We Aren't Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry

by Mark Elsdon, Craig Dykstra (Foreword)

What if everything you need is already there?   Many Christian churches and related institutions in the United States are struggling or, in some cases, facing imminent crisis, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendance is down. Funding is harder to come by. People are no longer drawn to traditional church services and programming in the ways that they once were. Often, we feel broke and powerless to do much about it. We settle for doing more with Less money. Fewer people. Fewer churches.  But if we reexamine our perceived limits and our assumptions about how resources are supposed to be used, then something remarkable and beautiful comes into we aren’t broke at all but have enormous resources at our disposal. Church and missional organizations nationwide own billions of dollars of prime property and investment assets, which, when combined with social enterprise and new expressions of mission, can be put to work for innovation and transformation. And these resources are often available to us right now.  This book is an invitation to envision a different way of putting God’s gifts to work in the world. It draws upon a remarkable story of rebirth at a Presbyterian affiliated campus ministry center at the University of Wisconsin, along with profiles of other creative social enterprises, to describe how church property and investment assets can be put to work for innovation, transformation, and financial sustainability. Theologically rooted but practically minded, it provides guidance and tools for church and nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors of all kinds who are seeking new ways to fund and participate in God’s work in the world.

Genres: Nonfiction

239 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2021

About the author

Mark Elsdon lives and works at the intersection of money and meaning as an entrepreneur, nonprofit executive, author, and speaker. He is the author of, We Aren't Broke, about the use of faith-based property and investments for social enterprise and impact investing. Mark’s new book, Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition comes out in January 2024 and is available for pre-order.

Mark is cofounder of RootedGood, which supports catalytic and innovative church leaders working on property development, money and mission alignment, and social enterprise; executive director at Pres House and Pres House Apartments on the University of Wisconsin's Madison campus; principal at Threshold Sacred Development; and past president of the board of directors for Working Capital for Community Needs, an impact investing fund that provides microfinance funding to the working poor in Latin America.

Mark has a BA in Psychology from the University of California - Berkeley, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin School of Business. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, USA, and lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark is an avid cyclist and considers it a good year when he rides more miles on his bike than he drives in his car.

Reviews

[Jessie Light-Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This recent release comes from the co-pastor and Executive Director of Pres House, a unique campus ministry in Madison, WI that I am deeply interested in learning from. The disclaimer to this review is that this book is extremely relevant to a niche community of church-y folks, including myself. But there’s so much to learn from the story of Pres House, particularly in the way that this non-profit has utilized its assets to create revenue streams that fund the ministry. Much of this book is about the creative and innovative things happening at the intersection of social enterprise and church, but Elsdon (who has an MBA) also dives into the what/why/how of impact investing. I learned so much and will certainly reread this soon as UKirk SMU begins to dream about trying some of these things! Interestingly enough, I found a connection between this book at We Do This ‘Til We Free US: both books explore the ways in which investment, divestment, and financial decisions can impact society at large.

[Anna M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting content, limited application.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought-provoking look at how given the property and investments churches hold, there are opportunities for more ministry. Having started a church-run preschool whose ministry is essential to the community while having part of the revenue it generates sharing in the cost of construction and upkeep on the building is essential to the church, I see how this can work well in some cases.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many churches face a financial crunch due to declining numbers. At the same time churches and church-related institutions often have significant capital. It might be endowments or property. The question is, could these assets be used for mission and ministry. Mark Elsdon suggests that there is significant capital that could be used for impact investing. Thus, he offers a book that looks at the theological foundations for pursuing this direction along with financial guidance. It's a challenging book, but offers important insight. Yes, clergy need to know much more about money, even if we'd rather not think about it.

[Steven Martell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Elsdon’s engaging writing pulls you in by combining the story of a successful campus ministry with a detailed description of the principles of social entrepreneurship. Elsdon also adds a number of real examples to show how his principles can be applied in practice. Though his book creates a compelling argument for ways to reimagine the resources of the church for greater impact (as a whole or within individual congregations), it is easy to draw connections beyond the church as an investor and business owner. This book is an insightful read whether you’re new to business or have been in the field for years, and I recommend it highly!

[Jamin Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring

In a world where church finances are struggling and tithing is plummeting, this book encourages us to dream big and think outside the box of how to serve missionally with our money and generate the support we need at the same time.

[Wisconsin Alumni]

Mark Elsdon MBA’17
Author

From the author:
Many Christian churches and related institutions in the United States are struggling or, in some cases, facing imminent crisis, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendance is down. Funding is harder to come by. People are no longer drawn to traditional church services and programming in the ways that they once were. Often, we feel broke and powerless to do much about it. We settle for doing more with less: Less money. Fewer people. Fewer churches.

But if we reexamine our perceived limits and our assumptions about how resources are supposed to be used, then something remarkable and beautiful comes into view: we aren’t broke at all but have enormous resources at our disposal. Church and missional organizations nationwide own billions of dollars of prime property and investment assets, which, when combined with social enterprise and new expressions of mission, can be put to work for innovation and transformation. And these resources are often available to us right now.

This book is an invitation to envision a different way of putting God’s gifts to work in the world. It draws upon a remarkable story of rebirth at a Presbyterian affiliated campus ministry center at the University of Wisconsin, along with profiles of other creative social enterprises, to describe how church property and investment assets can be put to work for innovation, transformation, and financial sustainability. Theologically rooted but practically minded, it provides guidance and tools for church and nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors of all kinds who are seeking new ways to fund and participate in God’s work in the world.

[JA · Rating 5 out of 5]

For better off churches

[Doug Cummings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for anyone interested in the topic.