Do you feel uncomfortable talking about money in your church?
If so, you?re not alone.
From feeling anxious to breaking out in a cold sweat, many church leaders experience a variety of negative sensations when it comes time for the offering.
There are several reasons why you may not like talking about money, but there?s one common reason why most church leaders hate it: They don?t want to ask people to give money.
I totally understand.
Whether you?re leading your church?s offering or sending church donation letters, it?s never easy asking for someone to donate money.
Often, when it comes to battling our fears about money, they?re generally self-made.
You may have had one of these thoughts race through your mind:
What if I DON?T SAY the right words?
The church will not LIKE ME talking about money.
Its been financially difficult for many people, and I DON?T THINK they want to give.
To overcome your fear of money and unleash generosity in your church, you don?t need to practice more or read encouraging Bible verses to pump yourself up before your church?s offering. Instead, you need to know that whether or not someone gives is less about you and more about God?s work in their life.
Let me explain.
#1. God calls his people to be generous
God is alive, and he?s at work in your church.
He?s giving your people new life in Christ, he?s restoring marriages, and he?s transforming churchgoers into generous givers.
When it comes to giving, it?s less about how much someone can give and more about leading people to respond to the grace of God in their lives. In short: Giving is good for the giver.
This isn?t about manipulating the people in your church. Rather, this small shift in your thinking will help you see that unleashing generosity is not about meeting the needs of your church. It?s about helping your church members grow in their relationships with God.
In the words of the authors of Contagious Generosity, ?Giving with this perspective is not a duty but an opportunity to respond to the grace of God.?
#2. Invite people to participate in God?s work
Most of the people in your church are not called to pastoral ministry or to serve on your church?s staff. But through faith in Christ, the people in your church have become members of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12).
As members of the body of Christ?the Church?God invites each of them to take part in his work, which includes financially supporting the work of the Church.
From your elders and deacons to lay leaders and visitors, everyone in your church works together to fulfill the call of God on their lives and the life of your church.
Instead of asking people to give, lead them to respond to God?s grace and participate in his work through your church. ?
Over to you
When you talk about money in your church, it?s good to know what the Bible says about tithing and generosity, as well as working on getting your church offering right. But to overcome your fears, it?s essential to embrace these foundational truths about generosity.
To practically apply these two changes to your life and church, answer these questions:
- What emotions do you typically experience when you think about talking with others about giving? Why?
- Where will you have an opportunity this week to teach someone that God calls his people to be generous?
- What can you do this week to actively and specifically invite someone to participate in God?s work through giving?
