Today’s post is written by Jim Sheppard. Jim is CEO & Principal of Generis, a consulting firm passionate about helping churches accelerate generosity towards their God-inspired vision.

By Jim Sheppard

Money and the church. It’s an awkward relationship. Have you noticed that?

If I had to guess, I would say that there is no topic that is more on the minds of senior pastors on Monday mornings and less on their minds as they plan sermons. This is not a critique, just an observation.

The conversation about money and giving in the church has become taboo. We don’t talk about it; and yet, all of the church leaders I know want to see giving increase. They want their people to become more generous with their finances, loosen their grip on money, and give back to the One who has provided it all in the first place.

To add to the tension, a lot of pastors fear playing into the stereotype that the church is all about money. So they never talk about money or wait until they need it. That’s a mistake.

The reason you need to talk about money is more about what you want for people than what you want from them. People argue about money every day, and you can help them win with it.

In addition, without casting an authentic vision about money, many will never release the gift of generosity in their life. Giving is a discipleship issue that too many church leaders ignore.

If you truly want to see church members embrace biblical generosity, you have to talk about it openly. You need to normalize the giving conversation and take the awkward out of it.

It starts with the acknowledgement that giving is first and foremost a spiritual issue, not financial. Our giving back to God for the work He wants to do in this world is a reflection of who He is in our lives. It shows our worship and reverence.

Giving is first and foremost a spiritual issue, not financial. – Jim SheppardClick To Tweet

That is why we give to God. It’s not to fund the church budget or advance projects. Those are merely secondary effects of what happens when we give to God’s work in and through the church.

This is where we often get it wrong and add to the awkwardness. We communicate that the main reason we want the people in our church to give is so that our church finances will flourish. That’s not it. That is not the primary reason we want our people to give. We want our people to give so that they can experience what it does for them when they give to God’s work. Our giving to God is meant to transform us!

When we treat the spiritual discipline of generosity as an exercise in fundraising – we end up nominalizing what God intended as a means to grow us.

Teaching about giving is an integral part of making disciples.

All of the church leaders I know want to make more disciples. Therefore, we have to teach and equip our people on giving if we are really serious about making disciples.

Most of the people in our churches have no idea of the spiritual implication of managing (or not managing) well the money and possessions that have been entrusted to them. For us to take the awkwardness out of it, our focus must be on growing givers’ hearts.

A couple of leading voices in the American church have spoken to this and it bears mentioning here.

In the second message of the series Money Talks that Andy Stanley preached in February 2019, he says it this way. “Until Jesus is first in your finances, Jesus isn’t first. You’re not a follower. You’re a user. And Judas tried that.”

That sounds direct but it is hard to argue. If we have put Jesus first in other areas of our lives but we have not done so with our money and possessions, we have missed it. We have not fully put Jesus first.

The issue gets compounded because we are not good at self-assessing. We think we are more generous than we really are.

Tim Keller, in a talk he gave at a Generous Giving gathering some years ago, says it well in this excerpt. “…Nobody thinks they’re greedy. Nobody. In all my years as a minister, I have heard almost every kind of confession. Nobody has ever come to me and said, ‘I spend too much money on myself.’ Nobody has ever done that. But here is what I want you to consider. If Jesus talks about greed and materialism 10 or 20 times more than he talks about other sins, and he says that nobody ever thinks they’re doing it. Then we should start with a working hypothesis that it is probably a problem for me.”

Giving is a spiritual issue. If we want to develop cultures of generosity in our churches, we have to own this. We can’t just hope it will change. We have to do something if we want to see it change.

Until Jesus is first in your finances, Jesus isn’t first. You’re not a follower. You’re a user. And Judas tried that. – @AndyStanleyClick To Tweet

Five Areas To Address When Taking The Awkward out of the Giving Conversation

So, where do we start? There are five areas where I would recommend we start:

1. Regularly Teach Biblical Generosity

The senior leader must teach on generosity and stewardship on a regular basis. A series every now and then is helpful, but also consider other means. When generosity comes up in the text of a passage you are using to make another point, take time to cover the generosity point in the text.

Perhaps the single best way to teach regularly is through the offering moment. The few minutes before you receive the offering in service each week is a key time to teach on the importance of what is happening.

If you want a step-by-step plan to accelerate generosity in your church, you can download one for free here.

The few minutes before you receive the offering in service each week is a key time to teach on the importance of what is happening. – Jim SheppardClick To Tweet

2. Model Generosity – In Your Own Life and In Others

Share examples of people who have seen transformation in their own lives when it comes to giving. For people who are not faithful givers, they don’t know what it looks like. They need examples and encouragement. Seeing the journey of someone else accomplishes both.

One thing I hear often when I bring this up is the idea that this is not a topic we are supposed to share about in public. They say, “don’t let the left hand know what the right hand is doing.” Without going into a long explanation of the text, that is not a prohibition against sharing one’s giving story. If it were, Jesus would not have talked about letting your light shine before men that they might see your good works.

The key here is to be careful about the motive in sharing. Give credit to God for the increase in your heart’s capacity to give. That’s the real story here!

