How will your story end? Will life stewardship of your assets include a concern for the lostness of this fallen world? The church armed with the gospel represents the only hope for the lost. If the Foundation can assist you or your church, please call on us. Lost souls hang in the balance.   

Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) are the fastest-growing charitable giving vehicle in the United States because they are one of the easiest, most efficient, and tax-advantageous ways to give to charity. A DAF is like a charitable investment account that provides the donor with an immediate tax deduction for a charitable contribution while allowing the donor to advise on the support of charitable organizations they care about. Setting up a DAF at the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation and utilizing it to manage your charitable contributions is easier than you think. 

Robinwood Baptist Church (RBC) has needed revitalization for decades and ensuring the church’s survival has defined my ministry as the Senior Pastor. Our church’s vision is to remove obstacles standing in the way of accomplishing our mission. Thankfully, God has made those obstacles abundantly obvious (Prov 29:18).

The greatest wealth transfer in modern history has begun. As churches formulate stewardship strategies, including planned giving and creating legacy-giving opportunities is no longer optional.

There is a healthy tension between having faith in God to provide needed resources and our responsibility to steward financial resources to prepare for future times of need. Preparation for the future is essential, and so is the proper stewardship and utilization of resources today for kingdom purposes.

The property and facilities of a church are the most significant financial investment most ministries will make. The cost of these buildings is not just made up of the cost to construct them. Maintenance, utility, and insurance costs add to the total costs of owning facilities and are typically the second-highest expense in the church’s budget. This knowledge makes proper stewardship of your facilities a critical factor in the health of your church. But how do you become a good steward of your building?

Tate Springs was in over 1 million dollars of debt when I arrived, and if we wanted to get across the street, we needed to eradicate the debt. So, I leaned into Bart and Russ, who counseled Tate Springs and me towards eliminating our debt and communicating what I believed God’s vision was for Tate Springs. The result was paying off over $800,000 of debt in a little over a year!

Often when stewardship is emphasized, we encounter an opposing cynical perspective. From the vantage point of many, the only thing the church is interested in is something they have and something they think we need or want – their money. In actuality, the only thing the church wants is something we have and something they desperately need – their salvation.

If I could reiterate one thing— everything we did regarding moving the location of our campus and the type of building we built was all with the mission and vision as “the why”. It was and still is all about being the church God has called us to be and seeing more and more people come to know and follow Jesus.

Our testimony is that when we increased our giving up to at least a tithe, we have never missed the money because the Lord has blessed us even more than we gave.

The journey hasn’t always been easy.  Central Baptist Church faced financial challenges as building costs were greater than expected, and the $1 million project quickly turned into more than $2 million.  Yet amid challenges, doubts, and weakness, God proved His strength and faithfulness over and over again

If I were to take the Proverb and reduce it to a principle, I might offer the following: Generosity always returns benefit to those who give. I pray a spirit of generosity will prevail on our churches and on all who follow Christ and fund His ongoing work.

In the absence of compassion, there is indifference – an unwillingness to get involved, but true compassion always acts; it always meets a need for the benefit of others.

Being creative in your building space use can allow the church to offer additional ministries without creating an additional financial burden on your ministry.

We believe the best approach to church budgeting frames the budget around your church’s unique ministry vision, includes a long-term perspective, considers industry standards of similar-sized churches, and then makes adjustments to fit your church’s unique attributes.

For a long time, our prayer was to be debt-free, allowing us financial freedom not only from lenders, but freedom to give more generously to God’s Kingdom work.

COVID made ‘Going’ difficult; however, it didn’t diminish the desire to help spread the gospel. Fairdale Baptist Church recognizes the strengths of culturally similar brothers and sisters sharing the gospel with their community. Using interest earned through CET investments to support these ministries is a blessing and a joy to the congregation.

“I would strongly recommend to any pastor that they have an estate planning seminar at their church,” says Pastor Edwards. North Park had as many young couples as senior adults who were interested in preparing a will. Planned giving is an excellent opportunity for churches to provide a way for its members to leave a legacy to the gospel through their church. Pastor Edwards says, “My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner!”

For other pastors wondering, like we did, “What are CET investments, and what’s the catch?” I offer this advice…

Have you ever felt bound by your facility's limitations, but knew God was calling you to do more? Maybe your church's vision surpassed your existing resources? This very challenge was met head-on by the dedicated members of Crossroads Church in Rowlett, Texas.