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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:

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.

The commitment of the congregation is vital, and the real leaders of the church must be up front. But the pastor has the toughest job. A capital campaign will require you to step out of your role as pastor and become spokesman for the project.

The pastor must be bold, as bold as when he's preaching. I told our congregation plainly, "This building is not about me. When I retire I can't take any of this with me. And nobody made you join this church; but when you joined you made a commitment to be part of this work. So we're asking for your pledge, and we're expecting to hear from you." And we did.

In our last campaign, 92 percent of the pledges were returned in the first week, twice the average.

Yes. Most pastors do. We've had three campaigns, and we've employed a consultant on all three. The reason is most pastors are not gifted in fundraising, and we need guidance for that.

Normally, the pastor must call on those who are expected to give the most. It requires great humility to ask people, "What will you give to help us?" If I wasn't leading the project, I wouldn't sign up for this job—no one wants to feel like a fundraiser—but great churches aren't built unless the leaders are willing to ask the hard questions.

Ask around and ask for references.

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