If your church doesn’t have a clear theology on giving—one that you consistently communicate—then you’re unintentionally allowing a free market of incorrect beliefs to take root and thrive. And that’s not healthy for your church.
It’s also unfair to suggest that people who aren’t giving are being disobedient if they’ve never been taught a biblical perspective on generosity. How can someone be disobedient to something they don’t know? If you have people sitting in your church who have never heard a clear, biblical teaching on giving, that’s not their failure—it’s yours. As a pastor, if you desire to preach the full counsel of God, you cannot sidestep the issue of money. Jesus certainly didn’t.
You need to talk about it, and your church needs a clearly articulated giving theology. Pastors need clarity. Congregations need clarity. Don't assume people already understand. You set the compass, and rather than letting the conversation drift, you must provide direction. A well-defined giving theology becomes the foundation for every conversation about money and faith.
Churches Are Not Talking About Money—and It’s a Problem
Many churches intentionally avoid conversations about money and faith. I’ve seen it firsthand. When I ask pastors, “What does your church believe about giving?” the answers often reveal a significant gap.
One time, I was with an executive team of six leaders and suggested a simple exercise: writing down what they believed about giving. The lead pastor stopped me and said, “We don’t need to do that. I already know we’re not on the same page.”
That was an eye-opening moment. There was no deep theological debate. No internal conflict. They just hadn’t had the conversation. The lack of clarity wasn’t because they disagreed—it was because they had never taken the time to define what they believed. And as a result, their congregation had no clear understanding of giving either.
This avoidance is one reason why giving has become so transactional in churches. If we don’t intentionally shape a biblical perspective on generosity, people will fill in the blanks with their own assumptions—and often, those assumptions are shaped more by culture than by Scripture.
The way we talk about money in church must shift from transactional (“Give because the church needs it”) to transformational (“Give because God wants to transform your heart”).
When you start clearly teaching a theology of giving, you will draw out skeptics. Some people will push back. Expect it. But that’s not a reason to avoid the conversation—it’s a reason to lean in.
Paul models this in Philippians 4:17 when he thanks the church at Philippi for their generosity. He says, “Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.” Paul wasn’t interested in their money—he was interested in their spiritual growth. He understood that giving wasn’t about funding ministry; it was about fostering a deeper relationship with God.
God uses money to transform us. He doesn’t need our dollars to sustain His church—He wants our hearts to be fully His. If we don’t teach this truth, people will default to thinking giving is just about budgets and expenses. And when that happens, money remains just money, instead of becoming a spiritual tool for discipleship.
A strong giving theology provides a framework for your entire church—pastors, staff, long-time members, new attendees, and even skeptics. If your church lacks clarity, here’s how to start defining it:
For instance, many people use “tithing” and “giving” interchangeably. But biblically, a tithe refers to the first 10% of one’s income, while giving encompasses all acts of generosity beyond that. If your church uses the word “tithe,” make sure you define it clearly. Language matters.
Once you’ve defined your theology, don’t let it sit in a document somewhere. Integrate it into your church’s DNA.
When you consistently communicate a biblical theology of giving, it becomes part of the culture. Over time, your people will begin to see generosity not as a duty, but as an opportunity to grow in faith.
At the core of this conversation is a spiritual reality: No one can serve two masters. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 6:24—“You cannot serve both God and mammon.” Mammon isn’t just money; it represents the spiritual force that seeks to draw people’s hearts away from God.
If money has the power to become an idol in our lives, then pastors must confront that reality with clarity and boldness. And the way to do that is by teaching a theology of giving that prioritizes transformation over transaction.
If every conversation about money in your church is a request for funding, people will assume that’s all you care about. But if you consistently teach that generosity is about worship, trust, and discipleship, then people will see that God isn’t after their money—He’s after their hearts.
And that’s exactly what the Church should be after too.