After 20 years in pastoral ministry, I am now a fund-raiser in Christian higher education. In my previous life, I thought constantly about worship services, staff hires, board meetings, and the next sermon. Now my days revolve around major gifts, capital campaigns, donor development, and the next ask.

And, surprisingly to some, I love my role here. For me, there aren't many joys greater than inviting people into a place of deeper stewardship and larger sacrifice.

I don't claim to be a fund-raising guru, but the last few years have taught me some basic lessons that I wish I'd known when I was a pastor. I offer them to you with the hope that they will be helpful in your role as chief fund-raising officer for your local church.

1. Embrace your role

I once heard a sermon on tithing begin with these exact words: "I'm sorry to have to talk to you today about money, but it's mentioned in the Bible so I guess I should preach about it once in a while." Wait ...