Church Fund Raising Ideas
One of the major issues facing a church is where does a church get the funds for its expansion. The are many reasons why churches need to expand including the need for a new church building, expanding the church ministries, or creating a school or other community outreach program. So where does a church turn to when it needs to expand one of these programs. The first place that a church should look towards is the larger umbrella organization of its denomination. Many denominations have lending arms that are focused on helping to build new churches or to expand existing ones. The United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church , and the Baptist Church are just three examples of denominations that have well thought out financing options. These church funding sources will only fund churches from their own denomination. So what is an independent church or church who is not able to take advantage of their denomination’s program to do?
If you cannot fund your church through your existing relationship with a church financing organization then you will have to work with a traditional bank that lends to churches. Most banks, however, do not lend to churches so finding the right bank can be difficult. Banks that specialize in church loans typically work through brokers. These banks work through brokers because they have a hard time finding churches looking to expand and churches looking to expand have a hard time finding them. The reason that the banks tend to use brokers is that the banks speak the language of financial statements while the church pastors speak a more spiritual language. The broker’s job is to match the church with the bank that is most likely to lend them the necessary funds and to ensure that the church is prepared for the meetings and gathers all the documentation to ensure success. With the right broker the church can ensure success in its fund raising process.