To be fully funded here is what you need to know and do about the state of church giving. Recently empty tomb, inc. released their annual report on giving entitled, “The State of Church Giving Through 2016: What Do Denominational Leaders Want to Do with $368 Billion More a Year.”
This is THE definitive study on church giving in America. It’s so thorough it takes almost two years to release their findings as they pour through more data than any other source. I got my copy last week and read through it like a John Grisham novel. To spare you from the laborious reading here are some of the highlights of things you need to know…
- American’s giving to the church as a percentage of their income decreased from just over 3% in 1968 to 2.17% in 2016. That is a -28% decline. If you don’t think that percentage loss matters…
- $7.2 billion more would have been given in 2016 IF Americans gave at the same level they did in 1968.
- IF American church members gave a tithe, 10% instead of 2.17%, an additional $179 billion dollars would have been given in 2016. To those that say they can’t afford to give, consider…
- U.S. per capita Disposable Personal Income (DPI), considered in inflation-adjusted dollars, increased from $15,576 in 1968, to $38,703 in 2016, an increase of 148%. So Americans had more money in 2016 but gave less than they did in 1968.
- If native-born church members in the U.S. were to donate to international ministries on the same level money sent by foreign-born people in the U.S back home to loved ones….the additional donations would have totaled $368.1 billion more in 2016.
The bottom line is that giving while showing a slight increase from ’15 to ’16, .01%, giving is declining.
So much for what you need to know the real question for you is…
How do we reverse this decline in giving? The answer is not easy which compounds the problem as many of our leaders only want easy. Part of the answer starts with an…
Awareness of the problem. Part of the problem is we can’t see the problem. So studies like this are important wake up calls. The first step to correcting any problem is to see the problem. We then have to ask the right questions about how we arrived at this problem. Indeed the final pages of the empty tomb study deal with asking the right questions. Right questions should lead us to…
Actions to solve the problem. Space limits me here but I would refer you to my trove of material on actionable plans. For now let me state that one of our biggest problems is that we have failed to engage members. Lord George Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury is quoted in the empty tomb report as saying, “So many people do not see the average church as a place where great things happen…” We MUST change this!
The empty tomb report shared the importance of telling the story of where money goes by quoting a retired scientist. He no longer could recommend mission outreach to the church. He said, “Sending money to missions is like dropping a stone down a deep well and never hearing a splash. I don’t want payback. I want playback.”
Perhaps the first step might be as simple as helping people see what the money they give your church does. Telling your story works far better than using guilt. Are you telling your story?
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
The above was taken from a portion of my weekly newsletter called, “The Stewardship Coach.” If you would like to receive this FREE newsletter email me at Mark@Charisgivingsolutions.com
What You Need to Know and Do About the State of Church Giving
