VitalChurch Ministry is excited to announce the launch of our 2020 year-end giving campaign! As a nonprofit organization, we rely on the generosity of donors to help fund our organization and ask that you prayerfully consider a year-end donation to VitalChurch.
The majority of the recurring charitable donations we receive throughout the year go to funding the salaries for our interim pastors when they’re in between assignments—when they’re either on sabbatical, spending their time training new interim pastors for our team, completing diagnostic assessments, or coaching churches they’ve worked with in the past. We greatly appreciate our donors who provide regular, ongoing gifts that support our pastors directly! We couldn’t do what we do without you!
This special year-end giving campaign is focused on raising money for a specific area that is really near and dear to our hearts: our Compassion Grant Fund. This fund provides grants to churches that we’ve determined have a great need for the services of VitalChurch’s interim pastors, but are unable to pay the full cost.
Who Benefits from VitalChurch’s Compassion Grant?
Over the years, we’ve given out multiple Compassion Grants to struggling churches. Some of these churches were in low-income areas, while others had seen years of steady decline in membership and were barely hanging on financially. Other churches just simply didn’t have the funds needed to bring in a much-needed interim pastor or to pay for an in-depth diagnostic assessment.
As an organization made up of pastors and others with a heart for struggling churches, we never want to turn away any church that needs our help because they can’t afford our services. A Compassion Grant helps bridge the gap between what it costs our organization to send our pastors to churches and what the churches can afford to pay. Compassion Grants are only possible through the generous donations of our supporters.
A Real Story from a Compassion Grant Recipient Church
Several years ago, we received a call from a church whose elder board had come to the painful decision to let their lead pastor go. Along with the popular pastor went a good portion of the church’s congregation and several key staff members. For several months, the church had been struggling—relying on the remaining staff and elder board for leadership, and guest pastors and members of the congregation to preach on Sundays. The church continued to see a steady decline in attendance over those months, as well as a decline in giving. By the time they reached out to VitalChurch, they were in a very tight financial situation.
After taking the church through a diagnostic assessment, it became clear to the elder board that the wisest decision would be to bring in an intentional interim pastor to help “right the ship” and provide the church with stability and leadership as they searched for their next lead pastor. VitalChurch agreed to send an interim pastor to the church at a reduced rate, given the church’s financial situation and their great need for our help.
During the interim pastorate period, the church diligently worked through some tough issues and faithfully followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Today, that church is thriving like never before! The new permanent pastor they hired at the end of the interim period continues to lead the church in its next phase of ministry. The congregation is more involved in the community than ever. People are coming to the Lord and there is a renewed emphasis on discipleship.
It’s exciting to watch, and we are grateful to have been a part of the transformation! However, the transformation may have never occurred without a Compassion Grant. This church simply couldn’t have afforded the full cost of bringing in an interim pastor who would guide them through their time of transition.
Our Goal
The goal of this year-end giving campaign is to raise $25,000. We want to start out the new year with a fully funded Compassion Grant Fund. We anticipate that in the next year there will be a greater need for Compassion Grants than ever. Churches are struggling financially, as many have reported that giving has declined sharply in the past year due to the coronavirus outbreak and the corresponding economic effects.
As we said before, we don’t want to turn any church away that needs our help, and being able to provide Compassion Grants to struggling churches will help ensure that we never have to. We hope you will choose to partner with us, as we partner with churches throughout the United States to bring about hope, healing, and revitalization.
Will you prayerfully consider a special year-end gift to VitalChurch?
All gifts to VitalChurch Ministry are tax deductible, as we are an approved 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve always supported one of VitalChurch’s interim pastors directly. How is this fundraising campaign different?
We have many supporters that give directly to our pastors’ individual funds on a monthly basis and we are so grateful for their support! The donations that are directed toward individuals go to fund things like the pastor’s “off time” in between church assignments and the time he spends training our new interim pastors. For this campaign, we are asking for a one-time donation that will go specifically to our Compassion Grant Fund.
Can I give to the Compassion Grant Fund after the year-end campaign is over?
Of course! We are hoping to raise $25,000 for our Compassion Grant Fund by December 31, 2020, but we will gratefully receive donations toward this purpose at any time.
Doesn’t VitalChurch charge churches for your services already? Why do you need to ask for donations?
While it’s true that churches and denominations pay us for things like diagnostic assessments, interim pastorate services, and interim pastor training, there are some parts of our ministry that aren’t funded by the fees we charge. One of those areas is our Compassion Grant Fund. We don’t want to overcharge some churches in order to subsidize the cost for others, so we ask for donations from our supporters to help bridge the gap for financially strapped churches. We do our best to keep our fees as low as possible for everyone, but some churches are just not able to afford what we charge without the help of a Compassion Grant.
What will be done with any money that is raised above $25,000?
All of the money raised in our year-end giving campaign will go toward the Compassion Grant Fund. If we go over our $25,000 goal, it just means we will be able to help more churches in need!
How do you decide which churches qualify for a Compassion Grant?
We make each decision on a case-by-case basis. We evaluate the church’s need for our services, their willingness to dedicate themselves to our process, as well as their specific financial position. Typically, by the time we start discussing the possibility of sending an interim pastor to a church, we have already gone through a thorough diagnostic assessment with them and are very familiar with their situation.