3. Celebrate Mission Advancement

Encourage your church by calling attention to victories in mission advancement due to giving. This is probably the most overlooked element of encouraging generosity.

Think of a time when you made a significant appeal to the people of your church and they rose up and met it. Did you celebrate it? I don’t mean patting yourselves on the back and congratulating each other, I mean giving thanks to God for the move of His Spirit among your people, and the response of obedience in His people.

If you haven’t been doing it, make sure you do it next time you ask and your people respond.

4. Make Generosity a Priority, a Mark of Discipleship

Specifically identify giving and generosity as one of the marks of discipleship in your church.

Churches prioritize that which they have identified as important. Values get prioritized. Many times, the values a church establishes are connected to marks of discipleship. Prayer, service, leading, and Bible study are frequently on the list of things a church considers the marks of discipleship.

Did you notice which one is not in the list? Giving and generosity. Maybe church leaders just assume if you do the other things, you will be a generous giver. This is not a good strategy.

I have been around hundreds of churches as a consultant and I’ll just say that’s not my experience. It doesn’t just happen. It has to be specifically addressed. Making generosity one of the church’s marks of discipleship is a way to ensure that it happens.

5. Have a Generosity Champion at the table with your lead team

This is a voice to make sure generosity and giving are prioritized. This is probably the biggest single idea of the five mentioned here, and likely the one most leaders have not considered.

It is easy for giving and generosity to take a back seat to other priorities church leaders are addressing at any given time. This is understandable when something really pressing comes along, but it should be the exception, not the norm.

Generosity should be like a thread that is woven into the fabric of the church. Not siloed, but owned by every leader on the team.

A Generosity Champion, whether a staff member or a key lay person, will keep it on the table at all times.

Generosity should be like a thread that is woven into the fabric of the church. Not siloed, but owned by every leader on the team. – Jim SheppardClick To Tweet

Where do we go from here?

We have to solve this. The stakes are high on two fronts.

1. The people in our churches are spiritually malnourished when it comes to money and possessions.

When we talk about making disciples, we have to be committed to addressing all the areas of discipleship. Teaching in the area of money and possessions is the most neglected one. In a culture that is as materialistic as America, our understanding of money and possessions and how it fits into our faith perspective is critical.

Jesus was concerned about it two thousand years ago. He knew that money had the potential to be another god to us.

In Luke 16, he clearly pointed out that money has the potential to cause us to worship at that altar instead of the altar of Almighty God.

This is a powerful teaching and we tend to blow past it. It speaks to the need to provide spiritual nourishment in the area of money and possessions.

2. Our churches are being limited in the pursuit of their God-given mission and mandate by the lack of sufficient financial resources.

In a country as affluent as America, there is no reason for our churches to have to limit their ministry because of financial resources. Yes, there are churches that are in economically challenged areas. But that is not the norm.

The best research we have indicates giving among believers is somewhere in the range of 2.5% of their income. Think about that. If believers in America gave just half a tithe (10% of their income), it would double the level of giving to churches. The impact of the ministry of the American church would be significantly expanded.

Only by growing givers’ hearts and loosening the grip on what God has provided will we make meaningful progress.

There’s too much at stake.

Let’s commit ourselves to removing the awkwardness and normalizing the giving conversation. For our people and for our churches.

What if you could take the weirdness out of the giving conversation at your church?

The Generis team has been helping churches do this for years.

We’d love to offer you a totally free conversation about how you can build a culture that embraces generosity like never before.

Normalize the giving conversation in your church and accelerate greater generosity towards your God-inspired vision starting today!

You can schedule a complimentary discovery session with a Generosity Strategist here: https://resources.generis.com/carey

How do you currently talk about giving? 

I’d love to know what strategies you’re trying.

Leave a comment below and let us know!

The post The Awkward Relationship Between Money and The Church…And What You Can Do About It appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: The Awkward Relationship Between Money and The Church…And What You Can Do About It

The post The Awkward Relationship Between Money and The Church…And What You Can Do About It appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By unSeminary: Do you lie awake and ponder how your church will meet its budget for this coming year?

Are you wondering how to increase the generosity culture at your church?

Is there a gap between the vision for which you believe God has called, and the funding your church currently is generating?

As church leaders, there is a connection between our beliefs on generosity, fundraising, funding, giving, and what happens in our churches. We must identify inherently negative ways of thinking and replace these thoughts with the mindset God desires of us. These negative mindsets can creep in over time, without us even realizing it. We need to actively align our philosophy on financial matters at our churches with what God would have us consider.

I’ve pulled together five negative mindsets I’ve seen within my own life that I’ve needed to uproot and address. These beliefs are also at play in other church leaders. I’ve wondered whether these mindsets are ultimately the cause for other churches’ lack of progress in this area.

Simple Silver Bullet Solution

As leaders, there’s a real temptation to attempt to find the silver bullet to this problem.

