The Giving Conversation That Changes Everything

For many churches today, a puzzling trend is emerging—attendance is up, but giving is flat or even declining. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. In a recent conversation, our very own Jim Sheppard sat down with Sean Morgan on the Leaders in Living Rooms podcast, where he unpacked one of the biggest myths in church generosity: the idea that giving is primarily a financial transaction rather than a key component of discipleship.

The Discipleship Gap In Church Giving

Over the past four decades, many churches have unintentionally created a culture of silence around generosity as discipleship. Instead of framing giving as a transformative spiritual practice, it has too often been reduced to a means of funding budgets and closing financial gaps. When leaders only talk about money in times of financial need, they reinforce the notion that giving is transactional rather than deeply tied to a believer’s spiritual growth.

But what if the focus shifted? What if pastors helped their congregations understand that giving isn’t about what the church needs, but about what happens in the heart of the giver?

Shifting The Giving Moment

One of the most practical ways to reshape this conversation is through the giving moment. Whether it’s a three-minute segment in the service or a part of ongoing discipleship, this moment should be a time to remind people that giving is an act of worship and spiritual formation.

Take a look at Philippians 4:17, where Paul thanks the church at Philippi for their financial support: “Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.” Paul wasn’t focused on the gift itself—he was excited about the spiritual impact that giving had on the givers.

Imagine if every church embraced that mindset. Instead of emphasizing budget shortfalls, what if the message was consistently about the life change that happens when people step into generosity as a form of discipleship?

A Call To Action

This shift starts with church leaders. If you're a pastor, I encourage you to evaluate how your church talks about giving. Is it framed as a spiritual practice? Do you take time in your services to disciple people in generosity? If not, now is the time to start.

To hear more insights on how churches can shift their approach to generosity and discipleship, listen to Jim's full conversation with Sean Morgan on the Leaders in Living Rooms podcast. You can find it here.

Let’s change the conversation about giving—not because churches need more money, but because believers need to grow in their faith. Generosity isn’t just about funding ministry; it’s about forming disciples.