Pray. Discern. Act. Prayer is the best place to start. One of my favorite prayers to begin each day is Lord, help me see and hear where and to whom to give. It’s the first step in aiming my heart toward Him. I also find inspiration from characters like Cornelius in the Scriptures. In Acts 10, we learn that Cornelius gave generously and prayed regularly. I like the simplicity here — he was able to discern the voice of God…
Good stewardship is not about ordering our lives in such a way that we are free to spend whatever we want. Rather, as faithful stewards, we order our lives in such a way that God is free to spend us however He wants. As we work to keep God’s heart central to our approach to allocating what we have, identifying Him as our true treasure, our financial choices will follow. The Bible contains extensive wisdom about giving, saving, and…
It is recommended that very church should have a stewardship committee that can encourage every member to learn and practice biblical stewardship in personal, family, work, and community life. Here are seven good reasons why a church should have a stewardship committee: Stewardship encompasses all of life but not much attention is given to its teaching and practice. Every believer needs help in their stewardship journey. The stewardship committee can plan an integrated teaching on stewardship for the church.…
Whether you are organizing a sacrificial dinner or a celebration dinner, you want people who come to go home thinking and talking about the event and your cause. You want to create an impact in the minds and hearts of those who participated in your fundraising dinner. Organizing a fundraising dinner that rocks entails ample preparation of six to 12 months. Write down clear objectives for the event such as the amount of money you want to raise, a…
Do a survey in your congregation. Ask them to name five things that they currently struggle with and I am sure that one of them is financial strife. Credit card debt. Student loans. Mortgages. Utility bills. Different names—the same problem. Lack of money. As a pastor, you have a fantastic opportunity to help your congregation win financially and overcome lack through Biblical and practical teaching. Here are some ways: 1. Preach on Biblical Finances You have a captured audience that…
Is there really such a thing as fundraising or donor fatigue? Marc Pitman of FundraisingCoach.com explained why donor fatigue is a myth. “I don’t know of any donors who are tired of giving to causes that they value, they are passionate about, they are excited to be involved in,” Pitman said. “I know plenty of donors who are being fatigued of being crappily asked.” I agree with Pitman that donor fatigue is a myth or as some would say, an excuse.…
How is Christian fundraising different from secular fundraising? Is there a difference or do we employ the same methods and tactics that secular fundraisers use? Some of you may have attended seminars and conferences sponsored by Christian groups or you may have read books and articles written by Christians. You may have noticed that there is not much difference in terms of strategies and methods between secular and Christian fundraising. It is only during the past ten years do we…
Scott Rodin, in his book, The Seven Deadly Sins of Christian Fundraising, lists these seven deadly sins in fundraising: being unprepared for the battle; self-reliance over spirit reliance; money over ministry; unwillingness to invest the time; decision without discernment; activity without accountability; and stealing the glory. He summarizes the seven deadly sins this way: Plan and prepare seriously for the battle and commit never to go into your work without being spiritually-prepared. Cultivate a spirit of trust and dependence…
You will find a variety of fundraising best practices depending on your geographical location and the specific nature of the fundraising environment. What I would like to propose here as my four best practices focus more on the big picture of our resource development. Anchor fundraising on the vision, mission, goals of the organizations—The best fundraising practice follows a resource development plan that is anchored on the vision, mission, and goals of the non-profit organization. It provides the rationale…
When it comes to the subject of tithing, the most quoted reference is Malachi 3:9-10 (ESV) which reads, “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until…
Making Sure “Generosity” Is Generous
How do we make sure that we do not honour the rich over the poor?
What does it mean to be rich toward God?
Does it matter how we earn our income?
How A Kingdom Entrepreneur Should Start Their Day
Is this the missing element from your business?
Income Inequality Isn’t Wrong from a Christian Perspective
Should Churches have a stewardship committee?
Vision : If a Church gets this right, the money follows
Organizing a Fundraising Dinner That Rocks
How do we make decisions about allocating the resources that God has entrusted to us?
