Taking Up the Collection

I can still vividly remember sitting in church as a teenager during the 60s. The time would come for the offering. A very worthy elder (normally the same one) would start and somberly intone, ‘Your frugal offering will now be received’. Frugal! Seriously! Did he really say that? Actually he didn’t but that is what my 16 year old ears heard him say. What he did say was, ‘Your free will offering will now be received’.  That is a big difference. I interpreted his meaning as, ‘Put your pathetically tiny amount of money in the plate now’.

What to say when you are taking up the collection and having a collection in church at all, has been quite a source of debate over the last generation or so. During that time many churches were influenced by the church growth movement and would preface the collection with a statement that the offertory was for our members and visitors should be under no obligation to give. Some churches stopped passing the plate around. Some made a vague reference to a bucket placed somewhere at the back of the church that sometimes required a GPS to discover. Many churches in this digital age just receive the money online and don’t mention money in the services. In some churches, as a visitor, I have no idea how to give if I wanted to.

My belief is that giving should be should be mentioned unashamedly, but should be linked to the exciting ministry of the church and undergirded by an appeal to grow in generosity. One church I know does this very well. A large slide appears on the screen. The service leader reminds us that generosity is one of the values of the church. The slide proclaims, ‘WE ARE A GENEROUS CHURCH’. The congregation is often given an update about some life transforming ministry that the church is performing.  The slide also gives 5 different ways in which I can give.

1. Online

2. Giving Envelope

3. Giving Station

4. Push Pay App

5. Text to Give

I have never felt put out by this appeal. I have a great deal of confidence that the church does not waste money and that the leadership are people of integrity. I certainly don’t mind that I am being exhorted to be generous. I might be put out if I thought the church just wanted my money. But generosity is something quite different. Generosity is a noble virtue and one I am happy to aspire to. I am pleased that the church is encouraging me to have the very character that I want to have anyway and the character that the Lord Jesus Christ has demonstrated in his extraordinary sacrifice on the cross.

So ultimately this approach is a win-win. The church wins in that it receives with integrity the resources needed for ministry. I win as my character is further shaped to be like God’s. For more on generosity and raising resources for local church ministry see my book Giving Generously.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

On holidays some years ago I attended a church service at a church I had never previously visited. Afterwards in the foyer I was chatting to the minister and it emerged in conversation that I was a fellow clergyman. He asked for my frank assessment of the service. ‘Tell me the good, the bad and the ugly.’ They were striking words to solicit a comment and I have never forgotten them. I believe that minister really did want some genuine feedback and it was brave of him to ask because many do not. It was also very smart because it is an excellent way to improve ministry.

In the early 1990s I did a Business degree and studied a number of marketing subjects. During that time I came across an article, Complaints as Opportunities published in the Journal of Consumer Marketing, February 1991, written by Jerry Plymire.  It contained the following arresting quotation:

            ‘….only 4 percent of dissatisfied customers ever give us feedback about their issue. The other 96 percent vote with their feet and 91 percent will never come back.’ What is worse is that 80 percent of those dissatisfied people will pass on their negative assessment to others.. ‘Ouch!’, as an influential academic once said.

Because most people have a natural aversion to hearing complaints, a normal course of action is to try to shut down complaining behavior. Plymire advocates an opposite approach: that is to actually stimulate complaints. In other words get people to tell you the issues rather than broadcast their displeasure to the four winds.

While I am fully aware that a church is not a business and the same dynamics do not  necessarily apply, a church has many of the characteristics of a not-for–profit, professional, service organization and so lessons learned in one sphere have some application to another. Armed with these thoughts I tried to encourage not whinging and whining but robust feedback, and to give it a considered hearing. Mostly the complaints were not a matter of profound theology but on irritating organization matters that could and should be remedied

One method I used was to conduct in June, an all-church survey where I would ask people to write one thing the church does well and one area we could improve. I phrased the questions in that way because I wanted to encourage a response that did not result in gratuitous carping. Further, I gave space for respondents to add their names.

