Like many other pastors and church leaders, you probably struggle to offer encouragement about giving tithes and offerings to your congregation. You don’t want to seem pushy or make it seem as though church is always about giving. However, you know giving fuels your ministry to continue spreading the Word of Christ to your church and community.
So how do you discuss the importance of giving tithes and offerings with your members and visitors? We’ve talked to many church leaders and compiled tips and resources to help you address giving with your congregation.
Firmly establish your mindset that giving to God is a spiritual blessing.
As a pastor or ministry leader, your congregation looks to you for guidance along their spiritual journeys. Understanding that giving to the things of God – His Church – is a spiritual blessing and having that mindset firmly established in your heart is the first step to developing the right heart and mindset of your congregation toward Christ. Once you have that step covered, you are ready to start sharing the gift of giving to your church. Please take a look at our Master Giving Growth ministry guide as it walks you through 4 easy steps to start speaking about giving today.
Don’t just speak about giving on Sundays.
Sometimes we forget there are many ways to reach people outside the walls of our church. There’s the congregant app, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, and your live streams and videos. With so many outlets, why limit your church to only hearing about the blessing of giving through one…the pulpit?
I know what some of you are thinking … sharing about giving on all those channels is a bit assertive, right? However, a well-designed graphic accompanied by a testimony or story of how gifts given to your church have blessed others helps people see the impact they can have in growing the Kingdom through giving. We’ve compiled a wide assortment of graphics and other giving resources that are completely free and ready to use.
Share how easy it is to give.
Once you share how giving to God is a blessing and how important giving is to your church to continue its mission of bringing others into the Kingdom, be sure your congregation knows the many ways they can give – in person with cash or check, online, through text, or your church’s mobile app. Take a quick moment to mention all of the giving options during your service, live stream, or on a worship slide. Include pew cards in your sanctuary or worship space that show the ways to give and how to set up online church giving for your church so new givers can easily start giving.
One thing to remember is to always include the option for your givers to set up recurring gifts. To learn about the many benefits of recurring gifts, take a few minutes to read Recurring Giving: The No-Brainer Giving Options for Churches.
With these tips and resources, you can start speaking about giving in a meaningful way so your congregation sees the spiritual blessings and impact their gifts have in growing the Kingdom.
Use this free resource guide, Gearing up for Fall Giving, to educate and encourage your members to engage in this Biblical stewardship of tithing.
Leigh Ann Shelley joined the ACST team in 2019 as a Product Marketing Manager, overseeing the launch and overall communication of key solutions to support the church’s needs. Prior to joining ACST, she spent several years in communications and graphic design roles, most notably as a Communications Director for a large church in Florence, SC, where she leveraged Realm to help solve key ministry challenges.