If you build it they might come should be what every church entering into a building program should understand. Most churches make their first mistake in assuming that new buildings ALWAYS means new members. New members means more dollars. Those dollars will help pay for the new facility. Maybe The Field of Dreams Myth is one that I wrote about many years ago in my book, “Stewardship Myths.”
In a chapter entitled, “The Field of Dreams Myth,” I said, “This myth tells pastors and church leaders that IF they build it, they, meaning more people and more offerings, WILL come. The truth is that if you build it they MIGHT come.”
Pastors are especially prone to use the argument that a new building will cause the church to grow. They mean well. They believe it. They say it to get all the members on board. The problem is many times a new building does not materialize the kind of growth the pastor anticipates or projects to help pay for the building.
Why do pastors fall prey to The Field of Dreams Myth? Here are a few reasons…
They fall prey to comparison traps - Falling into the comparison trap is easy to do. Go to any conferences or workshop and what you hear are all the successful stories. Pastors are inundated on a daily basis with stories of success from their denomination to their mail box. It is inescapable. There are whole industries in the Christian realm that subtlety communicated that since this church did it you too can do the same. We might not like to admit it but all too often we base our views upon a comparison of other events, circumstances or friends.
The friend trap is the major comparison trap for pastors. Pastors often base their assumptions on what a friend in ministry or another church experienced. Surely if my pastor friend can build and see an attendance bump in the area he is in we with our growing city can do the same? Not necessarily! There are so many variables that go into why one church grows and another does not. A new facility is ONE part of the equation. By comparing one ministry to another ministry an incorrect conclusion can be reached that could threaten to bring down a church.
The history trap is another major comparison trap that bases the future upon the last building or last campaign. I recently had a client that raised far less than they did on their last capital campaign. Their first campaign had raised over $5 million dollars. We had told the leaders that the level of giving would be off this time compared to last time. In part we based our opinion on the interviews we held with their donors who expressed hesitancy due to the economy to give at the levels they previously did. Also, the first campaign was the first of a relocation process. First campaigns are always more successful than succeeding campaigns.
Another factor for this church that we tried to get them to consider was that the first campaign was for a new worship center. Traditionally worship centers have been the most successful in terms of raising dollars. As you attempt to build different buildings you have to accept that some will be more excited about that particular structure than others will. This church was attempting to build a children’s building. The reality was that the senior adults of the church, who had given most of the money in the first campaign, were not as disposed to give to this campaign.
Despite our advice the leaders of the church felt they knew better. When we projected a range of around $3 million dollars the pastor remarked, “We raised $5 million last time and we have grown significantly since then. I know we can do better than $3 million.” Sadly, our prediction came true and the pastor and leaders were disappointed. Their campaign would have been viewed as a success if they had had the proper perspective on what was realistic.
Church leaders need to understand that what worked in 1989 might not work the same in 2016. We are in a new era. The old norms are basically worthless for evaluating today’s challenges.
In your planning for a new project or building make sure that you are basing your projections upon something more reliable than what a friend did or what you accomplished in the past. Don’t fall prey to the comparison trap.
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
