Generous churches tend to be healthy churches as this key value flows through areas of serving and kindness as well as giving.

I’ve written extensively on this topic including

• 4 Ways To Avoid A Fiasco In Your Church Cash Flow Analysis,
• 14 Reasons Pastors Avoid Preaching On Money,
• 12 Best Practices In Church Finances, and
• How to Establish a Vision-Centred Church Budget.

My good friend Dean Sweetman models generosity in his own life and his leadership.

His leadership of the giving tools found in Tithely has helped it develop into one of the most critical apps for churches.

Dean shares the eight practices below from his experience in ministry and online giving. His first-person reflections are his own; I have added a practical application and questions at the end.

Creating culture is no easy task. This article will help you in this complex undertaking.

8 Ways to Build a Culture of Generosity at Your Church

Dean Sweetman’s guest teaching

I’m passionate about generosity…and I’m especially passionate about it in the church.

I believe that it’s key to healthy discipleship and Kingdom-centered growth. But cultivating generous givers at your church isn’t always easy.
Culture of Generosity

The reality is, people, don’t like handing out their hard-earned money.

They need to catch the Biblical vision for giving–and they need to be equipped with tools that make it easy to tithe or give toward a certain need.

These reflections draw on my experience as a pastor and in online giving.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

1. Lead by example

Teachers and preachers who have a personal revelation on generosity are better equipped to lead others in it.

In other words, teachers and preachers who give are better at helping others to do the same!

Dive into Scripture, get a revelation on it, and see that it’s easier than you thought to teach on giving.

2. Don’t overlook your tithe and offering message

While I believe you should preach full sermons on generosity (see #3), you should also pay attention to your church offering message.

How can you craft an offering message that makes an impact and encourages people to be generous?

• Use scripture.
• Bring revelation to Scripture.
• Make it easy to give online.
• Direct church members to a moment of prayer.

You may want to invite other church leadership or members to prepare a 5-minute offering message. This can also be a great chance to train and raise up others.

Finally, take a prayerful moment during your offering time. Slow down, share Scripture or a testimony (or both), and ask people to pray.

While giving can be tough for anyone, it can become a natural habit for your church members when they get a revelation of just how blessed it is to be generous.

3. Preach on generosity and Biblical stewardship

At least once a year, prepare a sermon series on generosity.

This can be a powerful opportunity to reinforce truth and address an aspect of giving that you haven’t talked about in a while.

It’s also important to teach this kind of a series during an annual giving campaign.

You may want to talk about tithing, giving above and beyond, or to missions. Preach over a series of 3-4 weeks, dig deep into Scripture, and rely on prayer and worship to allow revelation to unfold and grow church giving.

4. Share stories about giving in small groups and discipleship

One of the best ways to help build a culture of generosity at your church is to talk about giving in smaller settings, like a Bible study.

There will also be times when you meet one-on-one with individuals about their financial journeys and stewardship. For example, you may want to meet with business leaders in your church to pastor them through the unique challenges that come with entrepreneurship.

5. Make it easy to give

Remove the friction from church giving. The best way to do this is to provide a way for people to give online and on their mobile phones–even with a text message.

You can learn more about how to increase giving in your church with easy online giving here.

6. Offer recurring giving options

If you’re already comfortable with teaching Biblical generosity, the next step is to encourage your congregation to make a recurring gift.

A recurring gift makes it automatic for someone in your congregation to give regularly. If they miss church, or they’re in the middle of a busy season, it won’t slip through the cracks. For people who are already committed to your church, this isn’t a big ask.

It’s simply an invitation to partner with you in a way that makes sense for your budget and community.

Start by asking your leadership and core members to give on a recurring basis. Then, you can open it up to your entire church.

Over time, you’ll find that recurring giving will allow you to budget and plan better for the church’s future.

7. Embrace data, reporting, and tracking

What’s the biggest difference between leading a church and running a business?

In business, you can’t afford to ignore the numbers: revenue, income, and expenses.

But in church, we often make the mistake of ignoring data, including statistics on church growth, tithing, attendance, and more.

Why do we look the other way? Because it can be painful to compare your ministry to others or to see the evidence that your church isn’t expanding as quickly as you’d like.

But numbers matter. Data provides you key insight into what’s happening at your church, so that you can plan for the future and be proactive about drop-offs in attendance, giving, and growth.

Embrace the numbers. They’ll make you a better leader, and help you build a healthier church.

8. Increase giving with a pledge campaign

Pledge campaigns are designed to raise money for a specific project–such as a new church building. They can also help build enthusiasm and excitement for a specific goal…and nurture generosity.

Here are six keys to running a successful pledge campaign:

• Have a clear vision of what you’re doing and how much you need to raise.
• Systematically cast vision for 4-8 weeks.
• Connect with generous givers.
• Host a giving gala.
• Set up easy giving with Tithely.
• Have a call to giving at a weekend service.

The most important thing for members of your church to remember is that a pledge campaign is not about giving an equal amount…it’s about making an equal sacrifice to help reach your goal together as a church.

Grow Your Church with Online Giving

One of the most important ways to build a culture of generosity in a church is to make giving easy and frictionless. People want to be able to give with just one or two clicks…and they want to be able to do it when and where they want.

As Dean explains, “That’s why I started Tithely”—an online platform that makes generosity in your church intuitive for givers, and affordable for churches. Check Tithely’s current plans, fees and availability for your church before choosing a giving platform.