Most people think of capital campaigns as accomplishing only one thing: raising money for a defined need. But one of the best gifts of a well-done capital campaign has nothing to do with money and everything to do with the church’s greatest asset: its people.
Over the course of sixteen years I led four capital campaigns in two different churches. Each campaign had complexities and challenges. But, one of the great gifts was meeting people who were passionate about their church, watching them serve in new ways that stretched them and gave them confidence to serve in ways beyond the campaign.
Let’s explore how such campaigns can help identify and develop leaders within your congregation:
- Revealing Gifts and Passions:
- A capital campaign involves various tasks and roles, such as vision casting, prayer, communication, administration, stewardship, and follow-up. Inviting people to serve in different areas during the campaign allows you to see them in action over a short, defined period of time.
- The campaign process also helps individuals discover their talents, interests, and passions. For some individuals, this may be their first opportunity to step into a leadership role in their church.
- Providing Training and Mentoring:
- A capital campaign is an excellent occasion to equip and empower people with the skills and knowledge needed for effective leadership. Training sessions, workshops, webinars, and other gatherings allow them to engage best practices, and strategies.
- Pairing new leaders with experienced leaders allows mentoring and transfer of stories and history of the church.
- Fostering Teamwork and Collaboration:
- Capital campaigns require collective effort, encouraging everyone to work together toward a common goal. Involving people in teams or committees helps develop the relationships, trust, and accountability the Body of Christ needs in order to faithfully pursue its mission.
- Campaign leadership meetings allow a larger group of the church to share ideas, insights, and feedback during the campaign strengthens collaboration.
- Increasing Ownership and Commitment:
- A capital campaign invites people to invest in the future of your church and its ministry. By giving them a voice and a role in the process, you enhance their connection and engagement with the vision and project.
- Inspiring commitment of time, talents, and resources supports both the campaign and the life of the church. Ownership feeds investment of time, talents, and resources.
During your next campaign, watch for opportunities to share the work with potential new leaders and then after the campaign look for ways to continue to grow them into the leadership of the Body of Christ.