It’s tempting to think that simply delivering the right message on offerings or having an impactful year-end campaign would solve all issues pertaining to generosity and the finances at our churches. The reality is that there is no single silver bullet to funding issues at our churches. We are attempting to disciple people connected to our church into leading a generous lifestyle. That takes consistent work and a unified approach over time.

We need to continue to lead our churches towards a lifestyle of generosity.

A single sermon series would not be sufficient to accomplish this objective. We need to maintain a consistent focus on this for an extended period. Effort applied on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis will, over time, create the kind of desired change in our churches.

Our vision can be fully funded and arrive at the point where we have the resources required to accomplish what God has called us to perform. Some churches reach this stage because they applied consistent strategies over an extended period. There is no silver bullet to the issue of funding.

Too Afraid to Challenge People and Ask Them to Give?

I get it. Money is hard to discuss.

This reality is peculiar to our culture. It seems like we can easily discuss the most intimate of human relationships, even talking about sexual relationships. However, we get defensive when thinking about discussing money. People’s approach to their finances is at the very core of how people perceive themselves. It’s critical! We need to find a way to overcome this—whether by abolishing this mindset, using humor or simply calling out the fact that it’s a difficult topic to discuss.

Over the years, many church leaders have found a way to lean in and discuss money, ultimately challenging members to live in a more Jesus-centered way concerning their money. These leaders have been afforded incredible opportunities and accelerated growth on the other side of this approach.

Our ability to persevere in discussing money and generosity, and challenge people in this regard, is directly connected to people’s desire to grow in generosity. This approach will impact how funds are generated at your church.

It’s Unspiritual to Talk about Money.

One of the biggest lies propagated among church leadership is that it is unspiritual to talk about money.

This belief comes from a strange disconnect between our views on faith and its impact on our lives. It’s a dangerous notion that, somehow, our faith only exists between our ears, that it’s only about what we think, about developing the right thoughts and having the right ideas. Some believe it not about how we live, and in this case, what we do with our money. This mindset has led some of us to the point where we believe that it’s somehow unspiritual to talk about money and generosity.

Jesus is clear on this: how we invest our lives and how we invest our money reveals much about what we value in life. [ref] Challenging people to think correctly about money, be generous, and lead generous lifestyles is at the core of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. At the core, Jesus challenged us to live another centered life. In a world so obsessed with money, there are few other, more obvious ways to a centered life, other than being generous and donating your resources to help others get connected with Jesus’ teachings.

Discussing money is incredibly spiritual, plus it is one of the things that people worry about all day long. Striving to ensure that people understand biblical teachings about money, and helping them apply those lessons to their lives, will accelerate your membership’s spiritual growth.

You Feel Like a “Used Car Salesman.”

Why is it that when we consider discussing money at a church, the stereotypical picture of a used car salesman comes to mind?

You know that guy: he’s little and slimy, his hair is greased back, he wears a bad suit, and he’s just trying to rip you off. Why do so many people possess this mental image when considering whether to discuss money in their churches?

Part of the reason that this is the case is that there have been “slimy car salesmen” in the name of Jesus. They’ve ripped people off and used their money for nefarious ends. There is no lack of evidence of church leaders who have abused this privilege and honor to help people with generosity and help them move into a more generous lifestyle.

But here’s the thing, you are not a slimy used car salesman. You’re not attempting to help people grow in their generosity because you want to get something from them. You’re doing this because you want something for them. You want to help people transition into a more generous lifestyle. You want them to experience the freedom and exhilaration of a fuller lifestyle through giving. You are not trying to extract cash out of them so that you could fund some new crazy plan at your church. You’re not a used car salesman. You’re a messenger of the peace of Christ, and this is a critical aspect of the conversation that must be communicated to our membership.

Your Personal Finances are in Chaos.

Are you drowning in debt?

Are you living your life with no margin?

Are you not being generous because of the financial decisions that you’ve made?

Too many pastors are living less than paycheck-to-paycheck. We’ve structured our financial lives in such a way that we’re struggling, and we’re not giving generously, and that’s ultimately driving us into debt. This issue of debt is an epidemic among church leaders nationwide.

If this is the case in your life, I strongly recommend that you get help in this area. Whether it’s Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University or Joe Sangl’s Financial Learning Experience or Good Sense, you can take control of this area of your life and get things right in your finances at home.

Too often, people aren’t generous because they have too much debt.

What is debt? Debt is simply living beyond your means. It’s not trusting that God will provide, and it’s leveraging other people’s money to live the lifestyle you want to live. The antidote to an active debt lifestyle is generosity. It is a tool that will break the debt mindset, because what is generosity at its core? Generosity, at its core, is saying that God will provide. That I’m going to give up this money to help someone else, and that I believe that God will provide for me. Maybe the thing you need to do is to be more generous.

Listen, I understand that living and life costs a lot of money, but this might be a wake-up call for you to get your finances in order, to help you speak more clearly and with conviction to your own people and, ultimately, see them take steps towards generosity.

Are you looking for more help to raise more funds for your ministry?

We’ve put together a few resources to help your church build even more in the area of generosity, providing an important example of what you do as a church leader. This free download includes an MP3 and PDF.

