Grow generous, joyful givers

February 8th, 2024
by Jim LaDoux

By Jim LaDoux

Growing a culture of generosity requires intentionality and having a clear understanding of what stewardship is, and the role in plays within a congregational to equip people to be Christ-followers and embed a mindset of generosity within the people we serve. Listed below are a few steps to create a clearer understanding of stewardship.

1 | Define/describe Christian stewardship

Christian stewardship has also been defined as “what we do, with all that we have, after we say, we believe." It involves using the gifts God has given us, to do the work God is calling us to do. Christian stewardship is the grateful and responsible use of God's gifts in the light of God's purpose as revealed in Jesus Christ. Christian stewards, empowered by the Holy Spirit, commit themselves to conscious, purposeful decisions.
Stewardship teaches that all that we have and all that we are is a gift from God. We are, therefore, stewards of God's gifts during our lifetime. Discerning and carrying out God's purpose is the primary purpose of our lives. The gifts we have been given, time, talent, and money, are to be used for that purpose. The primary role of the church is to guide individuals in discernment of the mission for their lives and use of their resources in accomplishing it.

2 | Describe the role of stewardship in a church

The primary objective of the organization (church) is to bring people into a closer relationship with God. Strengthening relationships with individuals is an important part of this but the goal is always to create an environment in which the relationship with God is strengthened.
Congregations are charged with encouraging individuals to discern the gifts God has given them and the work God is calling them to do. God is the source of the mission and the money. Both are gifts over which the giver exercises faithful stewardship.

Understanding giving as a significant spiritual practice, the congregation encourages giving by providing or identifying a variety of opportunities to give of one’s time, talents and treasures.
Understanding giving as a joyful response to God's generosity to us, the congregation provides people with opportunities to express their faith and encourage others.

Philosophical assumptions

We are empowered to give. Stewards are freed from an attitude of scarcity to live in the abundance of God. Individuals experience the joy of giving as they respond to God's call to live as faithful stewards.
Stewardship is a ongoing function of congregational life and includes stewardship education, planned giving and storytelling. It is connected to our congregational identity of generosity and abundance.
As Christians, we should be at ease with discussing money, recognizing that our finances may be stewarded toward transforming people's lives.
Expectations for support of the congregation, with time, talents and money, should be clear and accepted for all ages from day one.
Congregations must “think big” and beyond themselves with a feeling of joyful abundance.
Giving increases as the congregation matures spiritually, emotionally and intellectually!

Three pathways used to gather the financial gifts of members

Ordinary Stewardship is the regular practice of returning to God a portion of all that God has given us. It involves teaching ourselves how to create a life built upon the notion that all that we have is a gift from God. This includes teaching the holy habits of keeping the Sabbath and tithing, and the concept that giving regularly of our time, talent, and money to God’s work on this earth is as much a spiritual practice as prayer and worship.
Extraordinary Stewardship involves the special occasions that arise in the life of Christian communities that call us to give beyond our ordinary habit. They involve increased risk and encourage us to experiment with sacrificial giving in order to help the community realize an especially important goal. The best example of extraordinary stewardship is the capital campaign.
Legacy Stewardship is the way in which we address the matter of disposing of the accumulations of our lifetime. Who will use your “stuff ̈ when you no longer need it? Leaving a planned gift serves as both a legacy to generations yet unborn and a final witness to those whom we hold most dear.

FOUNDATIONS FOR GROWING GENEROUS GIVERS
Congregations that have a vital role in the community:

Focus beyond themselves.
Foster authentic community.
Equip people with a faith that works in real life.

Leadership is also key for healthy stewardship ministry. Effective practices include:

Pastors model a life of stewardship and generosity.
Pastors and lay leaders are passionate about and committed to growing in giving, talking openly about their personal giving.
Leadership ensures that there's an active stewardship team is in place that works closely with the governing board.
Leaders are continuously equipped and educated in whole-life stewardship.
Leaders set high expectations among themselves and within the congregation related to stewardship.

Education is fundamental for growing stewards. These elements were recurring:

Teach and preach stewardship with strong biblical principles.
Teach the role of money in one's life.
Teach personal money management.
Preach and converse regularly about money as an expression of faith.
Teach proportionate, regular, first fruits, and growth giving.
Children and youth education curriculum include stewardship themes.
Teach all-of-life stewardship.

Generous congregationsgive away a growing percentage of congregational income for ministries to the larger church.

They practice first fruits and proportionate giving for mission support.
They build relationships with their members through personal contacts.
They provide multiple opportunities for giving and serving.
They emphasize the connection between faith, abundance, and money.
They help members discover, develop, and deploy their gifts as they help them to fulfill their multiple callings in life.
They develop an "asset-based" climate.
They develop year-round stewardship programs.
They ask boldly, thank profusely and often, and tell stories of transformation.
They engage in annual every member response programs for financial commitments, estimates of giving or pledges.
They provide programs for regular (undesignated) and over-and-above (designated) giving.
They use a program budget in addition to a line item budget.
They separate stewardship programs from budget preparation.
They provide quarterly reports on member giving to the membership.
They establish mission endowment policies.
They model first-fruits giving by sharing a percentage of their corporate income for ministry beyond the congregation.
They frequently share personal stories of joy of giving.

