Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

That subject has come up again at your vestry meeting. You thought you were done talking about it: It’s the wrong time, it makes people nervous, wait for the new vestry, the need isn’t that great, people just don’t have the deep pockets, we aren’t even meeting our annual budget needs, people will leave the church if we ask for more, we are here to do God’s work - not keep our buildings pretty.

Does this sound familiar? Have you had some of these same thoughts when the subject of a capital campaign is raised at your church? When speaking with other capital campaign consultants the conversation inevitably turns to the ever-present ANXIETY experienced by vestries, clergy, and committees when considering a campaign or in the midst of one. Anxiety, an extreme uneasiness of mind or brooding fear about some contingency (Merriam-Webster), is a huge impediment to churches that need to raise money for deferred maintenance, debt repayment, new buildings, or other extraordinary projects. A major task of a capital campaign consultant is to find ways to calm the fears of church leaders.

My hunch is that there has always been an element of worry associated with raising money for our churches, yet when reading church histories about how people came together to build a church in the midst of the Great Depression in the 1930s or in barely established towns, I am struck by how the burden of raising the money is not documented. The motivating factors seem to have been community and the future. Perhaps when our historic churches were built, there were greater things to fear than failure.

For those in our current culture who choose to belong to a church community, it is difficult to drown out the voices of doom. Our denomination is shrinking- we can’t maintain these old buildings- we need to outdo all the other guys in town- where are all the young families? It is especially difficult to ignore those voices when we are asking people to invest in the future of the church. But this is exactly what a successful capital campaign can do. It can turn down the volume on doom and focus the conversation on the future, God’s plan for us, and what part we play in the plan.

The key word here is “successful,” and it does not only mean reaching the monetary goal. The money is the means to allowing a congregation to engage in a common vision. New classrooms for more children, paid off debt to allow more money from the budget to be put toward ministry, air-conditioning to maximize the usage of a building for outreach or community use. If people in the pews are not invited to dream about the possibilities for the future, anxiety wins. Fear of the future wins, instead of excitement for the future.

One of my consultant colleagues actually writes “freak-outs” into the campaign plan because experience tells her when the highs and lows will occur. She says, “leadership secretly worries that they'll be tarred by the failure of the campaign; certain parishioners not-so-secretly worry that no one else will ‘step up’ to the same level as they have; and other parishioners worry that they have been led into an insane financial folly by that intransigent Old Guard.” Until you get them to the finish line.

The antidote for anxiety:

• The opportunity for all voices and ideas to be heard
• Time for consensus to form around a common vision
• Constant communications and updates
• Continual engagement of new volunteers
• Financial transparency
• All projects linked to future ministry

Once a congregation is engaged with the need for a campaign, a feasibility study is the next step of reassurance. Formally surveying the congregation provides the final information necessary for success. It establishes a realistic goal, project priorities, and is a vehicle for detailed comments of support or concern. It is often the case that once a feasibility report is delivered to the congregation, the first sigh of relief is heard, and voices of doom begin to fade. The voices get louder again before all the pledges are in, but fade out with the celebration and thanksgiving for a successful campaign.

Is your congregation riddled with anxiety over finances? Acknowledging individual fears and concerns by providing a forum for naming and addressing concerns can be a healthy first step. How might you create time – and a safe space – where members of the congregation can air their questions, concerns, and fears and participate in an open and honest dialogue?

Leslie Pendleton is associate program director and capital campaign consultant for the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF). She has worked with a diversity of congregations, enthusiastically guiding them through the communal process of a capital campaign.

Previously Leslie directed the Bishops’ Fund for Children in the Diocese of Connecticut where she was responsible for all fund raising, board development, donor relations, and writing of marketing and appeal materials. With her perspective as a clergy spouse, Leslie has in-depth knowledge of the day-to-day joys and challenges parishes face today, and she is passionate about helping congregations identify and embrace their missions for future ministry.

• “From Scarcity to Generosity” by Mary MacGregor, ECF Vital Practices’ Vestry Papers

• “The Truth Will Have To Do” by Erin Weber-Johnson, ECF Vital Practices’ Vital Post

• “Transformational Side Effects of Capital Campaigns” an ECF webinar presented by Leslie Pendleton

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