Books and Reviews...
Starting A Nonprofit At Your Church...
By Joy Skjegstad.
The Alban Institute, 2002, 203 pages.
ISBN 1-56699-265-6
Joy Skjegstad delves into a topic that is at the nexus of a comprehensive
approach to an effective form of church outreach and service delivery
to surrounding communities. Though her purpose is analytical, prescriptive,
and descriptive, what she has accomplished in this volume is beyond
academic disclosure and inquiry. This book provides a detailed guidance
for approaching the task of forming a nonprofit organization through
the church. The research is offered to anyone who would read them
but especially to those who have been in the race for a while and
are in need of renewal and redirection.
The work is substantially anecdotal and highlights the stories of
the incredible things that can happen when there is a genuine combination
of commitment and vision.
Four sections divide the book into twelve chapters. Part One is the
chapter on “Why Should we Start a Nonprofit?” Skjegstad
deals with the advantages and risks involved in forming such a structure.
The next four chapters relate the foundation upon which the nonprofit
should grounded, from defining mission to a lively debate about the
various governance structures that could be implemented. Chapters
six through nine delineate the role of the board of directors and
discuss the legal issues that usually surface, and the importance
of clear-cut policies for management. The final three chapters deal
with fundraising, maintenance, and program evaluation.
The book concludes with an appendix by DeAnn Lancashire, an exposition
of the housing crisis and ways in which churches could effectively
cooperate to find solutions.
I see one major flaw in the text. In chapter seven on “Structuring
Your Board of Directors,” the author suggests three possible
models. Though she clearly deals with the pros and cons of each model,
she fails to juxtapose the basic reason for forming a separate entity
with the need to maintain distance for liability’s sake, and
at the same time establish accountability.
Joy Skjegstad is well qualified to write on the subject. Having begun
ministry at Park Avenue United Methodist Church in South Minneapolis,
she became convinced that church-based nonprofits can be the catalyst
for new, exciting, and much-needed ministries. In 1999 she founded
the Faith Communities Project which helps ministries address key management
issues such as fundraising and financial management. In her words,
“success means that churches are better able to reach outside
their four walls, extending their ministries beyond the ‘usual
suspects’ in the pews and out into the neighborhoods, towns,
counties, states, and nations.”
In conclusion, this is a fundamental tool and addition to the limited
selection of texts on the subject. Beyond its call to start nonprofits
from the local congregation, the text has implications for energizing
congregations and for evaluating the effectiveness of our missional
objectives.
Reviewed by Dr. Oliver R. Phillips
Starting
A Nonprofit At Your Church- at NPH
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