The #1 Barrier to Your Church’s Giving Potential

Over the years, we’ve learned something that has shaped the way we think about generosity: many churches believe they’re doing everything they can to inspire giving… but they’re not.

Not because the leaders don’t care. Not because they don’t believe in the mission. And certainly not because the people don’t want to give.

It’s because there are invisible barriers — often hidden in plain sight — that quietly put a ceiling on a church’s giving potential. A church can have the clearest vision and the strongest convictions, but if these barriers remain, it will never experience the full level of generosity God has designed for its ministry.

The encouraging news is this: these barriers can be removed. 

But before these barriers can be dealt with, they have to be seen for what they are.

Through years of walking with churches across the country, we’ve identified five common areas where generosity tends to stall. These areas show up in churches of every size, denomination, and location. And here’s the surprising part — most leaders don’t realize they exist until someone helps them notice.

Let’s talk about just one of them. It’s not about the economy. It’s not about whether the building is paid off. It’s about the way a church invites people to give — specifically, how it handles the moment in the worship service when generosity is addressed.

For many churches, this “giving moment” gets treated as a transition — a quick announcement, a rushed prayer, maybe a passing comment before moving on to the next part of the service. But the truth is this is one of the most formative moments a church has all week.

In those couple of minutes, leaders can help people see that their giving is much more than just a financial transaction — it's a true act of worship, a tangible way to participate in God’s mission through the ministry.

When that opportunity is missed, the church loses more than potential dollars. It misses a chance to disciple people in one of the most life-shaping spiritual practices they will ever engage in.

And that’s just one barrier. There are four others that might be quietly limiting impact — and the ability to fully fund the mission God has entrusted to the church.

We’ve put what we’ve learned into a short, practical guide to help uncover these barriers and take meaningful steps to remove them –– so that you can cultivate a culture of generosity that fuels life change.

If you want to see what’s holding a church back and take bold steps toward breaking through , this guide is a great place to start.

Download the FREE ebook now.