Episode 74: Reasons Your People Aren't Giving and What You Can Do About It
A troubling church statistic that seems not to be improving is the number of people not giving anything measurable to their church. Have you asked yourself why a significant number of your congregation isn’t giving? We have, too! To answer that question, Dave Briggs, the Stewardship Director at Central Christian Church in Phoenix, AZ, decided to do a year-long study to better understand this phenomenon. He joins us in this webinar to share his findings and offer some things church leaders can do to reverse this trend.
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The Real Facts About Generosity In The Church
Get ready to unlock the potential of giving in the Church with MortarStone’s 2023 Annual Generosity Report. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we’re discussing some of the findings from this insightful report to help church leaders get a better understanding of the significant shifts and trends in generosity in the Church. We believe this information is crucial to the future of the Church and beneficial for church leaders for helping people grow in their commitment to God and funding God’s kingdom.
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2023 Stewardship Survey - Findings and Recommendations
For the second year, CSN and Vision 2 have collaborated to develop the Stewardship Survey to understand what churches are dealing with and to develop recommendations and resources to help them disciple their congregations in stewardship and generosity. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we discuss our findings and provide recommendations to assist you with your ministry efforts.
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Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD): An Important Tool to Increase Good Stewardship & Generosity
Helping our congregations to live as good stewards and generous people is a responsibility church leaders should take seriously. Oftentimes, it is a lack of financial education that prevents people from growing in this area of their faith. Thankfully, there are people in our midst, like Stephen Hartley, our guest in today’s episode, who are passionate and willing to provide the education and knowledge our people need. In this episode, we’re talking about a not-well-known tool, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), available to seniors that will help them better steward their resources and perhaps increase their generosity.
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Stewardship Spotlight: Greg Gless
In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we have another leader in the stewardship spotlight. We’re talking with Greg Gless from ResLife Church in Grandville, Michigan. Greg is the Generous Life Pastor and oversees the stewardship and generosity ministry at ResLife Church. His God-story of coming into and serving in this ministry is inspiring, as is his impact in serving the people at ResLife and beyond. You will enjoy hearing Greg and his story.
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Estate Planning: A Valuable Ministry Opportunity
Planned giving is more than just a useful service that a church or ministry should provide to its members. It is a powerful tool that enables them to leave a legacy, ensuring that the work of the ministry continues to thrive long after we are gone. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we’re talking with Dave Hess from Financial Planning Ministry about the significant impact this ministry is having in helping families and funding future ministries. You’ll also learn how you can get an inside look at their process and learn more about their partnership opportunities.
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Next Level Generosity: A Ministry for the Wealthy
Pastors need to know that there’s more to stewardship ministry than helping people get out of debt or develop a budget. A natural outflow of good stewardship is generosity. As Christians become affluent by practicing good stewardship, a need for more intentional and strategic generosity becomes equally important. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we’re talking with David Thoroughman from MortarStone about a ministry to the wealthy, helping those whom God has entrusted with wealth in giving strategically and wisely to the Church and Kingdom causes.
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SIMPLE - Submitting to and Supporting the Mission of the Church
An effective financial discipleship ministry requires a strategy with many moving parts. A crucial part is being able to understand the generosity of your congregation and ensure your people’s ability to give is made as simple as possible. In this episode, we’re talking with Taylor Brooks, the founder and CEO of Simple (formerly known as Simple Donation), to find out how he and his team submit to and support the mission of the Church through software and personal service.
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Building a Volunteer Leadership Team for Your Stewardship and Generosity Ministry
When building a robust and effective Stewardship and Generosity Ministry at your church, you must take into consideration the ministri’s ability to scale and grow into the future. In this episode, we’re talking with Chris Goulard, the Pastor of Strategic Advancement at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, about building a volunteer leadership team to ensure the long-term growth and health of the ministry. You will learn when is the right time to build your team, how to recruit, some of the roles and responsibilities on the team, the benefits and challenges of having a leadership team, and much more.
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Economic Uncertainty and Its Impact on Church Giving
During economic uncertainty, people start adjusting their financial choices, including their generosity. The reality for most church members is that they are working with fewer resources than before due to inflation. At the same time, given their limited resources, they're trying to achieve what they believe is the greatest good possible through their giving. And, according to giving data a significant number are choosing to give to religious causes other than their church. In this episode, we're talking with Carl Tierney from Vision 2 to understand how churches can improve both their communication around giving and the financial discipleship of their members.
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Should Your Church Offer A 90-Day Tithe Challenge?
