Ben Stroup,
Author of the new book Church Giving Matters

Fully funding your youth ministry will look different in every context. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. (Sorry!) Jesus told us that the harvest was plentiful but the workers were few. We typically interpret this with the lens of evangelism. I think this also applies to ministry funding. The easiest way to raise money is to tell a compelling story that inspires someone else to support (or better fund) your ministry. If transformation is taking place within the lives of your students, tell anyone and everyone who will listen. That begins with the people who sit in the pews of your church.

I’ve been in small church youth ministry. It’s tough. I remember the first few months I was one staff at my last church. The youth ministry seemed to be in a perpetual fund-raising mode. As a former youth minister and now pastor, I realized that planning and executing a fund-raising event was as complex and involved as the mission trips we were attempting to fund. I knew there had to be another way to fund what I believed to be one of the most important ministries of our church.

No one raised their hand when they decided to take on a ministry leadership position thinking they would ever have to deal with funding their ministry budgets. In fact, most people drawn to such positions are averse to the subject of money simply because it has been the bane of so many for so long.

However, no ministry leader can escape the subject of money. The reality is that ministry–even small church youth ministry–takes money. As the demands on small churches continue to increase, the tension of fully-funding that ministry rises. What I’ve done in Church Giving Matters is translate non-profit funding strategies into the language and practice of local church ministry. It’s not beyond the reach of any ministry leader, but it does require us to be intentional about EVERYTHING we do.

People give to causes or organizations that help them achieve something they can’t do on their own. Think of your church membership as investors. What do you think you’d need to tell them, or what would they need to hear in order to invest in your venture? Once you figure that out, you’ve done the hard part. Now, tell them. Only don’t tell them once, tell them again…and again…and again. Don’t be obnoxious, but realize that people forget, especially people who aren’t as close to the operations of your youth ministry as you are.

Giving is an outward sign of an inward commitment. When you capture the heart of the people in your pew, giving will follow. Since there are more than three times the number of traditional non-profits seeking the dollars of the people who sit in our pews, it’s essential that we make a compelling case grounded in the ministry and transformation taking place, something only the Church can foster and facilitate through the work of the Holy Spirit.

I know you can do this. We just have to begin thinking about the subject of funding ministry differently. A friend gave me some advice a long time ago that I tell myself often: Look it in the teeth (even if it bites back)!

Ben Stroup, Chief Broker of Opportunity
LifeWay Envelope Service
“More Money. More Ministry.”

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Editor’s Note: Ben’s new book, Church Giving Matters, releases in June. While it is not targeted to youth leaders in small churches, the principles are directly applicable to the work we do as small church youth leaders. For more information, check out www.churchgivingmatters.com.