I explained that I would publish the actual feedback so people could see what had been written. The exception was that I would not publish any negative personal attacks on anyone, which were negligible anyway. All went well with the first survey and the office posted the results on bulletin boards but I had forgotten to tell the office to post the comments without names which were for my eyes only. I certainly did get some real complaints and had to offer an obsequious mea culpa. The error was definitely remedied the next year.

The effect of this ongoing process was twofold. First, it helped produce a feeling of openness in the parish. People felt their concerns would get a hearing rather than be buried. Second, every year we raised money for ministry including special projects. This process gave us a clear idea of where the people felt there were areas that needed fixing.

If for example a survey showed 50 people thinking the music was too loud and 50 thought it was too soft and the rest did not mention it, I was reasonably certain that this was a non-issue. However if I received 150 responses urging me to fix the car park and fix it yesterday, then I knew this merited urgent action. My response would be to make such an item a commitment day project and when I did, it would generally be well supported.

Honestly, looking for feedback that includes the good the bad and the ugly can be a bit daunting. I remember one staff member saying that reading the regular feedback cards was like ‘pulling teeth’. Yet I do believe it is worth it. As it transpired, while there were good features to the service to which I was visitor, there was one issue that my entire family had thought of as ugly and the minister’s question provided a platform to give that feedback.

For more on raising resources for ministry see my book Giving Generously.  www.givinggenerously.com

The Essence of Running a Commitment Day

In my book Giving Generously: Resourcing Local Church Ministry, I advocate running an annual commitment day, where the minister asks the people to do two things: First to sign a card indicating how much the person intends to give to the church over the next year. The second, was to give a cash gift to one or more individual projects. We used to have six projects each year as people like to support areas that engage their hearts.

The following areas are extremely important in making the outcome fruitful.

1. A compelling vision for the ministry for the future. The key idea is that money follows vison rather than need. People do not get inspired by simply paying the bills. They wish to know that their dollars will make a difference in people’s lives.
2. There will be a suitable date in your calendar. For our Anglican Church our commitment day settled on the first Sunday in November for historic parish reasons. It also had the advantage of securing our revenue as increased staff generally was coming on board from early January. However, another time may be in June at the end of the financial year. It could also coincide with any date that may have particular celebratory significance for your church.
3. High confidence in the leadership is vital. People won’t give if they feel their money will be squandered, wasted or misused. It was for good reason that the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the collection for the Jerusalem poor.

We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 2 Cor 8:21

4. The commitment day comes at the conclusion of a five or six week preaching series. This series will probably contain a message on generosity but it will not be a series with the majority of the message on money. Rather the aim of the series will be to build personal faith or advance the mission of the church or both. People often find that this commitment series is the time where their faith grows more than any other time. That is because in making a financial commitment they are showing in very tangible terms that they trust God, not money.

5 A fruitful commitment series will have very clear communication. We used multiple sources including brochures, response cards, letters, and in particular audio visuals. It is incredibly important to produce engaging audio-visual material that clearly conveys what you are asking people to give to.

6. The entire concept needs the engagement and endorsement of the church staff and leadership. At Figtree, the staff and parish council were involved in choosing the projects for the coming year. They also signed a commitment card. It is vital that they not only verbally endorse the process but show by their giving they have ‘skin in the game’.
7. It is absolute crucial that the senior minister clearly asks people to give. People should not be left wondering what they are being asked to do. This task shouldn’t be left to the treasurer. It is the senior minister’s role and should not be shirked.

I would always say something like the following.

‘What I am asking you for on commitment day is to do two things.

First please sign and return the commitment card indicating how much you are intending to give to the ministry next year. Second, place a special offering in the envelope supplied and indicate which project you wish you support. I would sometimes add, with a big smile on my face, ‘please stuff the envelope full of money and make our treasurer very happy’.

7. Plan ahead. There is a lot to do here in terms of getting alignment from key leaders and preparing communications and producing a compelling sermon series. I used to start the entire process about six months in advance. It is simply folly to leave it to the last couple of weeks when some crisis makes everything urgent and rushed.

Last by no means least, pray. At Figtree we always had whole church times of prayer for the ministry and for this process.

