Church Giving: The Rules Have Changed

Church Giving: The rules have changed

People no longer give to the church simply because it is the church. The church must prove it is worthy of donations through the mark it leaves on the world. -- George Barna

Americans spent nearly twice as much on first-day sales of the video game “Grand Theft Auto IV” as the SBC and the IMB would need to share the Gospel with all the world’s unreached people groups by 2010. -- Empty Tomb

Charitable donations as measured by per capita giving of disposable income has remained the same since 1967 – 2.5%. -- Giving USA

Billionaires are the least likely to donate money to the church. -- Empty Tomb

More than $500 million was raised for Haiti in three weeks. The number continues to rise. -- The Chronicle of Philanthropy

At least one out of five American Christians – 20 percent of all U.S. Christians – gives literally nothing to church, para-church, or nonreligious charities. -- Passing the Plate

What’s our next move?

The Church can’t fail.

There is no “Plan B.”

Our next move is to understand…

The habits of giving begin with the worldview of the giver.

Two shifts have taken place within American Christianity.

Critical Shift #1 The tithe is no longer solely reserved for the church.

In 1995, there were 600,000 nonprofit organizations and 370,000 churches. In 2005, there were over 1.8 million nonprofit organizations and 370,000 churches. -- Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate

The Church is a nonprofit organization that exists through the donations of its membership.

Critical Shift #2 Christians want their tithe to count.

Before change can take place, we need to agree on a few principles.

Churches have an advantage over every other nonprofit: weekly interaction with membership.

Churches are the WORST at capturing the dollar and fail to consistently provide a “call to action.”

If churches continue to be silent, the giving levels needed to operate this complex organization will not exist.

Giving is an outward sign of an inward commitment. Measuring giving is one way to measure the health of your church and your membership.

Church giving is connected to your ministry plan. People want to support a cause or organization that accomplishes something they can’t do on their own.

The more we remain silent with respect to the subject of money in the church, the more likely someone else’s budget will be funded.

What’s your plan of action?

Establish a systematic strategy.

Start talking about it.

Set expectations.

Make the ask.

Measure and report the results.

“Accelerating Generosity” Ben Stroup E-mail: ben@generis.com Blog: churchgivingmatters.com Twitter: @ben_stroup

Church Giving: The Rules Have Changed

by Ben Stroup on Feb 15, 2010

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