Seven Practices of Churches that See Salvations in Their Campaigns

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Every pastor wants to see the Kingdom of God expanded. They want to see lives changed, addictions broken, marriages restored, baptisms increased, and their communities changed by the Gospel. But oftentimes, when a church takes steps to raise financial resources, their evangelistic temperature decreases.

It shouldn’t be this way.

In fact, we believe, the evangelistic temperature should rise through a campaign, and lives should be changed for Christ, as dollars are raised to do more ministry.

Recently, INJOY Stewardship was given the honor of partnering with New Hope Oahu Church in Honolulu, Hawaii. Led by Pastor Wayne Cordeiro, New Hope sees over 11,000 people each weekend come to church.

During the campaign, INJOY Stewardship Senior Consultant Jeff Shortridge had the privilege of preaching one of their campaign messages. That weekend, Jeff taught the joy of giving, and 267 people gave their lives to Christ for the first time! Throughout that six-week sermon series that introduced the campaign to the congregation, 398 people gave their lives to Christ!

The question is: HOW?! How did New Hope position itself for revival in the middle of a capital campaign? If we dissect the details leading up to that weekend, we discover seven practices of churches that see salvation in their capital campaigns.

1. When you make your campaign a spiritual journey, not a fundraiser, you will see people meet Jesus during your capital campaign. 

A vision-driven capital stewardship campaign is about connecting people to the heart of God, not twisting their arms, or begging for money. Nothing is closer to God’s heart than those far from Him.

2. When you mobilize large numbers of people in prayer, you will see people meet Jesus during your capital campaign.

Prayer is the foundation of any successful ministry initiative, especially a campaign. Jeff helped the church’s leadership enact a series of prayer events over four weeks. All told, over 2,000 people were praying on a daily basis for their lost friends to meet Jesus as a result of the campaign.

3. When you work hard investing in the lives of unchurched people, you will see people meet Jesus during your capital campaign.

Fundraisers are easy. All you have to do is borrow someone else’s four sermon outlines, schedule a prayer event, and have dinner with cold chicken and undercooked green beans. A spiritual journey requires hard work. It takes time, effort, prayer, investment in people, and reading God’s Word every day. The payoff, however, is lives changed for eternity.

You can watch the full story here!

4. When you make prayer easy and accessible, you will see people meet Jesus during your capital campaign.

Provide easy on-ramps during the spiritual journey. The people in your church are at different levels of spiritual maturity, so you must make prayer easy to integrate into their lives. New Hope utilized daily text messages and devotionals to guide their people through the process. 

5. When you preach on sacrifice, you will see people meet Jesus during your capital campaign.

In fact, you need to preach on sacrifice MORE than generosity. Though the term generosity isn’t as invasive as a sacrifice, the results have proven to be less effective. God is not calling you to just be generous, He is calling you to sacrifice. This is what Jesus did for us, and wants us to communicate to people in our churches, and spheres of influence.

6. When you focus on life-change, instead of money, you will see people meet Jesus during your capital campaign.

The campaign is about life change, not money. This point cannot be overstated. Jesus wants all of you, especially your heart. Money is simply the vehicle that reveals the affection of your heart. 

7. When you focus on the life-change a project will facilitate, not the project itself, you will see people meet Jesus during your capital campaign.

The campaign is about life change, not buildings or debt reduction. A vision-driven capital campaign is not about a facility, it is about what the facility facilitates – more people taking next steps, finding community, and meeting Jesus for the very first time. 

New Hope Oahu applied these seven practices during their capital campaign. Not only have they seen incredible life-change, but they are also thrilled with their financial results. The same can happen at your church.

If you’re church is looking to accomplish your vision and make an impact you can get in touch with our team below!

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