For more on running a commitment day see my book,

 Giving Generously. https://givinggenerously.com/

How to overcome the end of year Financial Crisis

If you have been around churches long enough you will have seen or experienced a scenario something like the following. At the end of the year either the treasurer or the senior minister stands before the congregation and tells them that the church is behind budget and asks people to dig deep to make up the shortfall. There are lots of negatives here.

 First, while it may be necessary it doesn’t convey the feeling that the church is powering ahead and kicking goals for Christ’s kingdom.

Second, the appeal is framed in terms of need rather than vision. Remember that money doesn’t follow need, it follows vision.

Third, and this is closely allied to the above, the appeal  addresses budget shortfall. Budget is a perfectly acceptable word and very necessary in terms of responsibly running a church. However, the term should be banned in any discussion of raising money. Budgets don’t fire up the juices of the average parishioner who don’t want their money plugging up holes in a leaky ship.

Fourth, this request generally means the church is not having an alternative appeal such as a Christmas request for a mission project. The visionary project often gives way to the ‘stop the leak’ project.

It is not at all unusual for a church to be around five percent behind budget and while this should not be ignored neither is the sky falling in. So what should be done? In my book Giving Generously I detail how to raise money for local church ministry. If such a process is conducted prayerfully, boldly and sensitively people get excited about the ministry and will give to it. One of the items I describe, is a request to support up to six special projects. One of these projects was called ‘Our Church Our Ministry’. My successor at Figtree Anglican  Church helpfully broadened the name to ‘Our Church Our Community’.

What it is in effect saying, is, please contribute some funds that can be used by the church leadership in any way that is beneficial. Where people trust the leadership and are generally supportive of the ministry and direction of the church, this project is often amazing well supported. Naturally the funds can be used in a range of ways. One would be to assist the seed funding of a new staff member. Another may be topping up the shortfall in one of the other projects. Another might be paying for any expenses that may have been generated in running the financial campaign in the first place.

However, some of the funds can also be used to fill in any end of year shortfalls. Naturally this won’t the primary way in which the money should be used. It should go into visionary projects. However sometimes this is necessary and it is far better than going cap in hand to the congregation close to Christmas. An appeal at Christmas is an opportunity to stimulate generosity to an outside worthy cause. For more on this topic and raising money for ministry, see my book Giving Generously. https://givinggenerously.com/buy-the-book-2/

Midyear Appeal.

A church that my wife and I attend is having its annual midyear appeal. Yes we are asked for money. If fact the congregation was asked for an eye watering amount of $1.7 million. But as far as I know people do not seem to be aggravated, offended or annoyed. In fact there is a sense of excitement and  joy and positive emotion. What is going on?  I have been teaching on giving and generosity for nearly twenty years. I know it is a topic that exercises the minds of most ministers on a very regular basis. However, it is also a topic that can make some church leaders very edgy. The reason is that they do not want to manipulate their congregation or they do not see how to raise resources without embarrassment or antagonism.

So why were we happy to be asked to give to this appeal?

The first reason is that we basically trust the church leadership. We have known the senior minister and many of the senior staff for many years and firmly believe they are honest people who will act honourably and responsibly. This is huge. People will not give if they do not trust those asking.

Second, the church has an excellent track record. When they have asked for money before,  we are confident that it has used for the purposes stated.

Third, I am actually asked to give and give generously. There is no’ um’ ing and ‘ah’ ing around or hanging the head with a nervous embarrassment. It is clearly stated that, we are asking this year for $1-7 million dollars. Will you give generous towards the appeal? The simple fact is that if you want to raise money for ministry you have to ask and ask confidently.

Fourth, while we are asked confidently, the appeal is also transparent. We never get the feeling we are being tricked, coerced or manipulated.

Fifth, there is a spread of projects areas.  All the money will go to some form of ministry to further the outreach of the church. Some will go to support the church’s very impressive overseas mission work on which we are regularly updated. Some will go help the poor and refugees in our own community. Some will go to further the church’s counselling centre ministering to the church and community. Some will go to plant more churches in a roughly half an hour radius of mother church. There is a project in there that will stir the heart of almost every one.

