Are you making a million-dollar mistake?

The Space Shuttle Discovery recently blasted off into space amid great concern for its safety. That concern was based in part from the failed re-entry of Columbia in 2003. It was not until 2005 that Discovery flew at all, after months of attempting to correct the errors that led to the fatal crash of Columbia.

Mistakes were made on Columbia that cost lives and millions of dollars. It took NASA months of study and research to correct those flaws before the space shuttle program ever got back up in space. Mistakes almost always costs time, money, momentum -- and sometimes lives.

We are often asked what mistakes churches and Christian leaders make with regards to stewardship issues, specifically capital stewardship campaigns. The list that follows points out a few of the more prominent mistakes. While the mistakes made aren't fatal, as in the Columbia disaster, they nonetheless can set back programs. Mistakes can lead to costs in time, money and momentum. They cost ministries the opportunities that God places before them.

Mistakes are not insurmountable, but they can be avoided altogether. One way is by identifying them before you commit them. That's what we'll attempt to do here.

Mistake No. 1: Not starting soon enough. Immediately after the Columbia disaster, NASA began preparing for the next launch. The successful re-launch was a result of starting well in advance to make sure everything went smoothly. Too often, Christian leaders don't start soon enough to see their project successfully launch.

Though every mistake is crucial, this one might be at the top. Repeatedly, we hear pastors and Christian leaders say, “I wish we would have started sooner.” Or, “I wish I would have brought you all in sooner.”

We find that time and again, churches and Christian leaders are late in their planning for capital projects. Often, they've already announced to the congregation the upcoming campaign, only to discover they're not fully ready. The time to start working on the capital campaign is the minute you know you'll need to raise funds. Getting a late start in your planning and preparation will cause you untold labor and the potential of countless mistakes.

At The Charis Group, we're working with churches that are months from their campaign actually taking place. The work now is on vision alignment. It's upon laying a groundwork that ensures that when the campaign is launched, it will be a smooth launch, giving the ministry the best chance for success.

Don’t wait too late to engage your stewardship partner. By engaging them now, you'll bring their experience to the table, and thus give you a chance to avoid costly mistakes. They know how to help you manage the various tracks you'll face while attempting to successfully pull off the project God has laid upon your heart.

Mistake No. 2: Being single-focused vs. multi-focused. Years ago, there was a chess game that was played upon three levels. Regular chess is complicated enough. Can you image what it would be like to play on threelevels?

Life is never played on one level alone. You can be sure that projects are more complex than a simple level. Projects have multiple levels or tracks with time lines that intersect. We tend to deal with one problem at a time or one issue at a time. This can result in a huge mistake. Often, Christian leaders wait until it's too late to start the stewardship campaign due to the fact that they're focused on other issues. You must know how to manage each level at the same time.

The tendency we see is for leaders to work upon one track at a time, and thus lose valuable time and momentum. That loss can sometimes result in thousands, if not millions, of dollars lost to your ministry. Do you know what tracks you'll be faced with as you consider bring your project to completion? Do you know the timelines for each? Are you single-focused or multi-focused?

Mistake No. 3: Premature launch. Discovery did not launch until everything was ready and the conditions were right. Launching too early could have doomed the flight. Too often, we see Christian ministries launching their project before all systems are go. The result is that they raise considerable less than they might have had the launch been more carefully thought-out.

A premature launch is not the same thing as not starting soon enough. Not starting soon enough is a lack of planning; a premature launch is starting before all systems are go with regards to your project and your leadership. Starting before your key leaders are informed and onboard is a premature launch. Starting before you have all the various pieces in place is a premature launch. Starting before you have all the answers -- or even know all the questions -- is a premature launch.

Do you know how to ensure that your campaigns launch is not premature? Avoiding this mistake will save you time, momentum and money.

Mistake No. 4: The Lone Ranger mentality. Our friend Pastor Jimmy Washington once told a group of pastors that they needed a stewardship partner. He asked, “Would you think of building a building without an architect? Why, then, would you attempt to raise funds without a partner?”

Yet, too often we see ministries that feel they can go it alone. As we have stated, campaigns are complex. Stewardship partners have the training and experience that you often don't. It's not that you're not smart enough, but do you have the time to invest to get up to speed on all the issues you will face?

Churches that go it alone have a proven track record of raising anywhere from 30% to 50% less than if they had a partner. Don’t risk making this mistake that will cost you dollars.

Mistake No. 5: Going cheap. We once worked with a pastor who proudly wanted to show the video the church had put together for the upcoming campaign. He said, “This video didn't cost us a thing!” Thirty seconds into it, it was evident that it wasn't worth a thing!

We often have churches and Christian ministries while trying to raise millions balk at spending money to effectively tell their story. While it doesn't follow that the more money you spend, the more will come in, you do need to understand that your message can't look cheap or be ineffective. Effectiveness is the key, not cost. We have had churches spend more than $10,000 on a video walk-through of their new building. That might seem like a lot, but the computer-generated visual gave members the vision of what could be if they rallied to support it. The dollars raised more than paid for the expense of the video. The same can be said for going it alone. Often, the real reason is the price of the partnership. Yet, if you spent $30,000 to $100,000 and raised 30% to 50% more than you would on your own, wouldn’t that expense be worth it?

Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of going cheap. It will only cost you money in the end!

Jesus in Luke Chapter 14 asked, Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? Though the original intent of this passage deals with the cost of discipleship, the principle is fitting in other arenas as well.

Without sitting down and counting the cost, thinking through all the issues, mistakes will inevitably happen. A good partner can help alleviate those mistakes. Avoid these mistakes and you'll see your project go much smoother and raise more dollars to support that dream God has given you.

Dream big for the Kingdom!

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Mark Brooks is the founding partner of The Charis Group. For more helpful articles, visit  www.TheCharisGroup.org .