NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The end of the year is drawing close, and
churches are thinking about end-of-the-year giving campaigns. Ben Stroup, is a
marketing coordinator in LifeWay’s Christian Stores division, but he calls
himself the “chief broker of opportunity” because he helps pastors change the
conversation from “What do we have to cut to survive?” to “What does God want
us to do next?”
Stroup agreed to answer a few questions related to giving in
churches and some of the trends he’s seen in 2009.
Q: In light of the current economic situation, is giving
different this year than it has been in the past? For instance, are people
giving more to benevolence, Good Samaritan, or other “good will” funds
that go to individuals and social works than they are to the general church
budget?
A: Charitable giving, on a whole, is expected to be off by
about 10 percent. People, on a whole, believe they have “less.” Whether that’s
true, perception is reality.
In times of failing economies, people tend to direct their
available funds first to human services that address things like hunger and
homelessness because the need appears more pressing and the result seems more
tangible.
Within the life of the church, there is a shift taking place
that threatens “general giving” as we know it. The shift was already taking
place; the economy simply accelerated it. I believe it stems from a lack of
trust.
The traditional message is “You give to God, and the church will decide
what to do with it.” Where this fails is that the church often provides nothing
in the way of a quantified report showing the measurable ministry impact that
resulted from its spending.
Contrast this to many other nonprofits that do this
well.
We tend to measure churches by how well they stay within
their budgets, not whether they achieve results like we might be more inclined
to do with businesses.
Thus, the level of trust needed to capture the heart of
the giver is eroded.
People want to be involved in co-creating an “investment
portfolio” that defines what Kingdom ventures will be funded with the resources
God has entrusted to us and provides a metric by which to judge the
effectiveness or return on investment. If the church does not adapt to this
shift, it risks losing the dollar of the person in the pew who may decide to
fund another organization’s budget.
Q: What are churches doing to encourage people to continue
to give in spite of the difficult economic times for many members?
A: Sermon series. Small group or Sunday school studies.
Classes related to personal money management. Encouraging faithful giving
through personal testimonies and specific, direct challenges. Ministering to
high-capacity givers. Use of systematic giving tools such as online giving, offering
envelopes, contribution statements and special appeals.
These are just a few of
the strategies churches employ to ensure that funding levels exist to
accomplish the ministry.
The church leader has to talk about it and must make “the
ask.” If he doesn’t, the local hospital or university will.
Chances are those
places already have.
The churches that are thriving in today’s economic climate
are those casting a vision that is larger than life, connecting with the
passion of the people in the pews, and helping those people accomplish
something they couldn’t do on their own. People tend to give to organizations
that embody their core values and are staffed with leaders they know, like and
trust.
What the economy did to many churches was expose a lack of conversation
and strategic disciple-making efforts in the areas of stewardship and
generosity.
Q: What are some ways churches (and/or parents) can help
establish habits of giving among younger generations?
A: There are three ways parents and church leaders can
influence the next generation in the area of giving. One, talk about it. It
needs to come from the pulpit, church teachers and parents. If the church is
silent, then the only source shaping the mind and habits of the next generation
is the culture.
Two, practice it. This is especially true for parents in how
they influence their children. Your children need to hear you talk about why
you give, and they need to see you do it. It reinforces what you are telling them.
Three, utilize some type of visual participation. Place a
penny jar in a high traffic area in the home, use offering envelopes, whatever.
Children, especially younger children, are not usually abstract in their
thinking.
Any visual representation — something they can touch, feel or do —
opens their minds and further explains what you are saying and, hopefully,
doing. As children become youth, the opportunity arises to talk about things
like biblical money management, so they can see God has a plan for 100 percent
of the time, talent and treasure he has given us – not just a 10 percent tax.
Q: Why is giving important in the life of a Christian?
A: Giving is an outward sign of an inward commitment. Thus,
a giving problem is really a spiritual problem. “Passing the plate” describes
the average American Christian’s view toward giving as “discretionary
obligation.”
We hear from the pulpit and read in our Bibles that “Jesus is
Lord,” but we are reluctant to give up the rights to what we think we possess.
I think it goes even further than that. Built into the ethos
of America is the “rags to riches” story telling us we can become anything we
want if we are willing to work for it. This poses a problem for Christians who
subscribe to this idea, in that when they do achieve, they believe they have
ownership of what they have achieved.
This is in stark contrast to the
profession and practice of the Lordship of Christ.
Church leaders have the responsibility to cultivate a
generous spirit in the lives of the people they serve by moving them along the
spiritual continuum from “all that I have, am and will ever become is mine, and
I’ll decide what God gets” to “all that I have, am and will ever become is a
gift from God, to be invested into building the Kingdom.” Giving is important
because it holds us accountable in the practice of what we profess to believe.
Q: Is the method that people use to give changing? Is the
offering plate still the primary way people give or are you noticing a rise in
online giving to churches?
A: Online giving is growing faster than any other channel.
While it is the fastest growing channel, people who gave online only
represented 9 percent of all charitable donors, which represented 11 percent of
total charitable giving in 2008.
It is clear that technology and the acceptance
of technology is driving the use and practice of online giving. Further, the
regularity of church attendance and the way people are paid is shifting. Thus,
the idea that we can fund our churches through weekly tithes and offerings is
quickly fading as a singular strategy to achieve sustainable funding.
Many
churches are looking for alternative or supplemental ways to fund the ministry
God has called them to accomplish.
Q: What should people know about giving and taxes?
A: Well, I’m not a tax adviser, but I do know that all
donations must be received by Dec. 31 to be deductible from the current year’s
tax liability. Online giving helps keep the “window of giving opportunity” open
as long as possible, allowing the member to make the donation even if no one is
available to receive the donation on Dec. 31.
I encourage churches to put a notice on their Web sites with
a link to the place members may donate online. That information should also be
included in printed publications such as bulletins, newsletters, etc.
December
is a big month for giving in most churches, especially those ministering to a
high-net worth demographic as many of those givers are receiving year-end
bonuses, quarterly dividends, commissions, etc.
For more information about stewardship, visit Stroup’s blog