MP3 // Increasing Your Church’s Generosity Culture with Steve Stroope // Steve started as the first pastor at Lake Point Church about 40 years ago and has since passed the baton to Josh Howerton. Lake Pointe began with a launch team of about 60 people and has grown to eight campuses with over 15,000 attendees. In this interview, Steve offers practical tips on how we can increase generosity at church.PDF // 5 Free Resources to Increase Your Church’s Generosity // Each of these resources can be used and implemented to help your church see ever-increasing levels of generosity. This “read to apply today” PDF is a great tool get the conversation and action rolling with your team!

Click here to download these two resources and access the information to help your church increase generosity.

Download PDF Article

Source: 5 Negative Church-Leader Mindsets About Funding

The post 5 Negative Church-Leader Mindsets About Funding appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By: New Life Christian Church

It has been almost 5 months since this pandemic has impacted and altered our way of life in so many ways. That is almost half a year! And, by the look of it, this pandemic will continue to impact us for many more months to come.

At first, it was an interesting challenge to be inside and to watch Church Online and connect with others on Zoom. Now, that has tired. People want to get out and resume some sort of normal life, a life like we once had.

But what if this pandemic was a blessing? What if it was a wake up call that the life we once had was not good enough? What if it was God trying to refocus us on what matters most?

The Bible says in Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” So what does that mean in the midst of this pandemic? How can you stay strong in your faith and encouraged at what God is doing around us? At this time, let’s draw close to God and see what He does in our lives and in the lives of those around us. Here are some ideas:

Pray. Prayers are powerful and make an impact, not just for the situation we are praying about, but for us as well as we give our thoughts and concerns over to God, letting Him take control. Pray that God would provide you with opportunities to minister and serve your community. Also, pray for the Church, both New Life and all the Churches around the world. Take time also to listen to God’s voice as you pray allowing God opportunities to speak to you.

Stay Engaged. Let’s be honest, being online all the time is hard. But in order to stay connected in community, it can still be very valuable to your spiritual growth. Experience Church Online every Sunday or throughout the week here or get plugged into an online prayer or Small Group here. As you feel comfortable, also look for opportunities to stay engaged in person as well. You can have an in person group or experience Church in person each week. These are great ways you can still stay engaged no matter what is happening around us.

Act on Opportunities. As you pray, ask God to open your eyes to opportunities. While some of the old opportunities we had no longer exist, there are plenty of new ones right in your community.  For instance, have you heard about the Neighborhood Champions opportunity? Our Family Minister, Elinor Kinnier, is working on ways communities can come together and support each other during this time, especially as school starts. Find out more about this amazing opportunity by emailing her.

Keep Giving. Even if time is hard and you cannot personally act on some opportunities, stay committed to giving financially. The needs are different now but ministry is still happening. We have all been blessed by God, keep giving sacrificially to the different ministry opportunities happening now and in the future. If you would like to give today, you can here.

Look to serve. Were you serving at New Life in some capacity before the pandemic hit? Even though that role may no longer exist or has changed in some way, that doesn’t mean we don’t need you! It’s simply a new game with new roles and opportunities. Can you hold a camera? Are you willing to learn how to edit video? Would you be willing to serve the homeless population? Can you help collect hygiene products for children in need? Find out where the serving needs are and be part of the solution by clicking here.

While the world has changed, God is still at work and there are lots of different opportunities for you to grow in your faith in the months ahead.

What will you do?

Source: Next Steps You Can Take During this Pandemic

The post Next Steps You Can Take During this Pandemic appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by unSeminary: Thanks for listening in to this week’s unSeminary podcast! Today we are joined by Jim Sheppard, CEO of Generis. Generis is in the business of helping churches and ministry organizations with giving development. They’ve been around for a little over 30 years and are most known for their giving campaigns as well as coaching churches in developing an ongoing culture of generosity.

Jim is with us today to talk about what he’s seeing as he speaks with a broad spectrum of churches across the country, and how churches can plan well financially for an unknown future.

