One major key towards being fully funded is to learn how to avoid a boring offering! To me the offering is the most boring part of worship services. Why is that? Here are what I have found as the major reasons why.
First, we fear asking for money will drive people away. Jesus never worried about talking about money because he wasn’t interested in attracting a crowd but in making disciples. Frankly it is not that the church talks about money that turns people off it is how we talk about it. Focus on what the gift does and people will more readily give to support what you are doing.
Secondly, most staff have a dim view of the offering. A few years back I was working with one of the largest churches in America. In one staff meeting as we began to talk about giving a staff member stated, “Just when we really get going in worship then it is time for the offering and it interrupts the flow of worship!” As I listened in amazement to this comment I thought, is it any wonder their giving is declining? Too many pastors and staff members don’t treat the offering as worship. It is simply an intrusion upon the service.
Finally, the offering is an after thought for most churches. Pastors will spend as much as twenty hours on sermon preparation. How much time do you think they spend planning out the offering? Usually there is no planning until the moment we get up to call forward the ushers.
We plan for what we deem valuable. I have a pastor friend who a few years back went to Italy to see his first grandchild be born. While he is there he and his wife used that once in a life time experience to take in the sites. They read, research and planned so that their once in a life time trip will be maximized to the fullest. We plan for everything in our churches so why don’t we plan out the offering?
A Practical Guide to Offering Planning – Here are my suggestions about how to make your offering times more powerful, personal and meaningful.
- Plan every offering! Spend 15 to 30 minutes of every staff meeting discussing and planning the 30 to 60 seconds of next week’s offering. Follow these simple three steps…
- Who? Decide who this week would be best to give the offering talk. I normally say the Senior Minister should be the person but there is value in having others share the load. Just make sure whoever shares understands the purpose of the offering talk.
- What? What ministry or mission’s initiative of the summer will you focus upon for the offering talk? Let’s say your VBS is two weeks out. I would have the next two Sundays offering talk revolve around that important event. Encourage giving as a means to support whatever initiative you are focusing upon.
- How? How will you communicate the importance of that offering? Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that there is only one way. For instance you might use video or a testimony of a worker. You could interview the VBS director or mission trip leader. Even if you are simply talking about an upcoming event use screen shots behind you if you have them to highlight what you are talking about. The bottom line is to be creative.
Why when giving is so important would we NOT put time into making the offering a powerful and worshipful moment? Do you as a pastor simply get up in the pulpit on Sunday and open your Bible and preach whatever passage falls open? Of course not! You plan and pray so that your time will make a positive impact upon those that are listening. So, why are you not investing a small amount of time in your offering talk? The time you spend will be well worth it.
I have the tools to help make your offering exciting and impactful! First, you can download my free short white paper, “Elevator Pitch Your Offerings,” here Free Offering Book
Get an offering talk delivered to your inbox every Monday morning! Giving365 members get an offering talk delivered to their inbox every week. Here is what one member wrote…
“Giving is up 30%+ this year. We connect the dots every week, often using your ‘Elevator pitch offering talk’ from the Stewardship Coach (like this week, when we are adapting your World Cup analogy, which is awesome by the way!). This has been life changing for our church as we no longer scrape around for money every week. I keep waiting for the bottom to drop out and to have giving return to the old levels, but it just stays strong week after week. Connecting the dots every week makes all the difference. Every single week, we say, “When you give, this is what you make happen here…” and we point to some kind of tangible difference being made at PCC. You did that for us.” Pastor Brian Hughes PCC Powhatan, VA
You can try out the same plan that Brian talks about above for 14 days for only $1! $1 for 14 Day Trail offer
I can help you eliminate boring offerings AND increase your giving! Let’s get started today.
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach