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Like most pastors, Dave Cox dreaded churning out his
obligatory, annual tithing sermon. He was usually just
glad to get it over with.
That is, until Dave says he woke up to a hard reality:
His church was neglecting to teach and train people
how to live a lifestyle of biblical generosity -- and
his people were suffering.
"I had been a coward," admits Dave, senior
pastor of Westside
Family Church in the greater Kansas City area. "I
had shrunk back from what God's Word had to say. I was
afraid, and I didn't know how people would react when
we challenged them to do away with a self-serving way
of life.
"People were making more money than ever before.
But it was tearing their families apart and they were
giving less to the kingdom."
It was then that Dave and the leadership of Westside
made a decision that many innovative churches are making
in the area of stewardship and generosity.
They put in motion a comprehensive, strategic
and intentional plan -- and the resources to go with
it -- that would teach their congregation how to live
as "managers" of all God has given them, rather
than owners.
Church
leaders who focus on generous giving find that
once-a-year pledges or capital campaigns don't
do enough to foster the lifestyle they want
to see reproduced in their people. Without practical,
focused tools to teach the principles and practices
of a generous life, church members will likely
remain unchanged in this matter of the heart.
"We have never shied away from talking
about money," says Terry Busch, executive
pastor of Centre
Street Evangelical Missionary Church in
Calgary. "However, I think we've frustrated
people by talking about what they could do and
should do without giving them the tools they
need to learn how to do those things."
For church leaders who echo Terry's sentiments,
there is good news. The storehouse of tools
to teach generous giving and biblical stewardship
is rapidly expanding -- with solid off-the-shelf
resources that are being refined to meet the
needs of modern-day churchgoers.
Churches that are ahead of the curve in developing
the teaching component of a generous culture
start their teaching at the top with staff and
leaders. And they address a full spectrum of
needs -- from those in financial crisis to the
most wealthy individuals and the 80 percent
in-between.
Teaching Generosity Begins with Leaders
For churches that are setting the pace in cultivating
a generous culture, leaders not only talk
a good game; they are the first to get training
and are modeling biblical stewardship and generosity.
Some church leaders model a generous life by
giving up their salary during months of special
giving, or donating 20% of their time to causes
outside of their congregation.
Some churches are taking modeling all the way
to the classroom, requiring their staff to be
trained in biblical financial principles. Mount
Pisgah United Methodist Church in Alpharetta,
GA is training its department heads in Saddleback
Church's new resource Managing Our Finances
God's Way.
Those department heads will in turn train all
of their staff members, resulting in the entire
staff of 130 being trained within two months.
Mount Pisgah is paying for all of the training
material and giving staff members time during
work hours to complete the training.
"If we're going to make generosity part
of the culture, the leadership has to buy into
it and live it," says Mount Pisgah member
Glenn Davenport. "We want it to become
a core competency. We want to be intentional
and focus on it, not just give it lip service
and preach about it."
Teaching that Covers the Full Spectrum
Churches that are serious about biblical stewardship
and generosity know they can't focus just on
those in crisis on one end of the spectrum,
or the most affluent on the other end. Generous
living is a topic that knows no age limit or
economic status.
Dave Cox at Westside has seen nearly 800 people
complete the Crown Ministries financial classes,
and found "it targets givers at every level,
from the guy who is horribly in debt to the
most wealthy." |
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A quick rundown of 10 resources utilized
most often by churches that are leading
the way in developing lifestyles of generosity
and biblical stewardship:
Journey
to True Financial
Freedom Seminar
The most popular church seminar, with several
held every month around the country.
Financial
Peace University
This 13-week video series by radio personality
Dave Ramsey is a biblically based accountability
class designed to teach families how to
get out of debt and stay out of debt.
Good
Sense Budget Course
(Willow Creek Association)
The goal of the Good Sense Budget
Course is for each participant to
commit to and begin developing a biblically-based
budget or "Spending Plan." |
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The Treasure Principle Workshop
The first study in Crown's new "Workshop
in a Box" series, teaches the joy of giving.
Managing Our Finances God's Way
(Saddleback Church in partnership with
Crown Ministries)
A seven-week, video-based small group study
that inspires members to live debt-free
and/or manage finances in a way that enables
them to respond to God's calling.
Momentum
With this Dave Ramsey resource, churches
develop |
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cash-flow building projects and operate
debt free, rather than taking on "manageable
debt."
The
Treasure Principle and Fields of Gold
Numerous innovative churches have distributed
free copies of the books The Treasure
Principle by Randy Alcorn (Multnomah)
or Fields of Gold by Andy Stanley
(Tyndale House) in conjunction with a message
series.
Generous
Giving
Generous Giving is a privately funded
ministry that seeks to encourage givers
of all income |
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levels, as well as pastors, church and lay
leaders to experience the joy of giving
and embrace a lifestyle of generosity. |
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In trying to address the needs that exist across the
economic continuum, Gateway
Church in Southlake, TX is intentionally
working to meet the needs of four groups:
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People
in Crisis |
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People
who Need the Basics |
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People
who Have Healthy Financial Lives |
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People
who Are Wealthy |
Gateway's Gunnar Johnson says that while most of the
resources being produced address those in crisis well,
material for those who are financially healthy is still
the most neglected field in stewardship training.
"These are typically 30-somethings with fairly
disposable income," Gunnar says. "They want
to know, 'What does the Bible say about me?' We want
to help them grapple with the questions, 'How much is
enough? Why has God given me this surplus?'"
For those in need of immediate financial help or even
ongoing benevolence, churches are taking some innovative
approaches. Some require anyone who receives charitable
contributions to attend financial training classes or
meet with a financial counselor.
"Instead of paying their utility bill, we will
pay for a session with a financial planner," says
Centre Street's Kervin Raugust. "Sometimes that's
the most helpful thing we can do."
Church leaders say those who are wealthy are often the
most difficult to serve in the area of stewardship.
But many leading generous churches are navigating their
way and beginning to provide helpful ministries to those
with financial means.
Many churches are establishing foundations to aid the
wealthy in planned giving, as well as workshops on topics
such as tax laws and their impact on long-term investments.
Some church-based foundations are developing new initiatives
for giving, such as life insurance as a gifting tool,
setting up wills and facilitating estates.
Gateway has developed a unique twist for some of its
well-to-do members with a "Boardroom" Stewardship
Series for several of the church's CEOs, business owners
or significant managers in the marketplace.
The groups of 10 meet once a month for three to four
hours in the corporate boardroom of a group member.
The meeting is run by business leaders, with a goal
of providing accountability and encouragement in a non-religious
setting.
"They give each other encouragement and accountability
regarding family, relationships, morals and travel,"
Gunnar says. "They help each other be successful,
not just as a giver, but with every aspect of life."
Generous Giving and Leadership Network have formed
a strategic partnership to develop the Generous Churches
Leadership Community focused on peer learning by innovative
churches intent on creating cultures of generosity.
For more information, visit www.leadnet.org,
or contact Byron
Vankley. |
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