Return on Investment
Fundraising to get CCW started this fall has been a new adventure for me. I am so grateful to the individuals and churches that have generously partnered with us. We have a dream of reaching the 250,000+ young adults aged 18-29 in Northeast Florida. Every dollar we've received confirms for us that this is a dream worth pursuing. I cannot tell you how motivating and exciting it has been watching God fund this dream.A few weeks ago, I was at the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The delegation of clergy and lay members approved the 2012 budget which included a significant increase in the campus ministry line item. While many UM Conferences (as well as whole denominations) are decreasing their funds for campus ministry, Florida continues to increase its support of ministry to the next generation. As I sat in the room after the budget was passed, I felt that sense of excitement and motivation for the work I am allowed to do.My excitement has been sobered tonight after reading a compelling post by Seth Godin. The title says it all: "Getting funded is not the same as succeeding." Such an obvious sentence led to a convicting two minutes.So much of our time is spent on garnering support. Not just for ministry, but for any new venture. This is an essential step, but only a step...not the destination. My response to the partners of CCW is not simply 'thank you so much', but also sweat equity and by God's grace, results that people can get their hands, head or at least hearts around. It will be appropriate for the Annual Conference in a few years time to ask the question, 'what did you do with that money?' Expecting a return on investment is not just good money management, it is also biblical.Most of us have already received more than our share of support and partnership for the dreams in our hearts.