H E L P I N G L E A D E R S B E C O M E B E T T E R S T E WA R D S .
Intelligent Church Giving Presented by: Generis
2
CHURCH EXECUTIVE • I N T E L L I G E N T C H U R C H G I V I N G
churchexecutive.com
Table of Contents 3 WAYS TO ENGAGE THE MILLENNIAL GIVER
4
Today, millennials are the demographic on the top of most organizations’ priority list. It’s no surprise that brands are reinventing the way they market in order to reach the fastestgrowing generation in the workforce and marketplace, and officially, the nation’s largest living generation. By the Generis team
CREATING A GENEROUS CULTURE STARTS WITH YOU, PASTOR
8
A generous church is led by a generous pastor. There is no getting around it. The pastor’s voice on this important facet of spiritual development matters — it matters for your people, for the health of your church, and for the advancement of the Kingdom in your community. By Jim Sheppard
CHAPTER 3 Coming in April 2018
churchexecutive.com
I N T E L L I G E N T C H U R C H G I V I N G • CHURCH EXECUTIVE
3
WAYS
to engage the millennial giver By the Generis team
Today, millennials are the demographic on the top of most organizations’ priority list. It’s no surprise that brands are reinventing the way they market in order to reach the fastest-growing generation in the workforce and marketplace, and officially, the nation’s largest living generation.
4
CHURCH EXECUTIVE • I N T E L L I G E N T C H U R C H G I V I N G
churchexecutive.com
The millennial generation, which comprises those born between 1981 and 1997, grew up more digital, open-minded and information-hungry than any previous generation. They are more connected than ever before — except to faith. Twentyfive percent of American millennials are unaffiliated, describing their religion as “atheist,” “agnostic” or “nothing in particular.” According to Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, this percentage is double that of baby boomers as young adults in the 1970s. While there’s urgency, there’s also hope. Though increasingly disconnected with the church, they are still the fastest-growing demographic in your church, and their generosity and desire as a generation to connect with and give to causes they care about demonstrates their potential to connect — and give — to you. The 2015 Millennial Impact Report found that 84 percent of employed millennials donated to a charity in 2014. There’s no mistaking that they are, and must be, the future of your church in attendance and giving. As older generations near retirement, and face financial insecurity from medical concerns and fixed incomes, your church’s current income streams might decline. As that happens, millennials will continue to grow in skills and talents that make them higher earners. Millennials will be the main source of funding for your church. It’s crucial for churches to employ strategy; but to truly engage the millennial giver, we must engage their hearts in a cause like no other: knowing Jesus and making him known. These three principles will refocus and realign your efforts to engage the millennial giver: #1: Cause It’s imperative for millennials to know what their financial gifts support directly. The best non-profit organizations excel because they embrace the power of transparency in fundraising, by letting donors know what their funds will accomplish even before they sign a check or click the “give” button. Churches must share where money goes once it leaves the offering plate. Transparency cultivates trust. It also harnesses the millennial desire to make an immediate difference. Millennials believe that the world needs changing and that they’re the generation to make it happen. They passionately get behind causes the church supports — serving the homeless, feeding the hungry, ending sex trafficking, and supporting under-served children around the world. Connect their generosity to the greatest cause of all — the spread of the gospel — and outline how the local church uses financial resources to make that happen. CAUSE TIP: Marinate your church in stories about life change from your ministries. Mission statements and budgets fail to capture the heart. Without a heart-capture, generous giving (from any generation) is unlikely. Demonstrate concrete life results through your project and church. #2: Convenience Digital lifestyle is increasingly normal for everyone, but it’s all this generation has ever known. They can’t remember the last time they handed a friend cash for their half of the dinner, a road trip or concert tickets. This is all online, in smartphone apps — and usually described with an emoji. According to the Federal Reserve, checks accounted for 15 percent of all non-cash payments in 2012, and that number is getting lower. Technology is getting safer, cheaper, faster and more fun. Services that can help automate spending and giving are a huge help. They allow budgets to stay steady and encourage giving to be a normal, expected part of life. Incidentally, recurring giving is one of the most convenient things for your admin and finance teams, too. churchexecutive.com
Apps, online giving portals and text-to-give options might seem radical to a traditional church. But when checks became the norm instead of cash, people were leery until they became status quo. Then, we began using little plastic cards to pay for items. Now, the center has shifted again; the majority is marching to a digital drummer. CONVENIENCE TIP: Use your offering moment to showcase how to give digitally. The more we “normalize” the practice, the more inclined people will be to give it try. #3: Conviction Now, we’re at the heart of the issue. To truly engage the millennial giver, we must ensure they know the one to whom we are giving. As Andy Stanley, founder of North Point Ministries, says, “We talk about money not because of what we want from you, but because of what we want for you.” Leading millennials to be generous should be an overflow of their pursuit to know and follow Jesus. Giving to the church is a result of a heart that wants to be aligned with what the Father wants. To develop a generous culture, churches must disciple young believers to know the generous ways and commands of Jesus. Do your messages communicate that giving is an act of worship, a way to be used by God in the lives of others and demonstration of a grateful heart? CONVICTION TIP: Church leaders engage in discipleship by emphasizing and remembering the supremacy of Christ in all of our life affairs, including finances. How we respond to the character of God reveals and molds how we live. The faith-and-finances conversation is essential to caring for people’s hearts and spiritual maturity. The primary goal of developing a generous spirit among millennials in your church is developing their spiritual maturity. The secondary goal is to financially resource your church mission. If we treat millennial’s hearts like a caring shepherd (the first goal), engaging them in funding the mission actually comes more easily (the second goal). This article was compiled by the experienced guides of Generis. To learn more about Generis’ passion to partner with ministries on giving projects with God-sized vision and Kingdom implications, please visit generis.com. I N T E L L I G E N T C H U R C H G I V I N G • CHURCH EXECUTIVE
5
PLANNING A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN? GENERIS CAN HELP! We take biblical principles, best giving practices, and your ministry’s DNA and collaborate with you to weave them together into a strategy that will help you fund your God-inspired vision. Since 1989, Generis has partnered with more than 13,500 faith-based organizations to raise more than $17.1 billion for Kingdom expansion.*
G E N E R I S .CO M @GenerisTeam
(800) 233-0561
info@generis.com
*In 2017, RSI Church Solutions joined Generis. Numbers reflected above are the combined number of unique churches worked with and money raised by both organizations.
