"You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." — John Bunyan
Giving is not just about what it does for the person who receives the gift but also about how it transforms the giver. Ministries exist to be conduits of generosity. People give so that you can preach the gospel, make disciples, and meet the needs of your community. We do not want people to give just for those reasons, though. As a pastor, you know living generously is the best way for those in your church to be fulfilled in their purpose.
How do we help people live more fulfilled by activating them in the area of giving financially? You may be surprised that some people are not giving, not because they are stingy, but because the right opportunity has not been put in front of them yet. Here are three shifts to increase giving in your church.
You do not have to over-communicate to communicate clearly. When you have an opportunity to give in your church service, do you put all the ways people can give on the screen? Have you considered printing the giving options in your worship guide? This way, people can still have that information in front of them when they get home. Do not assume people already know how to use your giving systems.
Do not tell people to give. Instead, tell people what their giving is doing. This can be as simple as talking about what your church did to help someone in need this week right before receiving an offering. Celebrate your outreaches on social media and then bring up the number of people impacted by that outreach at church on Sunday. Putting photos up on the screen so people can visualize how giving to your church is serving the community makes a huge difference. It is also a good idea to share video testimonies of individuals helped by your church in your weekend service.
Do your church members even know that you have automatic giving as an option? Once a year, send out a letter with steps on how to set up automatic giving. This gives them another opportunity, and people like options. You may be surprised by how many people find it easier to do an account transfer because it helps them include generosity in their monthly budget. Platforms like Overflow make setting up recurring giving simple, with a fully custom giving page and text-to-give built in.
Want a complete plan for the biggest giving season of the year? Download the free Year-End Giving Playbook at buildthe.church.
