If your goal is to create a culture of generosity at your church, make sure you are focusing on three important areas:
I work with clients who are doing these things, and they are seeing it work. They are seeing some crazy results and growth in generosity.
But many pastors overlook these things or don’t focus on them much. I can understand how none of the three seem like really “big things” in the grand scheme of your church. But they are very big, important ideas, and they have the potential to turbocharge your culture of generosity.
Every pastor out there probably has in his or her mind what they believe about giving. But that may or may not be what their staff believes or what the rest of the church believes. When you’re clear about what your church believes, it helps people understand giving in light of their journey to become a better giver. Primarily for God’s glory. And secondarily to release resources to fund the ministry of the church.
What I see often though is that pastors and churches are not clear and united on what they believe about money. Most pastors aren’t thinking about creating a theology on giving, and within your church, you most likely have many different viewpoints about it. It’s similar to the issue of baptism. Godly people can have differing views on baptism. But your church is clear on what it believes about baptism. The same should be true with giving.
In order to create a giving theology, you address and biblically answer all the questions you can related to giving. And then you teach about it. You address questions, such as these:
Answer these types of questions, and others that come up in your conversations, in your statement of theology and include Scripture to support it.
Once you have clarity, it becomes an anchor to all of your conversations about giving. Everything else you do like teaching series, small group series, and giving series can be framed around this big flag you’ve staked in the ground.
Generous churches are led by generous pastors. I’ve seen this to be true time and time again. I write about it in the fourth chapter of Contagious Generosity, and I believe it more now than when I co-wrote that book 12+ years ago. The churches that are making progress on the journey of generosity are led by pastors who are generous themselves. Why is that?
It’s because when a pastor talks openly about their own giving journey – the work God through the power of the Holy Spirit is doing in their heart – it frees up the culture of the church to have the conversation about money without it feeling awkward or weird. It normalizes the conversation. The pastor’s journey sets the standard for the congregation, prompting them to contemplate their own level of generosity.
When pastors share their giving journey it gives the bigger statement of theology more credibility. Your journey should line up with that theology, and it should constantly be evolving and updated. You tell your people, “I am being sanctified day by day, week by week, month by month in this area of my life. This is what it looks like for me to grow in my giving journey.”
Also remember that this is not a conversation that should focus on monetary giving to the church alone. It’s more about buying into the idea that giving is a spiritual journey that is increasingly, incrementally, little by little changing us on the inside. And, as we do change and grow, we release more and more of our financial resources for the work of God in the world.
Just like the pastor’s giving journey, your giving moment should also be anchored to your theology of giving. It’s an opportunity to share your statement, reinforce your points, and tell stories of impact.
Your giving moment cannot be an afterthought. It has to be intentional, 52 times per year, engaging givers in a real and meaningful way to excite and inspire them. Don’t let old traditions, routines, or a fear of “money conversations” stop you from creating compelling giving moments. What if you could use this time to stir the hearts of your givers and help them grow in their generosity? You can if you do it right. It is a dripping of the biblical message of stewardship, generosity and giving every single week.
As you do inspire more and more people to start giving, remember that giving moments are the perfect time to thank new givers and continue inviting new people to give. Make it invitational, and then celebrate those who have started giving for the first time. Normalize the idea that many people start giving for the first time here. “Today could be your day.”
These three ideas may not seem that big in and of themselves. If you’re looking to create a culture of generosity, you won’t get anywhere without a clear theology of giving, sharing the pastor’s giving journey, and creating compelling giving moments. When churches prioritize these things, it moves the culture of generosity forward. They have the potential to turbocharge your culture of generosity!