GENEROSITY
FR EE
RESOURCES
GENERIS.COM/RESOURCES
Creating a generous culture starts with you, pastor
By Jim Sheppard
“You all know that my wife and I have given 10 percent of our gross income to this church since day one,” my pastor reminded the congregation one Sunday. “What we haven’t shared is, as our children have moved on, we’ve realized that we have more margin in our lives, and we have increased our giving to 18 percent.”
8
CHURCH EXECUTIVE • I N T E L L I G E N T C H U R C H G I V I N G
churchexecutive.com
While this might seem like a simple empty-nester realization, or the commendable efforts of a spiritual leader to motivate his congregation, it’s much more than that — it’s any pastor’s giving story. And it’s a story that you should be able to tell, too. A giving story is the testimony of the transformational work God has done in someone’s heart when it comes to giving — whether it’s moving from obligation to giving cheerfully, or the process of overcoming debt by following godly financial principles. Your giving story, pastor, is where it all begins for your church. Simply put, generous churches are led by generous pastors. This doesn’t mean a pastor must be the single most generous person in the church — or portray himself as that. It means that a pastor is on a journey of generosity, rather than in a place of stagnant giving, just like his church. Talking about how and why the Lord has led you in that journey starts the conversation among your people. The authenticity of a pastor’s giving story and the emphasis that he puts on his generosity journey has a direct correlation to developing a strong body of givers. Before moving on (or losing you here), we must address two excuses: “I don’t have a giving story,” or “I don’t give enough to share about it.” Surprisingly, both are commonly heard but are steps — not barriers — to developing your giving story. For the former, ask yourself how and when God changed or developed your heart toward giving, stewardship and partnering with him in your finances. Addressing the latter is of utmost importance. Resources from Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University are a great place to start. Once you overcome financial burdens to give freely, your story is that much more important to share with your congregation. You are a walking example that generosity is the call for every believer, and it is a journey, no matter financial status or position. Extend the conversation to your staff We all know churches are run, and vision is cast and executed, by a team of people including staff, leaders and core members. Like any vision or mission you want your church to embrace, it’s crucial that the pastor is surrounded by a team who advances a culture of generosity. Your leadership team must make generosity a personal priority and share it like you do. They are on the front lines supporting the vision, answering questions, and often times, defending against pushback. Staff members who share their giving stories and encourage the conversation around giving will further weave generosity into the fabric of your church. Intentionally empower your staff to share their stories. This includes identifying generosity, and the conversation around it, as a priority alongside other mission statements and values year-round, not just around capital campaigns or giving seasons. In staff meetings, regularly ask team members to share their stories. It’s great practice, and it emphasizes the conversation around generosity as a priority. This might feel like a pop quiz at first, but it will quickly become a natural way for leaders to reflect on and share how God is using their gifts to advance the Kingdom. Spread the culture to your church Developing generosity in your church starts with you, pastor, and then extends to your staff. But, developing lasting and generous givers is contingent upon your communication with your congregation. For a lot of churches, the information and awareness aspect of financial giving churchexecutive.com
is an area for massive improvement. We want to see giving coming from a generous heart, and that comes from establishing practices that regularly and intentionally affirm the decisions of members to give to the local church. Even for many mature givers, giving to the church has become a choice, and not “the” choice. It’s just one choice amongst others that one can make to give to the Kingdom rather than the foundation from which all other giving choices flow. Every person in your congregation is bombarded with messages from countless other good organizations about how and why to give to them. Often, the church’s message is implied, nonexistent or laden with “should” and “oughts.” The church is given 52 opportunities throughout the year to put itself on display to its members — to share its priorities and mission, how it stewards its finances, and how it’s winning in the world. In other words, what happens when you give here?
Sharing why and how to give starts with you and your staff and then extends to sermons, transparent reporting and leveraging the giving moment in every service. Here are a few tips: • Share theology that supports giving as the mark of a mature faith. • Use impact stories to connect life transformation to their gifts and offerings. • Leverage every offering moment as a dynamic opportunity to communicate the sanctity of giving as an act of worship and obedience, not a stale, rote time. • Provide varied and up-to-date ways to give, and consistently and clearly communicate how to use them. The bottom line, pastor, is that a generous church is led by a generous pastor. There is no getting around it. Your voice on this important facet of spiritual development matters — it matters for your people, for the health of your church, and for the advancement of the Kingdom in your community. Jim Sheppard, principal and CEO of Generis, has walked alongside hundreds of pastors to develop generous church cultures. To learn more about the consulting services of Generis and how its team can partner with you and your church to fund your Kingdom vision, visit generis.com.
I N T E L L I G E N T C H U R C H G I V I N G • CHURCH EXECUTIVE
9