What you can do today to significantly improve your church’s financial outlook
It’s my honor to help you get the money you need to pay your people and keep your ministry liquid during these challenging times | by Don Corder
It’s my honor to help you ride out and even move your mission forward during our current global crisis. Let me give you two thoughts before I start: 1. The church is not a business. 2. The church conducts business and business is better conducted by business people. The greatest privilege of my life as a business person is to serve God by serving pastors. Here are a couple of business actions your church can take right now to reduce your financial burden during these uncertain times.
First, if your church has a loan for which it currently makes payments, call that lending institution and ask first that all loan payments be deferred for April, May and June. Should your lender say yes, you should understand that the interest on the loan will continue to grow and be added to the loan principal. Just by making calls and calling on banks, I was able to save my clients who are churches a total of over one million dollars.
Should the lender say “no,” ask them if you can pay “interest only” for the same period of time. If they still say “no,” look for another bank. I encourage you to consider this business principle: banks are in the business of selling money and their price is services, interest, and fees. You are the customer. They have competitors and all businesses need more customers.
Second, I encourage you to preach about giving. In Genesis chapter 26, we read of a famine in Israel. Many people were heading south to Egypt where conditions were less severe. But God said to Isaac, “Do not go down to Egypt. Abide where I tell you. There I will be with you and I will bless you.”
Isaac obeyed God. In the middle of a drought, Isaac took God at His word and planted crops and dug wells. Isaac stepped out in faith, without fear, and chose to live like there was no drought. And, he let everyone see him do it.
I suggest to you as a pastor to ask parishioners to make a (additional) pledge of $xxx per week while the church is closed and make the payments via auto giving. Ask them to sow in a drought and watch God bless them.
Third, familiarize yourself with the Stimulus package.
NOTE: I will continue to communicate via email how the stimulus package works
The line to get a loan will probably be long. I recommend you call your banker Monday morning to get an appointment to discuss the stimulus package and its provisions for churches and charities.
I have already started meeting with bankers to discuss how to help churches benefit from the bill. It is my intention for my company, the Provisum Group, to become an expert in this bill (and especially the process) so we can help you get the money you need to pay your people and keep your ministry liquid during these challenging times.
Whew! I know that is a lot. If you would like to discuss more with me personally, respond to this email and we can schedule a time.
You are being asked to lead in a time for which few (if any) people are trained or prepared. Many people are looking to you for confidence and hope. With that in mind, I leave you with this thought:
In the middle of a drought, Isaac planted crops in faith and was blessed for it.
