J. Martin Bailey and Betty Jane Bailey have been closely involved with their denomination, the United Church of Christ, for years in missions work throughout the Middle East, most frequently visiting Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus, and Turkey. They take a turn to Sri Lanka too, when they can, where they have a daughter and her husband, and two grandchildren living there.

So you have a project to fund! You may be asking yourself which is better, a capital campaign or a bond issue? I have survived both, and the answer is either one. I am sorry to say it is not one or the other, but each option has its strengths and weaknesses, and relying on only one could put the funding of your project in jeopardy or kill it entirely. I’ve learned a few lessons in the school of hard knocks that I hope will help you in the evaluation of which will serve your needs better. In 2008 our church started our building project with a capital campaign because we understood it, had seen good outcomes elsewhere, and felt comfortable with the process. When we completed it, however, we received commitments for about half of what we expected and still needed yet another solution to entice the lenders.

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