There is a distinct mix of anticipation and apprehension that hits a parish leadership team when a building project is put on the table. The mission potential of a new church building, an extended ministry centre, or a community facility is undeniably exciting, but these projects require significant financial investment that standard weekly giving rarely covers.
When anxiety takes over, too often church leaders approach property fundraising with a sense of reluctant obligation, or even awkwardness, worried that talking about money will be perceived as coercive or transactional. It’s not unusual for ministry leaders to express: “I just want to preach the gospel, not talk about money.”
But according to Ed Hercus, Head of New Churches for New Communities (NCNC) – the fundraising arm of Sydney Anglican Property (SAP) – this hesitancy misinterprets the very nature of Christian generosity. After spending the last decade aligning believers with gospel projects, Ed views fundraising not as an administrative chore, but as a pastoral privilege.
“In my work, I get to marry people up to things they are going to love being a part of,” Ed says. “The gold standard is when giving comes from a place of freedom and joy, not obligation or guilt.”
For parish leaders looking down the barrel of a major property project, reshaping the conversation around this theme of joyful giving is the key to unlocking both the necessary funds and an engaged congregation.
Fundraising in a Christian context
In the secular non-profit sector, the difficulty is that fundraising often has to operate in the shallows.
Organisations without a deeply engaged base frequently rely on high-volume, transactional strategies: charity street fundraising, emotive imagery designed to evoke short-term guilt, or gimmicks that are unrelated to the cause such as raffles promising luxury cars. The return from this kind of approach is sometimes known as ‘go-away money’.
Ed explains: “A donor will give enough money to get the fundraiser off their back, but the future association with that organisation often isn’t positive. It made you feel terrible. You gave, but you aren’t warmly engaged with the cause.”
The good news for Christian leaders is that the church context offers an entirely different platform. Because the ‘target market’ is bound by a shared faith, leaders have the unique opportunity to invite people into a much deeper, higher-quality relationship with the project.
Furthermore, the Christian mandate for generosity is robust. It survives economic downturns and cost-of-living crises because it is driven by deep gospel conviction rather than spare cash. Old Testament practices like the Year of Jubilee, as well as numerous New Testament texts, remind us that our property, money and resources are not fundamentally our own. We are merely temporary stewards.
Ed notes that during seasons of economic pressure, secular charities often experience sharp drops in revenue, but Christian giving frequently tells a different story.
“At times when things are hardest, Christians are more inclined to double down,” Ed says. “When external pressures rise, the church recognises that the mission is more important than ever. The conviction to give is resilient.”
Ultimately, the underlying driver of financial generosity is spiritual maturity. Research from the National Church Life Survey (NCLS) indicates an eye-opening correlation: church attendees who report that they are actively growing spiritually give, on average, three times more than those who are stagnant.
As Martin Luther famously observed, conversion travels from the head to the heart, and then finally to the wallet. Rev. Dr Rod Irvine, former rector in the Diocese of Sydney and author of Giving Generously, similarly described giving as a “barometer for the soul”.
For a rector or warden in a healthy, functional church, this should bring freedom and motivation to ask for money with confidence. The primary strategy for a property campaign is the steady, faithful discipleship of your people. When hearts are captured by Christ, generosity follows organically.
Funding the vision, not the bill
A common pitfall in church property campaigns is focusing too much on the financial target itself, rather than what that target achieves. According to Ed, the most successful fundraising occurs when there is a powerful, clearly articulated gospel vision.
“A flawed campaign that focuses too much on convincing people to give something up can feel like trying to get water from a stone,” Ed says. “But if you develop a really powerful way of communicating the vision, people will want to be on board, even to a sacrificial level.”
When a parish is only asked to meet a budget or pay off a debt, the ask feels utilitarian and uninspiring. Low-vision appeals, like comparing a donation to “the equivalent of one coffee a week”, often backfire because they minimise the significance of the mission. If a cause requires so little sacrifice, it can hardly feel worth supporting.
True generosity is unleashed when the congregation is invited to lose their hearts to a grand gospel outcome.
According to Ed, the real measure of success is: Have you inspired people to give their hearts to something they’re really going to love, something that excites them enough to dig deep? “The good news for ministers of the gospel is that they’re already in the business of transforming hearts via an inspiring message, so this is really just an extension of that existing vocation.”