1 | Engage your leaders and members

Choose a time of year when the congregation can focus its attention on stewardship and when there is a high probability of connecting with the most people. The annual financial campaign should be on the calendar a year in advance and planned with as much attention to detail as Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve.
Pick a new theme every year for your stewardship campaign. Taking the time to be creative and innovative may encourage your members to take the time to reflect on their giving.
Be strategic in building a leadership team. Involve a large group of people to build their sense of responsibility for the outcome. Include persons from different age groups and different ministry areas. A faithful giver (preferably someone who tithes) should head your annual stewardship campaign.
Be sure that the generous givers of the congregation are well represented on the stewardship team and other groups related to the church’s funding.
Do not hesitate to ask church leaders to make their pledges first as a sign of their commitment and as an encouragement to the larger congregation.
Orchestrate a comprehensive communication strategy to focus attention on stewardship during your campaign. Use every available means – sermons, music, testimony, newsletter articles, study programs, bulletin boards, banners, etc.

2 | Plan Carefully

Remember – and communicate – that the annual budget is about ministry and mission, not dollars. Prepare the budget with great care, being sensitive to giving trends. Set ambitious but realistic goals.
Define your purpose and set goals. Set priorities and sequence activities in appropriate ways. Be efficient and realistic in making assignments. Be logical about how you allocate your time and efforts in relation to expected outcomes.
Establish a realistic timeline. In larger churches, planning and implementing the annual commitment campaign can take six months or more. Use benchmark dates to keep on track.
Avoid the temptation to rush to the final steps without spending adequate time and attention on the foundational steps that normally determine success or failure.
Know that developing a congregation of faithful givers does not happen only through a stewardship drive. Develop a year-round approach to stewardship education.
Appreciate that fund raising is incremental. The most important determinant of how much you can raise this year is what you raised last year.

3 | Approach solicitation with a healthy frame of mind

Never be apologetic or feel guilty about stewardship appeals. Campaign leaders are not asking for themselves. Their willingness to approach others about giving is an expression of their deep commitment to the church. The vast majority of those being asked will respond in ways that honor that commitment.
Remember that there is a great deal of “money looking for mission” and that many people are seeking ways to use their resources to advance their values and do God’s will.
Remember that people give to many things, so do not assume that people will give all their charitable giving to the church. You need to make your case.
Emphasize that stewardship is about faithfulness to God, not obligation to the church. Stress the giver’s joy in giving rather than the church’s need to receive.
Structure your campaign to acknowledge unique giving patterns
Know that every church has a “giving pyramid” with a small percentage of donors contributing a large proportion of what is given; for not all people have the same resources to give, and not all people are at the same level of spiritual maturity. Most money will come from larger gifts. Analyze giving histories and membership data in your congregation to determine where your people are on your pyramid.
Track pledges and giving by age “decades” (younger than 20s, 20s, 30s, 40s, etc.) so you can assess giving patterns across age groups. Determine what percentage of giving comes from those aged 70 and above. You may be vulnerable if this percentage is high and getting higher each year.
Focus on those currently giving. Most of the giving, including increases, will come from those already giving.
Be realistic in your expectations from those who are not currently giving. New donors are much more difficult to reach, are less likely to respond, and will give less than those already giving.
Know that one approach will not fit everyone in the church. What is appropriate for the spiritually mature member who demonstrates faithfulness may not be appropriate for a newer or relatively inactive member who has never given. Think of relating to people “as they have lifted their hands.”
Think in terms of “concentric circles” with your active, generous who are in the center.

4 | Know what motivates people to give

Know that people give from a mixture of motives. Few give out of a clear spiritual rationale. Most do not have a well- planned or consistent approach to giving.
People will “protect themselves.” You do not need to guard them against over-giving!
Appreciate that people want care in the use of their money, but procedures and documentation do not tend to be motivators for giving except in the negative.
Remember that people are likely to continue giving once they begin.
Nurture relationships. People give based more on credibility and relationships than on the merits of the cause.

5 | Ask in Effective Ways

Take the initiative. If you want money, you must ask for it. Many never give because they were never asked nor givencompelling reasons to do so.
Use the most personal approach possible. A personalized letter is better than a form letter, a hand-written note better than a letter, a phone call better than a note. A one-on-one visit is best of all! If you cannot visit everyone, start at the top of your pyramid.
Be positive in everything you communicate about giving. Eliminate negative references.
Never divide the budget by the number of church families or members and say, “If everyone gave just . . . .” Those who give little will not give more, but some who give more may give less.
Most people do not give to support budgets. They give to support people and programs.
Build your message around mission. Relate everything to the church’s vision and purpose.
Prepare a “Ministry Impact Budget” to use in your campaign. Rather than presenting “line items,” this budget should interpret ministry and mission in ways that are meaningful to your membership (worship ministries, educational ministries, outreach ministries, etc.).
Always, however, make the accounting version available to anyone requesting it.
Use groups in your church to reinforce your campaign efforts. Prepare group study materials related to your campaign theme. Ask group leaders to help in contacting their members.
Know that congregations that seek annual pledges have a higher level of giving than congregations that do not ask for annual commitments.
Make giving by automatic withdrawal simple to choose when people make their pledges.
In all pledge requests, acknowledge that some may be in a “financial jam.” Ask them to commit what they can and not

6 | Follow-up

Do not think of a Commitment Sunday as the end of the campaign. It is an important celebration and punctuation point, but much work needs to happen after that day to reach those who have not responded.
Follow every successful solicitation with a meaningful gesture of appreciation.
Do not forget to seek commitments between campaign periods, especially from new members.
Be sensitive to members’ desire and need to make year-end gifts. Communicate any deadlines for year-end giving.