Administration, Financing and Construction Resources

to Help Manage the Business of the Church

Preparing for a Spring Capital Campaign Begins in the Fall

A church's capital campaign has 5 phases.  The public phase is the one that most church people think of when they talk about a capital campaign.  The public phase of a campaign is the third phase, there are two other phases of the campaign that have to happen first - and that means the church needs to be getting started early.

A 5 Phase Timeline for a Church Capital Campaign

Believe it or not, if your church is planning to execute a capital campaign next spring, it may already be behind schedule!  A capital campaign takes time to prepare, committees must be formed, people trained, and all the behind the scenes work to make the campaign happen have to happen before the campaign goes public.  As a pastor who recently finished a campaign said, "If there was one piece of advice I could give about a capital campaign, it would be to give yourself plenty of time".  While their church had a very successful campaign, their short timeline put a great deal of stress and burden on the staff.

The following is a timeline for a 5 phase  capital campaign:

1. Planning & Recruiting: 3 weeks - 3 months

2. Equipping & Preparation: 5 - 10 weeks

3. Public Phase: 5 - 8 weeks (Elapsed Time 13 to 20+ weeks)

4. Receiving Commitments: 1 to 3 weeks

5. Collection & Follow-up: Typically 3 years

Phase 1 - Planning & Recruiting

This phase can take from 3 weeks to 3 months, depending on size of congregation, method of church governance, availability of staff to the project, and other events on the church calendar. In this phase a general timeline is established, the director and executive committee members are considered and recruited based on job descriptions and gifting. Workers for the various teams or committees may also be solicited during this phase.

Phase 2 - Equipping & Preparation

This phase can last from 5 to 10 weeks, or even longer. The shorter the timeframe for completion, the more intense the effort. It is during this phase that recruitment for workers for the capital campaign teams is completed, training for the stewardship committee is accomplished, and much of the “behind the scenes” background work is completed.

Phase 3 - Public Phase

It is this visible, or public phase that most people think of when they say capital campaign. This phase can last from 5 to 8 weeks, depending on the size of the congregation. The goals of this phase are to clearly communicate the need; clearly teach and model stewardship; and for everyone prayerfully consider how the Lord would them contribute to the campaign.