St Paul Lutheran Church (MSL), Lakeland, FL
Shortly before the 2008 recession, St Paul Lutheran Church built a state of the art gymnasium for its school, ramping up its debt from $1.6 Million to $4.4 Million. This was a debt ratio of four times its $1.1 Million annual giving. Then came the recession. School enrollment and income slipped. The church was struggling to make its mortgage payments and was only able to afford interest payments on one of its two loans. Members felt tired and defeated after a long series of capital campaigns, yet leaders knew that they had to have another capital campaign. They hoped to raise $1 Million to keep the wolf from the door. Jeff Newlin helped the church design a capital campaign that felt more like a revival than a fundraiser. A VISIONfest was held the Sunday before Commitment Sunday with creative vision presentations, a delicious luncheon, and the news that leaders had already pledged over $1.5 Million to the campaign. After that everyone wanted to jump on board. The church raised $2.1 Million, 1.79 times its annual giving. When the 3-year campaign was over, Jeff Newlin helped the church raise another $1.6 Million, 1.65 times income, in a follow-up campaign. With debt nearly eliminated, growing school enrollment, and election of a popular interim pastor as the church’s permanent pastor, St Paul’s Lutheran is now in overdrive toward the future. (Spring 2012 & Spring 2015)