Motivating and leading a congregation through the challenge of faith-based finances is something many pastors have neither time nor the training to do, David contends. He is hired to help lead the process. He keeps a busy schedule, working with 6 or 7 churches each year. For each church the process may take up to 3 years with the most active portion being 12 to 14 weeks.

A typical "playbook" is a 200 to 300 page document, directing the work of as many as 10 committees involving 60 to 70 percent of the active adults in a congregation. The goal, according to David, isn't simply to raise money, but to get everyone moving in the same direction and to develop new leadership within the church. In the process many gain leadership experience and develop a stronger sense of community. The end result is a climate more conducive to further growth, a greater sense of unity and a feeling of genuine accomplishment.

"A well done campaign leads to spiritual renewal and revival," David believes. "Along with increased financial strength there will also be a new level of spiritual strength. Goals should not only be financial -- that we give more, but also spiritual -- that we may be more."

David met his wife Linda (Petersen) while the two were students at Olivet. After a tour of duty in Vietnam, David and Linda were married in 1969. David found himself in a series of jobs in the lumber and building materials industry which culminated in his management of a chain of stores in Florida. After about 15 years, he joined the pastoral staff of University Boulevard Church of the Nazarene in Jacksonville, Florida. While there he became the first
ordained deacon in the Church of the Nazarene following the approval of the ordination of deacons at the 1985 General Assembly.

During this time, David was given the responsibility of finding finances for a building project
at the church. A consultant was hired to give guidance to the project. "I was cynical at first, doubting that this fellow could help us," David recalls. "But I soon found out that the process was a spiritual journey, not just a fund-raising campaign." Sometime later, David joined this same consultant in helping other churches meet their goals. They worked together for five years, before David began his own company in 1991. In the years since, David has helped congregations raise over 36 million dollars.

"It has been such a rich experience," David said, "working with many different denominations, from large urban churches to small rural congregations, and seeing the diversity of God's people. Yet God blesses them all for their faithfulness regardless of their theological stripe." About 40 percent of the churches David has worked with are Nazarene, and more than 60 percent of churches are in Ohio, but have ranged as far away as Florida and Canada.

"The last hurdle many people overcome in their faith journey is their pocketbook," David said. "Until he is Lord of our finances he is not Lord of all." Giving for all causes often increases after a campaign, according to David, because people have assimilated the principles of stewardship.

David and Linda are members of the First Church of the Nazarene in Denver. Linda, a music education major while at Olivet, teaches piano, plays the keyboard at church, and sings with Promise, an ensemble.