fbpx

The Importance of Vision

July 3, 2024Inline Text Rod Irvine

Need Money for your ministry. Ask your friendly Robot.

Just for general interest I decided to ask AI about raising money for ministry and so I typed

‘How do you raise money in churches 1000 words’ into ChatGPT to see what it would say. This was the result.

Raising money in churches is essential for maintaining facilities, supporting ministries, and serving the community. Here are some effective strategies to consider:

1. Traditional Offerings and Tithes

Regular Collections

Regular collections during services remain a primary source of income. Emphasize the importance of tithing and regular giving in sermons and communications.

Tithing Education

Educate the congregation on the biblical basis for tithing. Use scriptures and personal testimonies to illustrate the impact of tithing on the church and individual lives.

2. Special Fundraising Campaigns

Capital Campaigns

For large projects like building renovations or new constructions, launch capital campaigns. Clearly communicate the vision, goals, and timeline. Use brochures, presentations, and meetings to keep everyone informed.

Pledge Drives

Organize pledge drives where members commit to giving a certain amount over a period. This helps in planning and ensures a steady flow of funds.

3. Events and Activities

Bake Sales, Rummage Sales, and Car Washes

These activities not only raise funds but also foster community spirit. Encourage all age groups to participate and contribute.

Dinners and Auctions

Host dinners, auctions, and galas. Sell tickets, solicit donations for auction items, and provide an enjoyable experience. Local businesses often support such events through sponsorships or donations.

4. Online Giving and Digital Tools

Online Donation Platforms

Set up online giving options on the church’s website. Platforms like PayPal, Venmo, and specialized church giving apps make it easy for members to donate anytime.

Text-to-Give

Implement text-to-give services. This allows members to donate via text messages, making it quick and convenient, especially for younger, tech-savvy congregants.

5. Grants and Sponsorships

Religious and Community Grants

Research and apply for grants from religious organizations and foundations. Many offer funding for specific projects, programs, or general support.

Corporate Sponsorships

Seek sponsorships from local businesses. Offer recognition in church bulletins, websites, and events in return for their support.

6. Merchandise Sales

Church Branded Items

Sell branded items like T-shirts, mugs, and calendars. These not only raise funds but also promote church identity and unity.

Books and Media

If the church produces books, music, or other media, sell these items. Highlight the spiritual and educational value to encourage purchases.

7. Monthly Giving Programs

Sustained Giving

Encourage members to join monthly giving programs. Regular, smaller donations can be more manageable for members and provide a steady income for the church.

8. Legacy Giving

Planned Giving

Educate the congregation about including the church in their wills or estate plans. Planned giving can provide significant support for the church’s future.

9. Crowdfunding

Online Campaigns

Use crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe for specific projects or emergencies. Share the campaign through social media and email to reach a wider audience.

10. Volunteer and In-Kind Contributions

Time and Skills

Encourage members to volunteer their time and skills. This can reduce costs for the church and involve more people in its activities.

Goods and Services

In-kind donations like food for events, materials for projects, or professional services can be as valuable as monetary contributions.

Implementation Tips

Clear Communication

Communicate clearly and regularly about the church’s financial needs, goals, and the impact of contributions. Use sermons, newsletters, social media, and personal testimonies to keep the congregation informed and engaged.

Transparency

Be transparent about how funds are used. Provide regular updates and financial reports to build trust and demonstrate accountability.

Gratitude

Show appreciation for every contribution, big or small. Personal thank-you notes, public acknowledgments, and recognition events can foster a culture of generosity.

Prayer and Faith

Emphasize the spiritual aspect of giving. Encourage members to pray about their contributions and trust in God’s provision.

Leadership Example

Church leaders should lead by example. When leaders are visibly committed to giving, it inspires the congregation to follow suit.

Conclusion

Raising money in churches requires a multifaceted approach that combines traditional methods with modern tools and techniques. By fostering a culture of generosity, clearly communicating needs and goals, and showing appreciation, churches can effectively raise the funds needed to support their mission and serve their communities.

Rod’s Comment

There is quite an extensive list here. I have seen most of them attempted in many churches. However the theological undergirding and methods of communicating and asking are absent. For more on these see my book Giving Generously. https://givinggenerously.com/

The Importance of Vision

June 29, 2023Inline Text Rod Irvine

Dealing with Debt

Recently I was in another state and went to a new church one Sunday. It turned out that they were in the middle of their annual end-of financial-year vision series. The pastor spoke enthusiastically and gratefully about how the church family, by their generosity, had reduced debt on their building from over $6 Million to a bit over $1 Million in ten years. Good on them! This is a significant achievement. It is not the easiest issue in church life to reduce debt. So what principles come to mind when addressing this subject?

I had to grapple with this subject a couple of times in my work as senior minister of Figtree Anglican Church in Wollongong. When I arrived in 1987 the parish had a debt of over $200,000 That had been incurred to fund a new building that had been constructed a couple of years earlier. That does not seem much in today’s dollars but was a formidable amount then and was a millstone around our necks for the next seven years. Fortunately the process of raising the money and making repayments had been set in train prior to my coming and all I had to do was keep the machinery working till we finally paid it off and had a celebration party.

