the church has relocated to 86 acres with interstate highway frontage. We have completed three capital campaigns. A fourth, to build a new sanctuary, is next, and we're developing a 116-unit retirement community. I often get calls from pastors asking how to handle a fundraising campaign. Here are the questions I hear frequently: 1. Will a capital campaign work in my church?
The success of the program is partly related to the nature of the project. Our first project was to buy land and build our first building. We had a capital campaign and a $1 million bond issue, and the people fully supported both. Our second campaign was for an education building, which cost $425,000. Five years later we raised $1.8 million for a family life center. The people really got behind that one. But the success of the campaign doesn't start with the vision or the blueprints or the fund drive. It starts well before that. The pastor must be certain they have the Lord's leading. And the people who really hold power in the church must support it. If not, don't bother to start a fund drive. First schedule the kitchen table visits with the leaders to talk about the future of the church. When the people are supporting the pastor and the vision, then a campaign will roll on its own momentum. 2. Who should lead the campaign?
The commitment of the congregation is vital, and the real leaders of the church ...
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