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CREATING A SPIRITUAL
CULTURE OF GENEROSITY IN YOUR CHURCH
Kevin J. Garvey
- Chief Development Officer, Board of Pensions, PC(USA)
Three ingredients are
essential in baking the cake of generosity:
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Leaders, who
teach, preach and talk about money with theological and financial
integrity.
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Congregations who, in their business practices, model
organizational accountability and financial transparency
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Donors who
are committed to living their faith with thoughtful generosity and
charitable intentionality
Pastoral leadership is
the lynchpin in the generosity triad. Without pastors who are
committed to the hard work of leadership in the face of serious
challenges, cultural transformations will not occur.
STEWARDSHIP TEXTS
Tithing
Leviticus 27: 30-32
Numbers 18:20-32
Deuteronomy
14:22-29;26:12-15
Gods’ ownership of
all things
Leviticus 25:23
2 Corinthian 8 + 9
Matthew 6:19-24
First Timothy 6:6-10
Parables of Jesus
Luke 7:41-43 two
forgiven debtors
Luke 10:29-37 the
good Samaritan
Luke 12:13-21 the
rich fool
Luke 12:42-48 the
faithful and wise steward
Luke 13:6-9 the
fruitless fig tree
Luke 16:1-9 the
unjust steward
Luke 16:19-31 rich
man + Lazarus
THE CIRCLE OF
GENEROSITY
Prospect
identification; identifying members
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Good Church data
base, data is the foundation of fund raising, keep data updated
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Inputting and
updating information into data base, attendance, volunteer
activity, interests, past service, interests, individual giving
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Peer group prospect
identification and outside prospect research;
DonorSearch
LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
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Generosity Team
Chartered by Session
-
Establishment of the
Generosity team
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Generosity team,
confidential prospect identification of major prospects
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Generosity team
made up of cross section of committee heads, finance,
stewardship, endowment, Christian education, worship
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Establishment of
Generosity calendar
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Leadership set pace
for giving, Session, Deacons, Generosity Team tithe
Cultivation,
building Relationships and Sharing the Vision
Scripture 1 Timothy
6:18, 19; Stewardship is Strategic
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Strategic Plan for
your Church is a must.
-
People will invest
when they know where you are going and why
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Publicize your
strategic plan, refer to it in your daily life of your church,
preparing budget, hiring staff, setting priorities
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Make your budget a
narrative budget, what impact will the line items have on the
strategic plan
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Produce an annual
report on success and challenges of the plan
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Hold Town meeting or
small group sessions to get knowledge of plan to your people and
receive feedback on the plan. Do your members of the Church own
your plan?
-
Education during
offering time; video of impact of program with budget
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When you ask for
support, refer to the plan and how the investment will impact the
plan and people.
-
Celebrate the
successes of your plan at Church Services, meeting etc.
-
Pastor or leader
sends out e-mail updates on the plan and success of plan.
-
Visit with your
people, especially the ones who can help you accomplish your plan
Solicitation,
Opportunity for Stewardship and Generosity
Generosity springs
from the conviction that God owns everything and that we are
temporary managers of his treasures.
Scripture 1
Chronicles 29:14-18; Psalm 24:1, 2; Colossians 1:15-20; God owns
everything
-
Generosity should
become a part of the culture just like missions, youth, worship.
Generosity should be celebrated all year. Examples around the
offering.
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The Generosity Team
coordinates the entire generosity program, endowment, finance,
planned giving, annual stewardship campaign, celebration
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The Generosity
establishes the annual generosity calendar; solicitation dates.
Preaching schedule, presentations at worship, celebrations, church
school lessons, minute for mission presentations, etc.
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Annual stewardship
campaign tie solicitation to Strategic plan of Church.
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Budget preparation,
volunteer teams around ministries understand their budget, helps
to get buy in for budget and campaign.
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Make the budget a
narrative budget.
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Ask for the
investment not a gift, Easy of giving, web, electronic transfer
from checking, stock gifts.
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Preach a minimum of
once per quarter about Generosity put on generosity calendar
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Solicit more than
once per year. If annual stewardship campaign is in the fall, do
special one time gift campaign for special project in the spring.
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Understand the
Generational giving differences
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Alternative ways of
making contribution, automatic checking deductions; tokens for
offering
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Restricted giving
could focus on second ask.
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Always ask people to
consider the Church in their estate planning
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Establish an Estate
Planning Sunday with recognition of people who have left the
Church in their will
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Establish a youth
generosity campaign, celebrate their success
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Tie giving to
missions of the Church, Food bank Sunday, people use their
generosity to bring in shopping bags of food bring to alter, end
of service, people grab a bag and take it to the food bank.
Recognition;
Expressing Appreciation and celebrating Generosity
Scripture; II
Corinthians 9:6-7; Our attitude matters
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Greatest reward is
the relationship of donor with God
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Updates on Web and
from pulpit on success of campaign. Tie to what will be able to be
accomplished in Strategic Plan if goal is met.
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Thank you sent once
gift or pledge is made, let them know what impact their gift will
have on the Strategic Plan
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Thank you note sent
by Pastors for volunteer service
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Youth classes make
presentation of generosity at worship service.
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Better utilization of
offering time, videos, testimonials
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Celebration Sunday,
success of campaign
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Testimonials
throughout the year on how Generosity/ Stewardship have impacted
people’s spiritual life.
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Testimonial from
member of congregation on how Tithing has blessed them
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Recognition moves us
back to prospect identification the joy of giving spreads to
others
RESOURCES
Books
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A Stewardship
Scrapbook by William R. Phillippe
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Growing Givers’
Hearts by Thomas H. Jeavons and Rebekah Burch Basinger
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Revolution in
Generosity by Wesley K. Willmer
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Not Your Parents
Offering Plate by J. Cliff Christopher
North Central Iowa
Presbytery
2302 Falls Avenue,
Waterloo, IA 50701
319-233-1747
319-233-2015 (fax)
www.presbynciowa.org
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