The Case as a Spiritual Document

The “Case for Support” is a one-page document that explains the campaign. They are hard to write and beautiful as an articulation of the call to a campaign. Just as a campaign is a spiritual act of discipleship, the case is a spiritual document.

This isn’t meant to sound “touchy feely” or an attempt to baptize a secular process. I believe down to the marrow of my bones that this is primarily and most importantly a spiritual process that happens to have a spiritual and financial outcome. The Case for Support should be a spiritual document that invites the reader to reflect on their own journey of discernment about how God calls them to respond to the call that has been given to the congregation. 

I love the word “vocation”. It comes from the Latin word “vocare” which means call. The capital campaign is a vocation. It is a call from God to do something extraordinary. This is a transformative moment for the congregation. Yes, you will raise an extraordinary amount of money. But, there is more. The family of faith will also dig deep to answer a call to stretch and grow in ways that are only possible with God’s help. 

This means the Case for Support is really a spiritual document. It’s not a business plan, but it does have numbers in it. It’s not a schematic, but it might have a rendering on it. It’s not a strategic plan, but it does share something of the process of a campaign. It is an articulation of the next step that God has called the congregation to. It is a moment of vision, trust, faithfulness, and truth!