Sixth, the message is communicated clearly and vibrantly and passionately. There is a month of messages where the themes of the appeal are repeated. But there are also testimonies from people who have had their lives changed  as a result of former appeals. Further, each week we are shown a different video highlighting work overseas or on other church campuses. These are powerful, well produced and engaging.

Seventh, the senior minister gave a lead in giving. It is a clear indication he has skin in the game as he asks us to play our part.

Finally, while most of the projects have some sort of social care element , they are all undergirded by a genuine desire to have people come to know Jesus as Lord of their lives and be transformed by His work and His love. This spiritual gospel dimension is not some sort of veneer on a social cake but informs every aspect of what the church does and what this appeal seeks to achieve.

So as we reflected on this experience this is why my wife and I are happy to give and we believe the vast majority of others feel the same. I don’t know what the results are as yet but even in challenging financial times we expect them to be good. We also expect to be asked on future occasions and we are totally fine with that.

For more on raising money for ministry, see my book Giving Generously : Resourcing Local Church Ministry. Buy The Book

No Regrets: In 1987 I received the invitation to become the senior minister (Rector) of Figtree Anglican Church in Wollongong. At that time, we were living in an old Queenslander in a very good street in Brisbane very close to where we had both grown up. My wife and I had bought this property as newly-weds in 1972. It had been rented out once before to tenants who trashed it and we were reluctant to go through such an experience again. So, after much deliberation we decided to sell it. Then we consulted a financial advisor, a guru who had a column in the newspaper. We were not overly thrilled with his advice as it involved putting all our money into unlisted property trusts: all our eggs in one basket. We decided to get a second opinion and consulted another advisor who recommended the same property trusts but spread our risk with some other options. We accepted his advice.

Within weeks the 1987 stock market crash occurred: the biggest financial implosion since the great depression.  The property trusts were wiped out, our shares tanked and only the money in fixed interest survived. Subsequently residential property boomed and within twelve months we effectively went from owning a whole house without a mortgage to the equivalent of a quarter of a house. Talk about an investment lesson! To this day I feel pain whenever I drive down our old street and catch a glimpse of our former house, now beautifully renovated. Yes, I feel some regrets about a decision that was primarily mine. Helen and I had discussed the pros and cons of other options, but I had argued strongly for this course of action, and she had ultimately gone along with it.

While there were regrets with that financial decision, I am happy to say that I have never regretted any decision to be generous. Now I hurry to add that I do not hold myself up as a naturally generous person. In fact, if I am honest, I naturally fall far more at the wrong end of the generosity scale. In the last twelve months I did an ancestry DNA test. I knew that my ancestral line came from Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland. What I discovered was that they had been there for over two thousand years! And I have other Scottish genes in me as well. Now the Scots have a reputation of being a wee careful with money. I think that natural disposition runs deeply in my DNA.

However, I have come to believe strongly that generosity is a fundamental Christian virtue. We serve a generous God who has blessed us beyond measure in Christ. So as a believer I am prompted vigorously to develop a far more generous disposition.  And yet when an appropriate giving opportunity arises, I find a bit of a tug of war arises inside me. I know I should be generous but find a curious reluctance to part with the money.

However, when I overcome that reluctance, an intriguing thing happens. I don’t regret giving. At Figtree Anglican Church, where I was leader for twenty years, we had many appeals for finances to expand the ministry of the church into the surrounding community. I knew that as the leader I often had to make a sacrificial lead. Sometimes it felt positively scary. Yet looking back I have no regrets at all. None! I don’t fantasize at all on what else I could have spent the money: holidays we could have indulged in, luxury items or shares in Tesla.  I don’t have any of the sort of sadness I sometimes feel driving down my old street and viewing my former home. Currently I attend a church with a big vision to reach out and share the gospel. This church often calls upon the members to financially support evangelism, mission, and care for the poor. And so it should. That’s why Helen and I like being part of it. And when the church has an appeal, I still feel a bit of that tug of war inside during the decision to give. But afterwards I always notice there are no regrets.