Be intentional about the offering. // Around March 15, 2020 the coronavirus shutdown caused nearly all churches across the country to suddenly shift to remote services, leaving many unprepared as to how to handle the offering. As a result that first weekend was terrible financially for many churches. They didn’t pay enough attention to the giving moment during their online-only services, instead assuming that people would just “get it”. Suddenly giving dropped by 80% for some churches and they realized that if this trend continued while they couldn’t physically meet, they’d be broke in a matter of weeks. During moments like these, it’s important for churches to be specific when talking about the offering, and don’t assume that people who don’t give electronically will suddenly start doing so. Make a plan ahead of time so people have options and understand what they are.Increase your online giving. // Since the initial lockdown, many churches have seen a surge in giving. Not only has their giving returned to normal, it may be even better than where it was last year at this time. The churches that have made online giving easy have faired the best in this season. There are many robust options for third party online giving that are currently available to nonprofits. Make it a point to encourage more people at your church to give digitally to avoid the types of interruptions that can come during this type of season.Get an accurate picture of your giving. // Jim’s concern for churches right now is that people might be getting a little too comfortable with the giving rhythms that they’re seeing. When the government liquidity gets pulled out of the market, what new dynamics will we need to pay attention to? Some of your core donors may have stepped up in this season and given what they’ve committed to earlier than planned, but it may not change the overall picture at the end of the year. Take the one time surge of giving out of your numbers so you can discern how well giving is really going at your church.Build your reserves. // Take this season to be building your reserves. If your giving seems to be going well and your expenses are down while you’re not regathering, then take that money and put it aside as much as you can. You should have a minimum of three months worth of reserves. Think in terms of what thirteen weeks of reserves looks like for you. Setting aside reserves will help your church not to panic when you encounter times like the current one. Furthermore, make sure that you have a policy for spending reserves in addition to accumulating reserves. You don’t want to strip all of your cash out, but if you need some extra, it’s there for you.Increase revenue. // If your church isn’t in a place where you have extra to put aside for reserves, it’s time for the pastor to begin to cast vision around why this is important in order for the church to continue its mission. Cast vision to your higher capacity givers and your faithful core givers in particular because this message, while not glamorous, will really resonate with them.Plan for the worst. // Be prepared with an action plan before you might ever see a dip in giving. Determine what specific numbers will kick things into action and model out what this will look like through the end of the year. How will you cover your expenses? How will you continue to flourish and thrive? Plan now for a worst case scenario so that you aren’t behaving in a reactive way if it ever happens. Having a plan A, B and C enables you to be proactive no matter what scenario you encounter.

To learn more about Generis and how they can help your church, visit their website at generis.com or ” target=”_blank”>email Jim. You can also download their ebook Beyond: Forward Focus, Planning the Critical Next Seasons for Your Ministry.

Thank You for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally!

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live!

Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Portable Church Industries

Doing Church in a Rented Facility can be a Challenge.

Questions about Multisiting or Portability?Click here to connect with our Multisite Specialist for a free evaluation.

Source: Navigating Your Church’s Next Financial Phase with Jim Sheppard

The post Navigating Your Church’s Next Financial Phase with Jim Sheppard appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By: Brandon A. Cox

Source: In Conflict, Check Your Motives

The post In Conflict, Check Your Motives appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: The Church Jesus Started is a Generosity Movement

The post The Church Jesus Started is a Generosity Movement appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Leadership Network: If I were to ask you for an example of the most generous person you’ve ever encountered, no doubt somebody immediately comes to mind who has modeled for you generosity and stewardship and giving in a very compelling and even contagious or magnetic way.

For me, when I’m thinking about who in my life has modeled generosity for me, it’s somebody that my wife Susan and I met many, many years ago when we were raising money to join the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ. We met a man, his name is Mr. Johnson, who was a rose grower. He had a huge rose-growing outfit. In fact, he would always give Susan a couple of dozen roses whenever we would meet him (which is a little bit weird when someone gives your wife roses, but he was 85. So I thought if it came to that, I could probably handle myself with him).

Having a conversation with Mr. Johnson was very memorable for me because I asked him why it was that he was so generous. His answer was compelling. Mr. Johnson sort of sat back and said, “It seems to me that the Lord has been very good to my family and me.” Then he said, “The more I give, the more the Lord blesses me.” It wasn’t like he had made some sort of quid pro quo prosperity gospel deal with God. It was more a genuine, sincere recognition that God is a generous God and that he has been blessed to be a blessing to others. It was really a cool moment for me.

For the past 10-plus years, I’ve worked with leaders to try to help them understand what it takes to create a culture of generosity and stewardship and giving in their churches. Through this series of blog posts, I want to share a few of the things that I’ve learned from working with hundreds of churches over those years. I’ve framed these as six questions that you’ll want to ask yourself or ask your team as you are working to cultivate generosity and stewardship in your church.

Also, at the end of each post, I’ll recommend resources and experiences that could benefit you as you lead your church along this journey of generosity.

Question #1: What do we believe about giving?

One of the things we need to get straight is that generosity and stewardship are not exactly the same thing. Have you noticed that the word “generosity” has become kind of the flavor of the month? Everybody’s using the word generosity but no one is using the word “stewardship.” I believe this is really unfortunate because, frankly, they don’t mean the same thing. They’re not synonyms for one another.

Gunnar Johnson, who was formerly on staff at Gateway Church, was the first person who taught me this. He sort of describes generosity and stewardship as two sides of the same coin, which I think is a nice little pun frankly. You can’t have generosity without stewardship, right? You can’t be truly generous unless you’re a good steward or else you’ll run out of money. You can only be truly generous once, then you’ll be out of money because you’re a bad steward, right? To be a steward without generosity is to be a hoarder of sorts, to be selfish, to be greedy. God wants us to manage our money and then be generous with it to balance both generosity and stewardship with one another.

Once you have defined those two ideas for your church, the question I’m asking you to consider at your church is this: What do you all believe about giving? You ask a typical pastor, “Hey, what is your model for teaching the Bible to your congregation?” Normally, they have an answer. “Pastor, what’s your model for discipleship or for local and global ministry or outreach?” Normally they can explain to you, “This is how we do it, this is our strategy, this is our plan.” Ask them “What is your model for teaching what the Bible says about generosity and stewardship?” and a typical pastor might say “Well, we take an offering” which frankly just isn’t enough, right? One of the key things that I want to encourage you to think about is to sincerely ask what do we believe about giving in our church, and not only what we believe but what do we teach, what are we preaching, and what are we modeling—what are we showing to the congregation about what we believe about generosity and stewardship.

One of my friends, Chad Moore from Sun Valley Community Church in Gilbert, Arizona, has done a stunning job of answering the question with his team: “What do we believe about giving here at Sun Valley?” It’s so compelling that if you ask a typical member of their church, not just a staff member, “What do you believe? What does Sun Valley believe about giving?” my guess is they would answer it for you. Because just about every week while they’re doing the offering, Chad or someone will say something like this: “We are going to receive an offering this morning because here’s what the Bible teaches about money, where to give first, save second, and live on the rest. Did you catch that? Where to give first, save second, and live on the rest.”

Then Chad or one of his team members will say something like this: “God gave first so we’re a give first church. Giving first honors God. Saving second builds wealth. Living on the rest teaches contentment.” Now that simple statement that takes less than 30 seconds to say is so ingrained in the life of the church at Sun Valley that people there know the answer to the question “What do we believe about giving?” “Well, here’s what we believe. We believe that we’re to give first, save second, live on the rest. Why? Because giving first honors God, saving second builds wealth, and learning to live on the rest teaches contentment.” I think it’s a stunning way of answering that question.

Go back and think about this with your team. What do you believe about giving? What do you teach about giving? What do you teach about tithing? What do you teach about the priority of giving? What do you teach about giving to your church? It is important that you nail that down and establish your answers clearly. That’s the first big question that you want to ask.

Question #2: What data are you tracking and sharing with your congregation?

It is so important that as a ministry leader in your church, you are keeping track of data that will help you to see how well you’re doing in this area of generosity and stewardship. I don’t have a seminary degree, but I did get an MBA. It’s sort of iconic, this idea of somebody in business school saying you can’t manage what you don’t understand and you don’t understand what you don’t measure. But I did actually hear that when I was in business school and I believe it to be true and experienced it as a truth even in ministry when I was the executive pastor at Discovery Church in Orlando.

Think about this: if it is critical for leaders to understand data, why is it so common for many leaders in the church to ignore giving data or to not look at giving data or to be nervous or afraid of giving data?

I think it’s important for pastors to have giving data because giving data reveals something very important. I like to put it this way: Every change in giving is a pastoral issue and you won’t be able to identify a change in giving if you’re not looking at giving data.

Did you catch that? Every change in giving is a pastoral issue.

We’re not looking at giving data just so we can be better fundraisers. We’re looking at giving data so that we can be more effective pastors. It is so true that often when someone’s giving craters, it’s because there’s something happening in their life spiritually, something happening personally. The statistics will indicate the people’s dollars tend to leave the church before they do, so getting a hold of this data can be very, very helpful.

A number of years ago, one of my friends called an individual in his congregation who’s giving had really cratered to find out what was going on. The question was simply “How are you?” It wasn’t “Hey, I’ve been looking at the giving data and you guys are behind. What’s the story?” No, it was just “How are you?” What he heard was “Well, we recently had to put on our 27-year-old son into drug rehab. When you put a kid in rehab who has no insurance and no job, we had to write a $40,000.00 check. So it’s been really, really difficult for us as a family.” The pastor’s response wasn’t “No wonder you’re not giving.” No. He basically said, “Okay, let’s get some people around you, let’s get some people praying for you and supporting you.” It was the change in giving that revealed this pastoral issue. That’s why it is really important that we keep track of that and pay attention to that idea.

Good data is also important so that you can keep an eye out for first-time gifts and larger than usual gifts. Many churches I work with have some sort of a standard response for any gift above $X. For some it’s $5,000.00. For others maybe it’s $10,000. Who knows what it might be. The problem with that model is that if a person faithfully gives $100.00 a month and then writes a $1,500.00 check, they probably wouldn’t trigger your large gift special letter. But for them, that is a huge special gift and it would be great if somebody could follow them up and say something like: “You need to know that we’re not staring at giving data all day long, but we do get alerted when someone gives a very, very generous gift. I want to ask you something: What is God doing in your life that caused you to give that gift?”

Wouldn’t you love to ask that question to someone who’s just given a large gift in your church so that you can encourage them and just say, “Listen, I just want you to know as one of the leaders here in our church, we’re really, really grateful and proud of you, and we’re thankful for your partnership in this ministry.” Very seldom will you have somebody be upset about congratulating them or thanking them for that kind of thing.

