Stronger Finances
by Mark White
I’m crazy about generosity. I have experienced the positive life change associated with generosity and, because I love our church community and want what is best for them, I will do what I can do to help cultivate generosity within that community.
And generosity truly is what is best for them. In the ‘Paradox of Generosity,’ the authors/researchers Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson lay out compelling evidence to support that generosity fosters positive emotions, increases experiences of reward and pleasure, reduces stress, suppresses pain, reduces self-absorption, increases happiness, enhances social-network relational ties, and reinforces the perception of living in a world of abundance and blessing. These qualities don’t beget generosity, but instead generosity begets these qualities. Think cause and effect. Quoting the book’s abstract: “Generosity is paradoxical. Those who give, receive back in turn. In giving of ourselves for others’ well-being, we enhance our own well-being as well. In letting go of some of what we own, we actually increase our own security and sense of comfort. By giving away our own resources, we move ourselves toward flourishing.”
There is no need for us to apologize as we encourage people to give. We want what is best for them. But, practically, what can we do to promote generosity within our church community? There is no silver bullet, but to follow are some practical considerations that may be helpful.
First, make giving easy.
Emphasize a ‘Give’ link on your website’s homepage.
Have a mechanism for online giving.
There are all kinds of options available, most of which pass the associated expense (less than 2%) on to the church, although the giver often has the option of paying that expense themselves.
Use QR codes and/or text-to-give to direct the giver to an online giving option.
Ensure physical giving locations to give are prominent and easily accessible (as many of us have moved away from pass-the-plate moments).
Communicate the giving options via a newsletter and/or a slide during the communion and giving portion of a service.
In short, remove physical and technological barriers – real or perceived – to giving.
Second, talk about it.
Brandon Beard, an Executive Pastor, and growmentumgroup.com consultant, opines a meaningful generosity moment is vital during each weekend service. He recommends rotating through the following:
Short Story: Share a short story about life change and thank people for their generosity which leads to life change. “Thanks to your generosity …”
Practical needs met: share a practical necessity that was met because of their giving. “Thanks to your generosity …”
See it: Show a picture or video of a met need thanks to their generosity. Some people need to see it to believe it, so show them. “Thanks to your generosity …”
Facts and Figures: Show them numbers, show a graph, and be specific; for example, as of today’s date, the church is receiving 80% of our weekly needs. Some people do not want to hear about missions in Africa; they need facts and figures. “Thanks to your generosity …”
Heartstrings: Some people connect with strong emotions when profound stories are told. This can be exhausting if you share too much, so be careful that this is just part of the rotation and not a weekly thing. “Thanks to your generosity …”
Ministry: This week, share about one specific ministry, like Children’s Ministry, and share how their giving helps us buy curriculum and material for kid’s ministry, helping our kids learn who Jesus is and that he loves them. “Thanks to your generosity …”
Decisions: This week, share about someone who decided to follow Jesus or how many baptisms this year. “Thanks to your generosity …”
Remember to keep the generosity moment brief (2-3 minutes, tops), practice it beforehand (an off-key generosity moment may have an inverse effect), and evaluate to assure it was brief and communicated well. If not, adjust before next Sunday.
Third, steward well.
Once entrusted with financial gifts, it is incumbent that we steward well. To say the least, few things challenge the patience and faith of a community like poor financial stewardship. Stewardship is beyond the scope of this blog – there have been many books written on the matter – but diversity of responsibilities, checks-and-balances, transparency, authority levels and competent, accurate accounting should rule the day. We must be above reproach in all matters, not the least of which is financial stewardship.
Money has become God’s chief rival and the Church’s failure to address this reality detrimentally impacts the spiritual well-being of our people. There’s no such thing as being right with God and wrong with money. Our people’s hearts will be with their treasures (Matthew 6:21); they cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24); wealth’s deceitfulness chokes out God’s word in their lives (Matthew 13:22); and the love of money will lead them to all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10).
Therefore, paraphrasing Andy Stanley, we talk about money not because of what we want from our people, but what we want for them.
