Most church leaders who don’t have a plan for engaging financial leaders in their church lack one for these two reasons:

1. The belief that engaging financial leaders will make them feel as if all the church cares about is their money or it shows favoritism to certain givers.

2. The lack of confidence to engage financial leaders in a way that encourages them to become significant givers.

However, as churches look to climb out of the tough times caused by the recession, we can no longer exclude anyone—including those with financial means—when it comes to developing a giving ministry. At the same time, confidence is developed when we know the proper techniques to use and the right questions to ask.

Financial leaders are a part of funding your church’s vision for the future. Doing your homework on the front end will not only help you feel more confident, but it will also ensure you’re maximizing the moments of your meetings.

As you prepare for your conversations with financial leaders, here are some general rules of engagement:

1. Know that financial leaders are already giving to a variety of other organizations. If you want them to get more involved in your church, you need to be prepared to show them where they’re needed and how they can make a unique contribution to accomplish something that is personal to them.
2. Financial leaders want to understand the why, how and what of any strategy decision a church leader makes. We’re talking about vision and mission decisions. Remember, these individuals are used to sitting at the decision-making table. They don’t want to take over your job; they already have enough responsibility. But they do want assurance that you have all your bases covered.
3. You need to be ready to share specific details if they ask. That doesn’t mean having all the answers, but it does mean demonstrating you’ve thought your ideas through.
4. Respect your time with them. Have a purpose in meeting with them. Follow up and follow through on everything they ask. Show them that you value them and their time.
5. Please don’t forget to be human. Ask them about their life, spouse and children, as well as what they like to do when they aren’t a busy professional. Few people ask them these types of questions. It also helps ease into a relationship built on mutual trust and respect.

There are financial leaders in your church right now who are waiting for you to connect with them, inspire them and help them see how they can be part of God’s plan. If you do these five things, you’ll discover what so many other church leaders have already discovered: Financial leaders know they have the ability to significantly impact the trajectory of the organizations and causes they are passionate about.

You can learn more about the mindset of a financial leader, how to identify them and how to fund your church’s vision by developing financial leaders in our newest eBook, The Ministry of Giving.

How are you going about engaging the financial leaders in your church? What part do they play in God’s plan for your church?

Tony Morgan is the chief strategic officer and founder of TonyMorganLive.com. He’s a consultant, leadership coach and writer who helps churches get unstuck and have a bigger impact. For 14 years, Tony served on the senior leadership teams at West Ridge Church (Dallas, Ga.), NewSpring Church (Anderson, S.C.) and Granger Community Church (Granger, Ind.). With Tim Stevens, Tony has co-authored Simply Strategic Stuff, Simply Strategic Volunteers and Simply Strategic Growth—each of which offers valuable, practical solutions for different aspects of church ministry. His book Killing Cockroaches (B&H Publishing) challenges leaders to focus on the priorities in life and ministry.

For the original article, visit tonymorganlive.com.

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