“It’s not about you.” Those are the opening words of Rick Warren’s classic, “The Purpose Driven Life.” When it comes to planning for your Easter offering you need to keep this phrase in mind. Why? Because, one way to assure that you will garner a full offering plate this coming Easter is to make the offering not about you. I don’t mean you personally. I mean you as in your church.
Why should you do this? Because Easter is your highest attended day of the year with many first time guests. If you position the offering in the right way many of those guests will willingly give to support your cause IF the offering is not about you.
Let me share with you some reasons why NOT making the offering about you is important.
People’s confidence in our institutions is at an all-time low. The 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer discovered, “that trust in the U.S. has suffered the largest-ever-recorded drop in the survey’s history among the general population. Trust among the general population fell nine points to 43, placing it in the lower quarter of the 28-market Trust Index. Trust among the informed public in the U.S. imploded, plunging 23 points to 45, making it now the lowest of the 28 markets surveyed, below Russia and South Africa.”
People’s trust in the church is in sharp decline as well. In another study by Gallup they discovered that, “only 41 percent of Americans say they trust organized religion, down from 52 percent in 2006 and from 65 percent in 1973, when the question was first asked.” At the same time trust in the church was declining giving was also declining. A first grader can add one plus one to come up with two. Why can’t we see how the erosion of trust is impacting our offerings?
Why would anyone give money to an institution that they don’t trust if they don’t have to? They won’t! Trust in the government is down but we still pay our taxes. Why? We don’t want to go to prison! Yet when it comes to giving to a church many people don’t see or feel the need to put their hard earned money in your offering plate. You need to change this view. How?
To gain a dollar from someone you must show the value that gift will produce. In essence you have to build trust in the mind of the potential donor. You need to realize that people give to what your church does not to who your church is and most have no clue what your church does. This is why I always say…
Get a story, work your story, tell people about your story and people will give to support that story.
We have the greatest story ever told! We have the answer to each and every one of life’s problems. The Church is daily in the trenches changing the world for the better. Your church is doing amazing things. So, tell that story this Easter! Then state, “Your gifts help us do this.” “You can make a difference by your gift today.” “Your assistance will make possible ministries like this.”
Focus upon what you do not what you need. Show people how a gift to your church will impact the world for good and people, even guests, will give you money in this Easter’s offering plate!
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
My next blog post will focus on how to make your Easter offering focused upon a specific mission or ministry yet still build giving towards your overall budget.