Pastors as Gatekeepers
Pastors, as we all know, are the gatekeepers to their congregations. A common challenge for local conference Planned Giving & Trust Services directors is connecting with pastors as well as getting through to their church members. Some pastors make it easy for PGTS directors and welcome them anytime. But other pastors make it as hard as can be and won’t give the PGTS representative the time of day. So how can we win over this all-important group of people? Here are a few suggestions that have worked in some conferences and can work in yours too.
One of the most critical elements of connecting with a pastor is having their time. But getting their time is incredibly challenging because it is one commodity pastors have in very short supply. So, when you have their time, be sure to make the most of it! Be prepared. Have something interesting to tell them. And above all, focus on their goals and not your own.
Getting the Pastor’s Attention
To get a pastor’s attention, you must meet with them one-on-one. If you only connect a couple of times yearly at conference meetings, you will not endear yourself to them. Treat a pastor as you would a donor: get out of the office and visit them on their turf. Don’t give up if they don’t want to meet with you the first time you call. It may take three, four, or more attempts before they are willing to meet. When they are willing, take them to lunch or meet them in their office. Find how they like to spend their time and offer to do that with them. You may even make a new friend in this process, but be sure to use the time wisely and acquaint them with what you do in PGTS.
Be Prepared
Be prepared. Before meeting with a pastor, do your homework. Know about the church or churches they pastor. Know about the church membership, such as how large the church is, the demographic makeup of the church, and the church’s most active ministries. All this information can be found by connecting with your conference’s secretariat, treasury, or ministerial departments. Also, a quick Google search may uncover good information about what activities in which the church is engaging. Pastors will be much more willing to engage with you when you show interest in their church.
Giving is Spiritual
Additionally, have something interesting to tell them. Most, if not all, pastors will find the spiritual component of giving an interesting topic. Far too often, PGTS gets denigrated and pigeonholed as a secular service the church provides. “You are the will people” and “You’re just out for grandma’s retirement account” is sadly a notion many pastors and church members hold regarding PGTS. How astonished and attentive the pastors may be if they knew what we deal with is really about issues of the heart and not so much about money and possessions (although these things reflect the condition of the heart and are necessary components of the gifts we help them make).
Focus on the Pastor
Put the focus on them. Let the pastor know you are there to help support the ministries of their church. There isn’t a single conference that says all the money donated through PGTS must go to them. Does the pastor know that PGTS can help church members give inter vivos gifts (yes, while they are alive!) to help support evangelism, education, community outreach, and countless other ministries in their local church? If the pastor is not aware, we need to make them aware and inform them of how we can help support their ministry!
Once you have their attention, the next step will be to put them through the PGTS process themselves. Help them make a current gift through the Adventist Donor Gift Fund, an IRA charitable distribution, or a gift of some other asset. If the pastor cannot personally give a gift such as this, because let’s face it, they work for the church and don’t make a ton of money, then at least you can help them update their own estate plan, helping them make their final gift. If we demonstrate our professionalism, understanding, and expertise to the pastor, they will undoubtedly let the rest of the congregation know you are safe to work with.
Connecting With Church Members
But can we simply rely on the pastor to shout the blessings of PGTS from the mountaintop or even from the pulpit? No! We must take the next step by connecting with church leadership, such as the head elder or head deacon and deaconess. To reach these folks, adopt the same approach you took with the pastor. Take them out to eat, be prepared to talk about their church, have something interesting to talk about regarding PGTS, and focus on their needs.
After connecting with the church leaders, move on to the influencers, namely the church board and board of elders. If you can give a presentation about PGTS to one or both of these committees, you are well on the way to touching every church member. These committee members are connected to every ministry, Sabbath School, and small group in the church, and they can be your best advocates for why individuals need to talk with you. Win this group over, and your calendar will be full of appointments from the rest of the church.
Building a relationship with the local pastor is the key to connecting with their congregation. If you are banking on building a relationship with them from the five minutes you have at a conference meeting to address all the pastors, you will not get far. So get out of the office, visit your pastors, show them you care about their church and that you are the PGTS professional who will help them grow their ministries. Doing so will help the pastor and their church members experience the joy of giving for themselves.