So if you are like I am and an opportunity to give to gospel mission comes your way, by all means examine the cause to see if it is the right one, but if it is, give generously. I am sure you won’t regret it. For more on generosity see my book. Giving Generously: Resourcing Local Church Ministry.

https://givinggenerously.com/

 Love

One key feature in raising resources for ministry is to celebrate an annual Commitment Day. This is the time where the minister askes the congregation to do two things. First to make a financial pledge indicating how much the person will give to the church in the next year. This is often expressed as a weekly amount. Second, the congregation is also asked to make a one-off gift to the church for some special project. Normally there are several different projects proposed as people will support what touches their heart.

Then in the lead up to Commitment Day the mister preaches a five- or six-week Commitment Series of messages.  This series is designed to strengthen the faith of the congregation. Raising money is a by-product. If the minister approaches the series as a money-making exercise, it is likely to fail. However, if the aim is to raise Christian maturity and increase generosity as a part of that goal, the congregation is far more likely to be uplifted and respond with joy.

When I started to learn about this process, I listened to some well-known ministers from overseas preach such a series. I always wondered if I could plan my own. As it turned out it was not too difficult because the bible is absolutely brimming with passages and topics that raise faith and encourage generosity. As I am now retired, I don’t deliver such series anymore. The person to do this is properly the senior minister and the messages normally shouldn’t be outsourced. However, such series still occur to me. Recently on a walk I suddenly thought that a wonderful set of messages could be constructed on the theme of love, that would be extremely profitable to the spiritual life of the congregation.

Here are some possibilities.

1 Love God: the first great commandment.

Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment. Matt 22:37-38.

2 Love your neighbour: the second great commandment.

‘And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ Matt 22:39

Personally, I would avoid the desire to conflate these two sermons into one but rather tease out the implications in two messages.

3 God loves the world

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

This is the best known and best loved verse in the bible and brings the love of God as seen in the death of Christ into focus. Any series of sermons on love must centre on the death of Jesus.

4 Love your marriage partner

‘Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her’.  Eph 5:25

This message allows the preacher to address love in marriage. It is appropriate in the present me-too climate to focus particularly on the husband’s responsibility. The scripture also links such love to the atonement so grounding the message in theological depth.

5 Love your enemies

‘But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ Matt 5:44

I would certainly include this theme as it is so distinctively Christian. Jesus points out that anyone can love their mates but to love your enemies is something else altogether.

6 Love money: Not!

‘For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.’ 1Tim 6:10

In each commitment series I try to include one message on generosity and the right use of money. I have included a sample sermon on the ideas contained here and embedded later in 1Tim 6:17-10 in my book Giving Generously, https://givinggenerously.com/ ,which I commend to you.

7 Love is the Greatest

To conclude the series, I would preach on the wonderful chapter, 1 Cor 13, which will surely sum up everything any preacher wants to say.

This grouping is a little unusual as I have proposed seven messages rather than five or six. This is simply because there are so many wonderful ways to approach this subject. Thus, I am acutely aware that there are many other ‘love’ themes that could be considered and perhaps form the basis for

God is love text on beach and wave

a further series. I commend these to you as starts for your own deliberations.

Cheerful Giving 

For the follower of Jesus generosity is not a burden that is laid on an unwilling follower. The attitude can never be, ‘I am a Christian now and while it is a pain I find I must be generous’. Generosity is not something to be adopted through gritted teeth. Generosity is a virtue to be pursued joyously.

It would be better to tell people ‘don’t give’ if they can’t contribute with open hearts. The bible is quite consistent in teaching that giving must never be grudging, never be like squeezing the last drop out of an unwilling lemon.

In preparing the people for life in the Promised Land, Moses commanded ungrudging generosity and open heartedness in caring for the needy.

Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Deut 15:10

 The apostle Paul takes up the same idea as he urges the Corinthians to complete preparations to give generously for the collection to the Jerusalem church.

So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. 2 Cor 9:5

Effectively, the apostle is saying, ‘Please don’t make me hassle you for this. I certainly don’t want to be badgering you because I want you to give with a happy heart.’

