Hate talking about money? Many church leaders shy away from this tricky topic because they’re concerned it may reinforce negative impressions people have about the church.
But congregational giving is important in many ways—and not as common as you might think.
According to our friends at Kardia Consulting, who’ve been coaching church leaders on stewardship/generosity issues for more than 16 years, Christians give to the church at about the same rate non-Christians give to their charities of choice.
Per capita giving by churchgoers today is at 2.5 percent—nearly 1 percent lower than it was during the Great Depression!
Those who give anythingcomprise about 33 to 50 percent of church members. Yet if all Christians tithed, there would be an additional $165 billion to educate kids around the globe, eradicate hunger-related deaths, establish clean water and sanitation for all, and fund missions worldwide.
Jesus made it clear that treasure is a heart issue. Indeed, he’s quoted in the Scriptures talking about money, possessions and giving seven timesmore often than he talks about love.
How we use our money clearly matters in our faith journeys and our relationship with God. So instead of shying away from this topic, the church should be addressing it creatively and consistently, encouraging and empowering people to align their money matters with God’s heart.
But how? Kardia Consulting suggests a number of great, practical steps, including these:
Do
Instead of the offering as being an apparent afterthought thrown into a service wherever it fits, it should be timed, rehearsed and integrated with the messaging for the day.
Leaders should connect the offering with the church’s “reason for being.”
- Connect giving with the church’s mission
- Connect giving to God’s Word
- Connect giving to immediate “glocal” opportunity/need
- Connect giving to specific stories of life change and ministry impact
- Connect giving to God and his great faithfulness
Keep offering talks between 90 seconds and 2-minutes. Unique opportunities throughout the year may merit special emphasis and longer talks, but this should be the norm.
Don’t
Use tired, religious phrases like...
“It’s time to take the offering”
“The ushers are coming forward to receive our tithes and offerings”
“Let’s pray for the offering (the offering doesn’t need prayer; our hearts
do!)”
In short, Kardia advises church leaders to build cultures of generosity in their churches through intentional consistency and excellence in messaging, preparation and execution of all things giving-related.
We’ve seen the success of this approach. Good planning and effective, meaningful communication are especially helpful when planning for a special project, such as a facility remodel or expansion.
Development Advisors provides A to Z services to Front Range churches looking to expand. For more information, contact Scott McLean at scott@developco.com.