Secondary tools: accelerants, not substitutes
Parish leaders often ask about mechanisms like Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status for building funds, or dollar-matching campaigns. Are these effective in raising more money?
Ed says the short answer is yes – but only when they serve a clear, captivating vision.
DGR status is highly valuable because it allows donors to give out of their pre-tax income, maximising the efficiency of their wealth. Similarly, a matching scheme, where a generous donor pledges to match all congregational gifts up to a certain threshold, can create a wonderful sense of corporate momentum.
Mathematically, when you combine a tax-deductible structure with a dollar-for-dollar matching scheme, a donor’s out-of-pocket cost of $1,000 can effectively translate into nearly $4,000 landing in the church building fund.
These mechanisms are excellent secondary tools that can enhance the enjoyment of giving, allowing the congregation to watch their collective efforts multiply. However, Ed cautions against relying on them as standalone strategies. A matching fund will not salvage a project if the congregation does not care about the underlying cause. The logistics of the gift are always secondary to the compelling nature of the vision.
Reimagining the major donor conversation as discipleship
When you need a huge sum of money for a building project, it’s really helpful to have at least a few very large gifts in the mix. But it can be a challenge for a minister or warden to sit down with a wealthy congregant to ask for a significant financial commitment. It can feel awkward, intimidating, or even inappropriate.
However, Ed points out that asking someone to give generously can actually be an act of pastoral care. Romans 12 makes it clear that giving is a spiritual gift. Just as a rector would intentionally encourage, equip and challenge a member with the gift of evangelism or teaching, they must also pastor those whom God has blessed with the capacity to fund gospel ministry.
When approaching these conversations, Ed says that parish leaders should keep three principles in mind:
1. Listen well to understand their stewardship charter
Most individuals who have accumulated significant wealth have formed – either formally or informally – a ‘charter’ of how they believe God wants them to steward those resources. Before presenting a proposal, spend time listening. Find out what aspects of gospel ministry move them deeply, what they care about, and where they want to leave a legacy.
2. Understand asset liquidity
A common mistake is assuming that wealth equates to readily available cash. Many asset-rich believers do not have vast sums sitting in a bank account – their wealth is tied up in businesses, property or investment funds. When you ask for a major gift toward a building project, you are often asking them to make a strategic decision to liquidate an asset, and this takes time. This requires a robust, well-managed proposition that honours the gravity of that decision and allows sufficient time for it to happen.
3. Focus on capacity building
While Ed believes every believer should participate in percentage-based giving to cover day-to-day operational expenses of the church like wages and electricity, major donors are often particularly motivated by capacity building. They want to build things that yield long-term ministry returns.
“If you have wealthy people in your church, look to see if there is a way of packaging up a tangible project that suits their capacity,” Ed suggests. “Instead of talking about standard percentage giving, you might say, ‘Our parish desperately needs a top-tier playground to attract local young families. It will cost $250,000. Would your family consider funding this capacity-building asset as part of your legacy?’ People who have built wealth often by nature love to build things that catalyse growth.”
The ultimate goal: a delighted church
When a giving campaign is run with vision and joy at its heart, it doesn’t leave a congregation feeling drained or manipulated. Instead, it becomes a high point in the life of the parish.
Ed recalls being struck by this dynamic at a ministry conference in the early 2000s. A church planter working in an impoverished area of Peru was interviewed via video link and shared his vision to rescue vulnerable street children by building a ministry compound – a project requiring $400,000 over a ten-year period.
At the end of the video, the event MC stood up and challenged the room to raise the entire amount right then and there.
“The atmosphere shifted instantly,” Ed remembers. “I felt the hair on my arms standing up. I ended up giving in a way that felt sacrificial at the time because I just wanted to be part of what God was doing.”
Twenty minutes later, the total was counted and they called the church planter back to tell him the project was fully funded.
“The man burst into tears on screen, his family came running into the room, and the kids started dancing,” Ed says. “For the donors in the room, it was easily the best part of the entire conference. It was incredibly fun – not an emotion we normally associate with giving! It was a wonderful demonstration of how giving can be an experience of pure joy.”
When church leaders confidently cast a faithful, self-sacrificial vision for a new property project, they are not begging for money. They are inviting their congregation to experience the delight of seeing their earthly treasure transformed into an enduring legacy.