 Two verses later he writes:

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.2 Cor 9:6

The word ‘cheerful’ is the Greek word hilaros, from which comes our English word ‘hilarious’. This derivation should not be pressed too far as there is not a one to one correlation in the meaning of hilaros and hilarious^[i]. However I have always had fun imagining a collection being taken up in church and a chorus of voices crying out, ‘Pass the plate around again, we are having such a good time’. That would be an exhilarating^[ii] experience. Perhaps I am dreaming but if believers absorbed the attitude of the bible, maybe it is not such a far-fetched idea.

All this merely reinforces the idea that Christians should never be embarrassed to encourage generosity. In fact just as Paul desires our love, faith, speech and knowledge to grow and increase, he also wants us to excel in generosity.

But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us, see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 2 Cor 8:7

 It is not as if faith and love are the supremely important character virtues and we can limp along with a little bit of generosity. Excelling means we need to strive to be as generous as we can possibly be. This again underlines the fact that preachers should not be reluctant to speak on generosity .Not only should the topic be addressed, it should also be urged as a virtue to be pursued.

For further ideas about Generosity see my book : Giving Generously, Resourcing Local Church Ministry https://givinggenerously.com/

Paul Barnett, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, (Wm.B.Eerdmans1997), p438, n14 notes that exhilarating is derived from hilaros.

Surprised by Joy: Some years ago I read C.S. Lewis’s autobiographical work Surprised by Joy, detailing his journey from atheism to Christian faith. I discovered the title was inspired by a poem by that name written by William Wordsworth, the master of Romanticism, lamenting the fact that he experienced a moment of joy but had lost in death his daughter, so the added joy of sharing the experience could not occur.

The phrase stood out to me recently with two events that captured the attention of the nation. The first was the Melbourne Cup, the race that stops the nation. I must confess that despite coming from a family where my maternal grandfather and grandmother were avid race horse owners and racing fans and punters, any gene for being addicted to the Sport of Kings lies completely dormant in my genome. Yet I am not insensitive to the excitement and joie de vivre that the race engenders in many in our community. The newspapers always publish photographs showing the sheer joy on the faces of the owners and jockey of the successful steed.

Yet somehow all of this was transcended, and even made to seem hollow, by the sheer wave of joy that swept the entire continent of Australia when the news emerged that little four year old Cleo Smith had been found alive and well. It was the culmination of a massive search by police and volunteers that stretched over eighteen days, where the authorities threw everything at it, including a one million dollar reward and simply did not give up. Everyone from seasoned policemen, politicians, news reporters and the average man and woman in the street seemed captivated by a feeling of joy that seemed somehow purer and deeper than even the most significant sporting achievement could ever engender. I am not a particularly emotional person but I was surprised by the overwhelming sensation that this rescue engendered, the sheer joy that this dear little girl whom most had feared lost and perhaps never to be recovered, was found apparently unharmed. 

It made me reflect and empathize more deeply than I ever had before on the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus tells the short story of a man who has one hundred sheep but loses one. Rather than write this animal off as the cost of doing of doing business, the shepherd searches and searches till he triumphantly brings the stray home. Jesus concludes with the famous words,

‘I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.’ Luke 15:7.

Jesus spells out very clearly his heart and his priorities. His followers over two millennia have adopted this mission and feel a real rejoicing when any person puts their faith in Christ. For me, it simply reinforced the thought that the real overwhelming joy that I felt when I heard about Cloe Smith is really just a pale reflection the emotion I surely feel about the saving ministry of rescuing lost people with the gospel.

I have written a book about raising resources for ministry in the local church. It is called Giving Generously. One of the points I stressed in the book is that when properly and appropriately done raising money for ministry produces great joy. The reason for this is obvious.  No one gets excited about giving to paint the parish hall or buy a better dishwasher for the church kitchen. But when the object of the ministry is real kingdom work that involves heaven rejoicing as lost sheep are found, then people will give freely and generously and will be surprised by the joy it gives them.

Buy the Book