What data are you tracking but also what data are you sharing with your congregation? I hope you aren’t doing this, but many churches are still reporting giving data in printed weekly bulletins. “Last week’s expected giving was X but what was given actually was Y.” What’s really kind of crazy about that is in many churches, what gets reported as last week’s budgeted giving is really just 1/52 of the total annual budget. But I have news for you, as someone who has done this for a long time. I have never worked with a church that got its entire budget in 52 equal installments. It doesn’t work that way. So when you communicate “Our budget was this but we got that,” your budget really wasn’t that. You didn’t actually expect to get that much money that week. You had some other number that you expected to get based on several factors: what month it was, what week it was, whether it’s the first week of the month, whether it’s the third week of the month, etc. As a team, you have a better way of tracking that number, but what you’re reporting to your congregation is actually not very helpful.

So it’s not only important that you track giving information, but it’s equally important what are you reporting about giving information. Are you providing quarterly updates to the people in your congregation? Do you do an annual report that shows “This is everything that we did as a church last year. This is where all the money went. We’re so grateful for everybody’s partnership with us in this effort.” It is really important that you both track and share good giving data with your congregation.

These first two questions alone will generate a great amount of healthy dialogue within your leadership team and can provide you with months of action steps as you choose to implement new ideas. I will give you a few days to chew on these before I bring you the next two questions. I’d love to get your feedback and questions as you work through the first two. Feel free to leave a comment or email me at chris.willard@leadnet.org.

Recommended Resources

If you are looking for an opportunity to significantly accelerate generosity and stewardship in your church, our Accelerating Generosity and Stewardship Online Masterclass is a great fit for any church, regardless of size or budget. For only $249, you and your team can watch the 7 weekly sessions, engage in thought-provoking dialogue using the team discussion guides, and participate in exercises to stretch your thinking and broaden your perspective on giving. The masterclass experience also includes:

Exclusive interviews with top ministry leaders
Bonus resources and podcasts on generosity
Two live Q&A sessions with me and other masterclass participants
And more!

The Accelerating Generosity and Stewardship Online Masterclass begins Tuesday, August 20. For a limited time, you can get access to a FREE preview of the first session. So click or tap on the button below to access the preview!

The post Accelerating Giving in Your Church Through a Culture of Radical Generosity | Part 1 appeared first on Leadership Network.

Source: Accelerating Giving in Your Church Through a Culture of Radical Generosity | Part 1

The post Accelerating Giving in Your Church Through a Culture of Radical Generosity | Part 1 appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by unSeminary: As a church leader, are you wondering how you’re going to make this year’s budget?

Have you looked at your donations and felt concerned they’re running behind?

It seems like every time I talk to church leaders the topic of increasing revenue comes up. It’s understandable because oftentimes funding is the only thing standing between our vision and its execution. Donations can definitely enable more ministry opportunities; however, I’d like to challenge you to stop thinking about ways to increase revenue if you don’t already have a robust system in place to thank your current donors.

It’s our opportunity and our responsibility as a church to thank the people who have chosen to invest in our ministry. Those who give to your church are actively choosing to give to your ministry. Whatever your philosophy on giving, the reality is that the donors who fund your ministry also encounter a number of other giving opportunities on a regular basis. The fact that they’ve opted to support your ministry is pretty amazing. Rather than outlining another way to increase revenue, we need talk about how to show our appreciation for those who already give.

You see, people often repeat what gets rewarded. We all know this from what happens when we motivate our team members, whether they be staff or volunteers. However, the same is true for our donors. If people feel acknowledged and appreciated, they are more likely to give to your ministry in the future.

Now, I’m not talking about putting little brass plates on every object at your church saying, “Generously donated by Mr. Han Solo and Ms. Leia Organa.” An elegant process built around thanking people who give to you church can both acknowledge and show appreciation to them at the same time.

First-time Donors

While Scripture is clear that Christians have a responsibility to give back and help push the ministry forward, many of those who attend our churches on a regular basis don’t contribute financially. The internal life change going on within a person who chooses to give up a portion of their income and invest it in your ministry is nothing short of profound. And so, we want to go out of our way to make a big deal about people who have chosen to give for the very first time.

Here are a few ways you could acknowledge and show appreciation to this amazing group of people:

Take the time to write a handwritten card. This would be a terrific opportunity for the pastor to say thanks and express that the church is honored the donor has chosen to give to its ministry.Send a letter of appreciation. It sounds simple, but it’s the best place to start. Have someone in leadership thank the donor, explain the vision of the church, and give the donor an opportunity to reach out with any questions about how their donations are being used.Give a thoughtful token of thanks. Many churches will give a small gift to help reinforce the idea that we don’t just want something from our donors—we actually want to give them something in return that can help them continue to manage their resources well. Books such as Randy Alcorn’s The Treasure Principle or Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover are practical and useful examples of this kind of gift.

Initial Recurring Donors

At some point, people will choose to go from giving occasionally to giving regularly. You might notice this in a monthly report that lists regular gifts that match the month before; it may show up when those who give online choose a recurring option rather than a one-time option. However, these regular contributors can sometimes feel neglected as our systems don’t have a way to acknowledge their donations every few months.

