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I believe that if you want to be fully funded in 2018 you MUST preach on giving! Don’t take my word for it read what George Barna wrote a few years about preaching on money from his book “How to Increase Giving in Your Church.” He found that churches in which pastors preach…
- Single messages about giving raise more money than do churches in which no stewardship takes place.
- Two or more nonconsecutive messages do not have any advantage over churches that only preach on stewardship once a year.
- Two or more consecutive messages about stewardship raise more money than do those churches that only hear one message a year.
- Churches in which pastors preach two or more consecutive messages about stewardship matters raise significantly more money than churches that hear two or more nonconsecutive stewardship messages.
- A series on giving is nearly two and a half times more likely to experience an increase in giving than preachers who only talk about stewardship once a year or on two nonconsecutive times in a year.
Before you turn to Malachi 3:10 and dust off that old tithing sermon can I get you to stop and think about how to position your series better? A few years ago I wrote a book entitled, “The Top Ten Stewardship Mistakes Churches Make.” One of the chapters was entitled, “Failing to Ask,” and focused upon how little churches preach on money. The problem is we often do more damage with a giving sermon. So, here are my…
Key thoughts on how to preach on giving…
- Don’t run your people through the guilt gauntlet! Guilt never works! I believe it is not THAT we preach on giving that turns people off but HOW we preach on giving.
- Get them to focus on their priorities. Most people when asked why they don’t give will tell you they can’t afford to give. One major reason why is our focus is on acquiring stuff rather than living a life of purpose. Help your members see the importance of putting God first in all things and giving will become a more natural part of their lives.
- Teach the total stewardship of life. You have to have a long term plan to teach total stewardship. If you never teach stewardship do not be surprised during tough economic times when your offerings go down.
- Dedicate a whole series to stewardship. The Barna statistics listed above should be proof enough for you to embark upon a stewardship series.
- Give them a reason to give. If you show your members why giving will benefit them you will see them give more. Here are a couple of thoughts to that end.
- God’s blessing– Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given unto you…” Malachi says with regards to giving that God will, “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
- Making a difference through their gift– Studies have consistently shown that people give when they see the need and feel their gift will make a difference. Your task during these times must be to cast a compelling vision of your ministry.
Start planning now your 2018 series on giving so that your church can fully fund all the missions and ministry initiatives God has placed in your heart!
I can help you be fully funded in 2018! Let’s get started by planning an effective series on giving.
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach