The Impact Of Serving Leaders For 20 Years

August 26, 2002

On August 26, 2002 I walked into the doors for the very first time as a member of John Maxwell’s INJOY Stewardship Solutions.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  The building was a large warehouse.  Offices aligned the perimeter of the building but countless 5-foot high cubicles were as far as your eye could see.  John’s books were in every workspace.  Pictures of John with dignitaries and other forms of memorabilia occupied the center of the building near the restrooms and break room.

I was welcomed by then-INJOY Stewardship president Dave Sutherland who welcomed me and told me “to lose the tie.”  He showed me the cubicle I would occupy.  I then met with the IT team (James, Piper, and Rong), three of the nicest people you would ever meet, who set me up with logins and password.  Shortly thereafter, I attended my first team meeting at 8:30 AM.

As the morning progressed, I was introduced to the term “vision-driven capital campaign” and began training on how to help churches raise more money for more ministry. That was August 26, 2002.

I had no idea what to expect that day or moving forward.  I just wanted to work for my hero John Maxwell, financially provide for my wife and 3-year old daughter, and help some pastors and church leaders reach their full redemptive potential.  I was a young man with big dreams who felt the rest of my life had just changed.

I was right.

I’ve been doing that (and A LOT more) for the last 20 years.  For those who I serve through INJOY Stewardship, they primarily know me as someone who helps them with capital campaigns, generosity initiatives, increasing regular giving, and creating/expanding cultures of generosity.

These well-meaning people think what “I do” is capital campaigns.  But capital campaigns, generosity initiatives, and regular giving are merely the vehicles to allow me to do what I’ve actually been doing for the last 20 years, facilitating life-change.

What I Actually Do is Help Move Churches and Their People From Transaction to Transformation

I don’t do heavy-handed fundraisers.  Through the power of partnership, I help churches and their people move from Transaction to Transformation.  Allow me to explain….

1. Where there is no vision the people perish.  Where there are no financial resources, the vision perishes.  I help pastors and church leaders fully-fund their mission and vision.  Therefore….
2. I help pastors have less stress.
3. I help pastors have the funds to get help and hire more staff.
4. I help bi-vocational pastors go full-time.
5. I help pastors protect and increase their level of trust with the people.
6. I help create free downloadable resources for pastors and church leaders to better educate them by providing a biblical worldview in the area of generosity.
7. I help pastors and church leaders with free online coaching.
8. I help pastors learn how to better preach about money and possessions.
9. I help remove the fear of preaching on money and possessions.
10. I help pastors save time with sermon outlines on money and possessions.
11. I help pastors and church leaders have a data-driven, realistic understanding of the overall culture of generosity in the church.
12. I protect pastors by helping them set realistic goals for their campaigns.
13. I help pastors stay in their jobs longer.
14. I protect pastors from potential burnout.
15. I protect pastors from becoming “former pastors” as a result of doing in-house campaigns.
16. I help churches payoff debt and have more money for more ministry.
17. I help make Debt Retirement Campaigns fun.  Yes, I said that right!
18. I help churches launch new campuses.
19. I help churches create more gathering space for fellowship and community.
20. I help churches with renovations so they do not repel first-time guests.
21. Therefore, I help retain a higher percentage of first-time guests.
22. I help churches close their back door.
23. I help churches identify new leaders in the church and enlist them for meaningful service.
24. I help raise the evangelism temperature in the church.
25. I help raise the volunteer temperature in the church.
26. I help create systems to get people into budgeting classes.
27. I help people learn to live with financial margin.
28. I help marriages have less stress and have more emotional health.
29. I help parents potentially raise children with increased emotional health.
30. I help families prepare for a bright financial future.
31. I educate and help committees, Boards, Councils, Sessions, and executive teams better frame their church’s financial future in light of its ministry plan.
32. I help raise up first-time givers.
33. I help identify first-time givers.
34. I help disciple first-time givers.
35. I help in communicating with first-time givers.
36. I help churches setup digital giving.
37. I help provide platforms so young people who limited financial means can be more generous.
38. I help churches save money from unnecessary fees by pointing them to the best digital giving platforms.
39. I help pastors disciple financial leaders.
40. I help pastors overcome the fear of discipling financial leaders.
41. I help people who can buy anything experience the one thing they cannot buy – Jesus.
42. I help churches have more money to invest in their communities.
43. As a result, I help churches enable local schools to have more resources to better educate their students.
44. I help churches have more resources to feed hungry people.
45. I help churches have more resources to serve the poor and under-resourced with housing, job training, and nutritional care.
46. I help churches have more resources to counsel the broken, hurting, and addicted and help them experience a better life.
47. I help people test God and allow them to see how Malachi 3 can become real in their lives.
48. I help pastors and church leaders have a system to maximize year-end giving.  31% of all giving to the average church happens in the month of December.  12% of a church’s entire annual giving happens in just three days from December 29 to 31.
49. I help pastors and church leaders find quality architects, builders, and lending institutions.
50. I help pastors and church leaders know the best conferences to attend.
51. I help pastors and church leaders by providing a confidential and safe space where they can have leadership conversations with a trusted friend that they cannot have with others.
52. I help pastors and church leaders get facilities built which will facilitate more lives being changed for eternity.
53. I help young families (particularly young wives and mothers) not experience compounded tragedy if their spouse dies by making sure they have wills.
54. I help older saints leave a legacy of generosity with proper estate planning.
55. I help pastors and church leaders find joy and fulfillment in their calling.
56. I help pastors and church leaders by listening to and praying for them.
57. I help pastors and church leaders win.
58. I help pastors and church leaders celebrate with their people.
59. I help pastors and church leaders reach their full leadership potential.
60. I help pastors and church leaders be a part of God’s redemptive plan of changing lives for eternity.

Capital campaigns and Annual Giving plans are the vehicles, but this list of 60 items is what I actually do every single day.

Now this is an impossible list to do by yourself. My main role is to identify needs and opportunity, provide potential solutions, and get the ball rolling!  That is why I’m so grateful for my fellow teammates at INJOY Stewardship who help make all of this a reality.  We all play a role in this list of 60.  As John Maxwell says, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

It’s been a phenomenal 20 years of serving pastors and church leaders!  If you need to raise significant capital or increase regular giving, but want the process to be about Transformation not Transaction, reply to this post or email me at briand@injoystewardship.com and we will have a conversation.  I’d love to hear your story and potentially serve you as well.

God bless.

2021 The Year In Leadership: The Stories Of Faith, Business, Sports, And Life Which Inspired Us All is my most recent book.  It may be self-serving but do you feel ill-equipped to handle the leadership challenges of a pandemic and post-pandemic world?  If so, you no longer have to.  Over 80 of his most popular articles make up the pages of this book.  Each chapter is filled with wisdom and insights from the leaders who succeeded and struggled during 2021.  I take lessons from all walks of life and gives you practical steps on how to best use them in your own leadership.  As you will discover, the stories are entertaining, challenging, inspiring, and sometimes even sobering. By learning the lessons from 2021, it helps ensure you have the potential to become the leader God meant for you to be in the days ahead.