Cedar Hill United Methodist Church will mark 150 years in a rapidly growing community south of Dallas next year. As part of their anniversary celebration, the church plans to consecrate a new sanctuary. The stewardship campaign culminating in raising $1.2 million toward this new worship center will allow this church to welcome more members than ever, but that’s not the most important aspect of the building program.

“We’re not growing for numbers sake,” Cedar Hill’s Senior Pastor Van Lazaroff said. “People’s lives are being changed and that’s what is really important.”

Leading a stewardship campaign to foster community outreach and spiritual development can be a tough proposition in the best of times. But when shifts in congregational dynamics and economic factors present new challenges, churches can find more value than ever partnering with the Texas Methodist Foundation to find programs developed in the Wesleyan tradition.

“We wanted to work with the Foundation again based on our loan relationship and the prior stewardship campaign success I saw in Whiteright working with Gary Regan,” said Lazaroff.  “But the cost structure, overall program and materials, and the way your consultant presented them to our committee also played a part in our decision.”

Cedar Hill’s thoughtful consideration helped the church raise more than three times their annual budget. In every campaign, large or small, the Foundation’s stewardship consultants play a vital role in helping a church achieve a fundraising goal. This essential guidance starts in the planning stages where a congregation determines just how much money is needed to accomplish an objective.

“Gary laid down the road map for us, gave us the ideas and directed us,” Lazaroff said. “He equipped and empowered us to move forward.”

After a long, flourishing tenure as a pastor, deacon and elder in the North Texas Annual Conference, Regan joined the Foundation in the capacity of development officer in 1997. He now spends most of his time guiding churches through spiritually sound fundraising efforts on a non-profit basis.

“The Foundation takes a faith building approach to fundraising by providing a program grounded in prayer. That really peaked our congregation’s interest,” Lazaroff said.

Cedar Hill’s campaign committee also realized that following through with stewardship services could be essential to their program’s overall success. “The follow-up consulting the Foundation provides is important,” Lazaroff said. “These guys know that when the results are in, that’s where the campaign really begins.” – Spring 2003

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