Tithing is a Biblical principle and practice that began as early as the Garden of Eden. It is the practice of returning the first portion (a tenth) to God as an act of worship and obedience. Unfortunately, this topic can be contentious and divisive even in some faith communities. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we discuss this topic with Donna Nicholson Stief, the Director of Stewardship at LCBC Church, and learn the what, the why, and the how of their 90-Day Tithe Challenge.
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CFR: Helping Your Church and Your People Save, Give, and Manage Money Wisely
Faithful stewardship is what each believer and every church is striving toward, and it’s important to have the Biblical knowledge, as well as the practical tools and resources to achieve it. For more than 40 years, Christian Financial Resources (CFR) has been meeting the needs of churches and individuals to better steward their resources. In this episode, we’re talking with Darren Key, the CEO of CFR, about the many ways their ministry serves churches and individuals to save, give, and manage their money wisely.
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The Evolution of Stewardship and Generosity Content
Discipleship takes time and effort from both the one that does the discipling and the one that’s being discipled. When it comes to financial discipleship, it is no different. Helping people to understand and apply the Biblical principles of managing money and teaching them the tools to live it out can be long and challenging. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we’re talking with Steve Carter from Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, about stewardship and generosity content and how it has evolved and changed, in part because of the changes in how people learn and apply information today. We also dive into some of the most popular content that’s available to churches and additional content that you may need to create yourself, to use in discipling your people.
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Inspiring Generosity Through the Offering Moment and Beyond
Generosity is a core principle of Christianity, and yet it seems to be one of the most difficult areas for believers to understand and regularly engage in. Just about every week, churches all over the world have some kind of giving or offering moment to encourage giving, and still, what we know is that a significant, perhaps as much as 50% of churchgoers, give very little, if anything at all. In this episode, we’re talking with Rodney Ross from Life Church to discuss ways to invite people to take their next step in generosity and trust God in their finances through the offering moment and beyond.
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Speaking on Stewardship and Generosity - A Lead Pastor's Perspective
Pastors are responsible for teaching God's word to their congregation every week. It's an important task and, at times, challenging, especially when the topic is on money and giving. It is no wonder most pastors avoid teaching on the subject. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we're talking with David Ashcraft, the founding pastor of LCBC Church (Lives Changed by Christ) in Manheim, PA, about his perspective on stewardship and generosity to learn how he taught his congregation for nearly 32 years how to be good stewards and faithful givers.
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Beyond the Metrics: Why Giving Data Matters to the Ministry of the Church
Whether a pastor should know the giving of his congregation is a hotly debated topic. Though most do not want to know what people give individually, knowing some metrics is vital for at least two crucial reasons. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we’re discussing the why, the who, and the what of giving data and why it matters to your church ministry. Joining us is Ken Schafer, Stewardship Minister at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, TN, and campaign and generosity consultant with Generis.
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Teaching Your Kids How To Manage Money with Matt Bell
Legacy is what we leave behind to our kids. It may include material possessions or a financial inheritance, but of greater worth are the values and lessons we pass on to them. When it comes to money, kids need guidance and wisdom, something every parent wants to provide but feels inadequate to teach their kids. In this episode, we’re talking with Matt Bell, the author of Trusted: Preparing Your Kids for a Lifetime of God-Honoring Money Management, to learn the why, what, and how of teaching our kids godly financial principles.
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Stewardship Spotlight - Rodney Ross
In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we have another leader in the stewardship spotlight. We’re talking with Rodney Ross from Life Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Rodney is the Central Team Leader of Giving and Generosity and oversees the stewardship and generosity ministry at Life Church. His start in the ministry and the role he’s currently serving started with an act of tithing. While on the church website giving his tithe, he became aware of an opportunity to serve at his church. Now, many years later, Rodney says he is in his dream job, serving his church in the area of his passion and equipping staff and members as they take the next step in their stewardship and generosity journey.
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Stewardship Spotlight - Jeff Ward
In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we have another leader in the stewardship spotlight. We’re talking with Jeff Ward, a seasoned stewardship leader and the COO of Simple Donation. Jeff is passionate about helping churches learn how to disciple their people in Biblical stewardship. Through his organization, Simple Donation, he encourages churches to use technology and tools to meet people’s needs and encourage their spiritual growth.
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Inaugural Stewardship Survey 2022 - Findings and Recommendations
We’ve witnessed considerable changes in church attendance, demographics, and giving since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though these changes have been challenging, we also believe there are great opportunities ahead if the right steps are taken. CSN, in collaboration with Vision 2, has initiated a Stewardship Survey to understand what churches are dealing with and to develop recommendations and resources to help churches navigate this new normal. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we discuss our findings and provide recommendations in 8 specific areas for stewardship and generosity ministries.
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