“How can we persuade people to give more?” Not surprisingly, this is one of the most frequent questions I encounter in my work as a congregational consultant. Whether I’m consulting mainly on strategic planning, governance change, or growth plans (I rarely come in as a fundraiser any more), clients always want to raise more money.
What do you think about financial stewardship? While there are a host of resources for churches on developing giving, it’s important to clarify your own thinking. The clearer you are yourself, the easier it will be for you to offer others a challenge to give.
An important question to consider as many churches begin to enter stewardship season: Does the tithe count if some of the 10% does not go to the church?
More than a third of donations go to religious groups, while education accounts for 14 percent, giving to foundations makes up 11 percent, human services receives 9 percent, health picks up 8 percent and public society groups 8 percent.
The Episcopal Church’s pension fund is currently funded at 1.26 of future obligations. The industry average is about .85. Even implying conservative standards, the fund has a significant surplus.
Most congregations know the financial squeeze of recent years from the economic recession. What is more striking is that the financial downturn for denominations is even more pronounced and perhaps more long lasting. The practice of depending on fewer people to provide more money is unsustainable in the face of the coming “death tsunami.”
The Net and Millenial Generation members do not use cash and they do not write checks. They swipe a debit/credit card for almost all of their purchases and payments. In the church, how do we receive our offerings?
Members of the newly formed interfaith group in California called Desert Stewardship Project have taken on a mission to protect the most fragile ecosystem in their state.
The term “charitable giving” is something of a misnomer in America, because it includes every dollar donated to every nonprofit institution. I don’t think it really counts as charity to give to institutions — whether your own church or a foundation enriching your child’s secular private school — that provide services to you in return for the “gift.”
Phillip Jenkins suggests that there might be some advantages to the believer as they practice the teachings of the Prosperity Gospel churches in the developing world. He suggests that the praxis invites the believer to live thrifty, sober lives.