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Bill McMillan & Joel Mikell > 11 Fatal Mistakes Churches Make During Capital Campaigns (part 2)
Fatal Mistake #2:
Position Your Campaign As a Necessary Evil
The capital campaign should never be presented as a necessary evil rather than an opportunity to expand the ministry reach. The difference between the two is vision casting. A captivating and compelling vision will evoke buy-in and elicit unilateral support.
Capital campaigns that are presented as opportunities to expand the ministry reach are the result of not having a big enough vision. A vision should inspire staff members, key church leaders, and the congregation. It should be big enough to seem daunting yet small enough to be reachable. When people catch a vision, they are more likely to invest in the cause.
Many church leaders make the mistake of using apologetic language to gain support. They say things like, “We hate to ask, but . . .” Rather than apologizing, leaders should talk about participating in the capital campaign as a privilege. They should ask people to invest in the larger vision of the church.
When vision accompanies the conversation, it’s easier to minimize the pressure and make the campaign more about prayer. Throughout the campaign, leaders must exhibit authentic passion for the vision and connect the vision to the campaign. Passion is contagious—but so is a lack of passion. If leaders aren’t passionate about what God is doing in their churches, capital campaigns will struggle to reach their objectives.
Some leaders make the mistake of pitting the church against the capital campaign. When people start choosing sides, they will always choose the least expensive option. In other words, when leaders apologize for the campaign, people will express their sentiment through a lack of involvement.
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Books by Bill McMillan and Joel Mikell
About Bill McMillan
Bill McMillan brings thirty years of ministry experience to the RSI team. As Executive Vice President for RSI, Bill serves his team through the management of business development with every client as well as custom services. As an RSI consultant, Bill has served many of America’s great churches to help them grow their stewardship culture and resource their visions. Some churches that Bill has served include Granger Community Church, Eagle Brook Church, Mariners Church, Bayside Church, and Gateway Church in Austin, TX. Bill earned his BA from Wayland Baptist University, his MRE from Southwestern Seminary and his MA in counseling from Texas Tech University.
About Joel Mikell
Joel Mikell, President of RSI Stewardship, has a passion for the ministry of stewardship. He has personally watched church communities, as well as individuals, experience profound spiritual growth and life transformation through stewardship journeys built around prayer and scripture. As a gifted leader and public speaker of relational, holistic stewardship, Joel feels a deep calling to serve the local church by helping them steward and resource their vision to reach people for Christ. Joel is co-author of Church Giving Matters, a book with practical tools for church leaders to give strategy and hope regarding stewardship. Joel recently released an eBook entitled Crafting a Theology of Stewardship and is co-author of The Ministry of Giving which is the only book of its kind that focuses on ministering to financial leaders in the church outside of a campaign.
