Loving Through Giving
“You can always give without loving, but you can never love without giving” – Amy Carmichael
Carmichael hits a valid point, but we know that church giving is complicated, multi-faceted, and requires a balanced approach. Your church needs a budget to keep the doors open, but money is a difficult topic to talk about, both from the pulpit and in face-to-face conversation.
But the giving that God wants is born out of love.
The topic requires a thoughtful approach with the right message and the right tools to spur action. And it starts with shifting the focus away from dollar signs and towards viewing giving as a way to #ShareTheLove.
The Approach
How many of you bring up offering every week? We’re guessing that for some of you, talking about the importance of giving is easy, but for others, it’s awkward.
There are plenty of techniques you can employ to talk about money with your church and increase donations. But beyond techniques and tactics, the focus and the approach at the root of the conversation needs to be through a lens of love.
When we shift the focus of the ask to giving out of love v. duty, we can change the conversation.
Chances are, most people who are motivated to give out of duty already are. Giving out of love has a different motivation. It comes from a place of overflow and understanding.
The Message
Love-motivated giving doesn’t have to be about sacrifice. It doesn’t have to be about responsibility. It’s about recognizing the impact that any amount can have and desiring to make that happen.
This isn’t the sermon where you need to talk about the evils of loving money or how we can’t serve two masters. This is the message where you get to remind your members of generosity spurred on by compassion for those in need. Think of Matthew 14:13-21, when Jesus feeds the 5,000. A small gift opened up an opportunity for God to demonstrate his power.
The Tools
You’ve been there. Not knowing if, or when, the money is going to come in or how much is going to come in. Often, people have the intention to give, but they run into obstacles: they left their checkbook at home on Sunday or didn’t have time to stop at the ATM for cash. Maybe they missed the service because they were volunteering in the kids program.
As church leadership, you can help set your congregation up for success. Provide a way to give digitally and speak openly about recurring donations. Years of experience in leading churches, and working with fellow leaders reinforces the idea that talking about recurring giving increases the amount of donations from the congregation as a whole. That’s why we believe in coaching you through how to talk about money on a more consistent basis, through the coaching you get as part of Rocket Donations.
Ask and Receive
When we approach the giving conversation with love as our motivation, we are already doing half of the battle of taking the stigma away on both sides. When we provide a way to set up recurring donations, both sides can be proactive about preventing the awkward and guilt-ridden giving cycles. We love watching the positive reaction and progression that occurs when giving is embraced as an act of love in a church.
Want to know more about digital giving and setting up recurring donations? Check out these resources:
How to Make One Big Step with Your Digital Giving