Clarity
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. – 1 Timothy 6:18-19 (NIV)
In every conversation about money and stewardship, we have a Great Commission motivation and a gospel imperative to see people changed by the Gospel and living out their Christ-centered purpose. Those are two big reasons why it’s important to talk about our mission, vision and core values—because they form the rationale for what we do, why we do it, and how much it costs to get it done.
Stewardship development has several purposes:
- Provide first and next steps for believers to obediently exercise their spiritual gift of giving.
- Tell stories of life change and ministry impact made possible by their generosity.
- Enhance stewardship education and participation.
- Raise money for a general budget or one fund, for special projects, or for a major capital improvement.
Generational Giving Challenge
Churches and affiliated ministries receive the great majority of charitable giving in the United States. But donations are dropping year over year and ministry leaders need to carefully consider new giving strategies to address this decline and buck the cultural, demographic and generational shifts affecting church donation trends.
Most church giving comes from older generations, especially those in the Builder, Boomer and Gen X Generations. As the Builder Generation—those aged 79 and above—fades away, Boomers have become the most important givers in the church. They are also a microcosm of the challenges and changes unfolding right before eyes.
Stewardship Principles
Asking church members to give a biblical tithe or to pray about giving offerings beyond the tithe must be done with complete integrity and transparency. Consider establishing core principles about the ways your church will raise money.
In order to allay fears that many people have about special giving campaigns, some churches have made core promises to their members. Take a look at a sample fundraising covenant:
- There Is No Pressure to Give – Each member is simply asked to pray about their commitment and respond as the Holy Spirit leads.
- There Is No Internal Tracking of Commitments Made – Each individual or family is asked to make a faith commitment as a covenant with God (and no one else). A commitment card is turned in for the sole purpose of compiling an amount of expected faith giving over a specified time period. Note that some churches do track capital or one fund campaign giving on charitable giving statements.
- There Are No Home Visits
- There Are No Phone Calls
- There Are No Surprises
Stewardship Ideas
Year End Giving – Stimulate end of the year giving with an Annual Report in early December:
- Highlight annual accomplishments with statistics, selected quotes, etc.
- Include a budget summary to illustrate how money is allocated.
- Highlight the ministry budget. Sample text might read: “God is accomplishing great things through the ministry of First Church, which is made possible through your faithful financial support. Here’s a summary of the ministry budget approved for this budget year.”
- Attach a Year End Giving (ministry budget) envelope to the Annual Report.
Summer Giving – Stimulate summer giving with an April/May/June emphasis highlighting summer ministries:
- Create a promotional flyer for wide distribution.
- Provide regular giving updates throughout the summer.
- Tell summer stories about life change and gospel impact.
- Highlight important summer outreach, missions and next generation ministry opportunities.
- Verbalize the “why” behind summer events.
AM Worship Emphasis – Share giving stories to illustrate the blessing of tithing (by video and live). These stories can be planned around semi-annual or quarterly giving messages. Avoid the temptation to over-emphasize non-budget or one fund giving.
Giving Statements – Send a personal letter from the Lead Pastor with giving statements. In addition, consider sending semi-annual ministry updates with giving statements.
Assimilation Process – Communicate regular giving as a responsibility of church membership. Provide offering envelopes to new members at each Membership Class or Lunch with the Pastor event.
Giving Communication – Develop a comprehensive communication strategy for giving options:
- Communicate giving options regularly (mobile, online giving, text to give, in person).
- Consider regular member meetings to provide semi-annual reports on the church’s financial health.
- Redesign offering envelopes to be fully inclusive of multisite campuses.