I agree with Frank, everything needs to be very open and the church needs to be told of the needs.  Gene, I was told a long time ago if you build something the money will be there because people will come out of the woodwork to give for that who would not contribute anything to the day to day operation of the church.

The basic problem is not giving. If people are ... I'll just use the phrase "right with God"  and try and avoid launching into a sermon ... the needs of the church will be met.  We are told in 2 Corinthians 9 "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion".

As a general practice I do not like "giving programs" or "campaigns" with one or two exceptions. If a church decides to build and determines not to go into debt a campaign to raise funds earmarked for that project is probably a good thing.

The other area I am a big proponent is missions giving, money designated and set aside for use other than supporting the local church activities.  I won't go into a lot of detail about what our church is doing on here, but will say this.  I've been going to this church for 30+ years and the Faith Promise Program was active long before I started.  A long time member commented (not an exact quote but close enough) "We were always short on money for the church until we started this missions program and focused outside ourselves.  Since then the church has always had the money it needed to do what it does."

Go to www.wucc.us and click on the "Missions we support" tab to see what we are doing.

Oh, and one other thing we do that is a LOT different than how I was raised is this. We put the offering plates away after church and they stay there until next Sunday.  We don't take  special offerings, "love" offerings, pass the plate every time the doors are open, etc. We don't do "community fundraisers" like bake sales and kids (parents) selling gadgets   Focus on doing what the church is called to do and the money will work itself out.

Sometimes it just takes a gentle nudge, too. I remember years and years ago one of our elders managed a local elevator.  I was discussing selling some corn I had stored and he shot me a price a little better than what was on the board ... with one condition.  He'd pay me 90% of it and write a tithe check of the other 10% to the church.  Sometimes you have to encourage folks to put their money where their mouth is.  It made my wife and I set down and discuss our giving.

So Joe, I'll ask the direct and awkward question and do not expect or particularly want your response on here.  How is your personal giving?  Are you tithing on the increase?  I didn't say give 10% of everything coming in.  A friend is in a business where the margins are so tight that to tithe on the gross income would put him out of business. My understanding is you ought to give a tithe on your increase.

My wife and I struggled with this and finally worked out a simple solution. We have a business checking account and a personal account.  When we move money from the business account to the personal account we tithe on it.  How is that relevant to the original question"any new or novel ideas that have worked to change the balance books ink for red to black?"

The answer is no new or novel ideas are needed.  What is needed is the application of the ideas that have been there for over 2000 years.

In my opinion part of the problem is a mind set.  For instance, we had a problem with a cemetery in northern Illinois.  Several things happened that should not have happened.  The solution was write new laws that are burdensome on every cemetery in the state  It doesn't matter that what happened violated existing laws, the bureaucratic response is more laws.  This bureaucratic mind set is in the organization of many churches as well, especially the "mainline denominations".  Finances are down, so we need new campaigns and new programs. Sound familiar?

The solution is do what the church is supposed to do and God will provide what you need.

The uncomfortable thing is I often wonder if the way we "do church" is really the way God wants?  And I'm getting close to that sermon I was trying to avoid writing...

Edit: Sorry, my last paragraph or two got lost when I posted my original response, so I reposted it.