Take notice of the donors who choose to give on a regular basis, and let them know you notice their generosity and are so thankful that they’re choosing to give in this way. Some churches will not only send a note or a letter of appreciation when someone sets up recurring giving, but they’ll also have their system track various levels of gifts or the number of months that people give recurrently. For instance, at three months of giving a phone call from someone within the financial services department might be appropriate. After a full year, the pastor might send a handwritten note saying, “Thank you so much for giving monthly over this past year; it’s made a dramatic difference.” Whatever approach you use, establish the good practice of finding regular milestones to connect with recurring donors.

People Who Give to Special Appeals

Can we have a bit of an honest moment? I know that we occasionally find ourselves making a special appeal to those who give to our ministries. Maybe we have a special project we need to fund or we are running behind in a certain area. We build a small campaign where we reach out to our community and invite them to participate in a short-term opportunity that usually goes towards a specific need. Oftentimes, I’ve seen churches invest a lot of time, effort, energy, and even financial resources on the front end of these campaigns with little leftover for showing appreciation to funders afterwards.

I want to challenge you to spend as much time, effort, and energy on acknowledging donors who give to special campaigns as you do on the front end. If you have five or six dessert nights where you call people together to ask them to give to a special opportunity, you can certainly turn around and have a gratitude barbecue to thank those who contributed to your campaign.

Stock Donation Donors

There will be a segment of your community that may give various negotiable assets (including stocks and bonds) to your church. This is an important group of donors to acknowledge; these individuals are literally giving a piece of their future to the church. Unlike income that’s replenishable every month, when people choose to give you a stock today, they’re giving you future earning potential. People could choose to hold onto these assets as revenue-makers for their own personal futures, but they’re choosing to give it to your ministry instead.

This is an important, tactical area to thank, because a large percentage of all wealth is actually contained within equity like this rather than within income. Develop the habit of acknowledging and thanking people who choose to give equity to your church. This best practice can go a long way. I would suggest making a personal phone call (or adding some kind of personal touch) as these individuals are giving at a deeply generous level when they decide to give from their future potential earnings. We want to make sure that we match the emotional intensity of that gift in our appreciation.

Other Organizations

From time to time, other nonprofits or businesses in town will make donations to your church. These gifts are important because they represent a group of people within a business supporting the work of your church.

Sometimes gifts like this are a risk for the organization or business because there are many other opportunities for them to give to within the locality. Other nonprofits—like hospitals and food banks—do an incredible job of publicly acknowledging these gifts. With that in mind, take the time to reach out to the leadership of the organization and ask them how you can publicly speak about this gift. Let them decide the best way to make any form of public acknowledgement.

Core Donors

There are a group of donors who give a disproportionate percentage of your budget. This small group funds a sizable portion of what makes your ministry happen. These individuals need a regular connection with the leadership of your church to help them continue to invest in your ministry. It’s not a matter of giving this group special treatment; rather, it’s about encouraging them in the amazing gift they have. The Bible is pretty clear that some people have the gift of giving, and our job as leaders is to help everyone develop their spiritual gifts. If you don’t acknowledge or work with someone who has the gift of giving, it would be as if someone had the gift of teaching and you denied them opportunities to use and grow those gifts or failed to provide feedback on the difference their teaching is making.

I’ve found that coordinating regular meals with the top 20 to 50 donors at your church is a best practice in this area. You don’t need to overdo this, but if every one of those donors had a meal with a core leader (if not the lead pastor of your church) on an annual basis, the relationship that develops through that interaction will help the church continue to thrive. The conversation around the meal isn’t all about finances or the fact that someone’s given. In fact, I think 95% of the time together is simply about getting to know them, understanding what’s happening in their world, finding out how you can pray for them, and understanding their business.

Then in the last 5% of your time together, let the donor know how thankful you are for their investment in the ministry and ask them if they any questions about the church and its areas of growth. This will give them an opportunity to ask questions that they may feel a little bit sheepish about asking in other forums. Again, you’re not giving these people special treatment or special influence over the church. You are acknowledging that their gifts are making a profound difference, and you want to make sure they have access to the information they need to continue to feel comfortable investing in the church.

A bonus tip for this group: After you’ve had lunch with one of these donors, why not ask to come and see their place of work? You’d be amazed what happens when church leaders ask to visit a donor’s workplace. They’re always coming to your place of work, and it’s a great blessing for them if you return the favor. A lot of people love to show off their work environments and introduce you to the various people they work with. It also gives you more insight into how they lead and what’s happening in their world.

Which type of donor do you need to thank today?

Taking time to thank donors is critically important for the future of your church. We want to acknowledge the amazing work that God’s doing in people’s hearts as they choose to invest in our ministries, and you want your people to know how thankful you are for their gifts.

Which area do you need to invest more time, effort, and energy into? How can you develop a more robust strategy to thank donors? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Download PDF Article

Source: 6 Types of Donors Your Church Should Regularly Thank

The post 6 Types of Donors Your Church Should Regularly Thank appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: Building a Culture of Generosity from Day One

The post Building a Culture of Generosity from Day One appeared first on Passion for Planting.