Over a decade later I was the one initiating and presiding over the debt process when Figtree parish embarked on a $5.5 Million building programme. The congregation gave magnificently but the building cost far exceeded our ability to complete the project debt free and a debt of around $2.6 M was incurred. When I left some years later I bequeathed this burden to my successor, Ian Barnett, who led the completion of the process of paying off the loan.

There are some pastors who feel that all debt is bad and will not embark on a project unless it can be accomplished without borrowing. Of course this is a laudable aim. However, sometimes a church may be so strangled by property concerns that to address this issue may require a building campaign and a loan as was our case at Figtree. I do not believe this sort of debt is wrong. What I would advise against very strongly, is debt for paying operating expenses, staff salaries for example. That is a slippery slope to financial shipwreck.

Another important issue is the attitude of the congregation to debt. In any family or electorate or group of people there are some who have no problem embracing debt and are quite happy to kick the can along the road into the future as far as repaying the amount is concerned. There are others who view debt as an oppressive yoke and are highly motivated to get the money monster off their backs.

With these ideas in mind, the key principle to remember is that ‘money follows vision’. Yet debt doesn’t seem very visionary. So it is extremely important to demonstrate clearly how debt fits in with the broader vision of the church. It is a great mistake to pay off the debt and hope that the loan repayments will automatically still keep coming in and can be used for future purposes. Generally parishioners will be happy church debt is paid off and may throw a party but won’t keep giving at the old rate unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Thus it is important to have the next exciting gospel oriented, life changing, vision fulfilling project, clearly before the congregation. Then you can point out how the debt is not an end in itself but the impediment to the realization of the church’s dreams. You need to be able to say, “look what we hope to do next after the debt is paid off. Look at how lives will be transformed.’

Recognizing the contrasting views about debt, I advocate having half a dozen projects to present to the congregation each year. If the church has a building debt, I would also have repayment of the debt one of the projects each year. In that way the debt can be chipped away culminating, in a final major assault when it is has assumed a digestible bite-sized chunk.

To conclude, the critical point to re-emphasize is that money follows vision. It is vitally important to show how the repayment of the debt will take a millstone off your neck so you can pursue the next exiting stage of ministry. For more on raising resources for ministry see my book Giving Generously. https://givinggenerously.com/

The Importance of Vision

November 30, 2022Inline Text Rod Irvine

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 Importance of Vision

September 29, 2022Inline Text Rod Irvine

The Essence of Running a Commitment DayGiving church money joyfully

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

  1. 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.

  1. 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’.
  2. 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’.

  1. 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/

 

 

The Importance of Vision

August 21, 2022Inline Text Rod Irvine

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/giving-generously-money-burn

The Importance of Vision

June 22, 2022Inline Text Rod Irvine

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 Bookone dollar

The Importance of Vision

December 8, 2021Inline Text Rod Irvine

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 BookHorse race (2)

The Importance of Vision

November 28, 2021Inline Text Rod Irvine
Thanksgiving bagsThanksgiving Day 2021 Sometimes ministers are cautious about asking the congregation for resources because they are worried the people will be irritated and the request will do more harm than good. I have always felt that if the request is made properly there will be excitement and joy rather than push-back. I reflected on this recently when I experienced a request for resources. A church that I know well held its annual Thanksgiving Day. This is the time of the year when the congregation is asked to fill red bags with items to be given to the homeless and the needy and to bring them to church on the day. The atmosphere was extremely positive. Why? I started to think about what it was that made me give and feel happy about doing it.

First, the service was celebratory; giving thanks to God for the many blessing we have received.
Second, it was linked to a gospel mandate and the sermon focused on the spread of the kingdom of God in the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven that permeates the whole loaf.
Third, there was a very creative children’s ministry segment. At the front of the church, a life-size red bag was situated. It was a very large version of the smaller bags we were to fill at the supermarket. Some kids were invited forward and a brief message was given and out of the large replica bag, items such as soap, toilet paper etc, were catapulted through the air by an unseen hand in parabolic arcs with the kids scrambling to catch them in their small bags.
Fourth, there was a powerful video featuring a school principal and a chaplain of a disadvantaged school talking about the impact that the goods had in the lives of kids from fractured families.
Fifth, we also heard an interview with one of the volunteers who helped walk the streets of Brisbane CBD distributing items to the homeless and inviting them back to church for a meal. She also testified to how she joined the ministry and how much satisfaction it gave her. The whole service highlighted the vision of the church to reach out to the community spiritually, and practically. At the end of the service there was a monster morning tea with an assortment of tasty goodies.
Later I asked one woman for her impressions of the service. She felt it was a celebration of generosity to those who were not as well off as we are. There was real joy and delight in our being able to help. It made her reflect on how many blessings we have received from God. She noted that we don’t understand why some of the recipients are in the plight they are in but we have the opportunity to give mercy without judging. On the theme of Thanksgiving, she felt that this was not merely about being thankful, but the day gave her the opportunity to pay it forward, attributing the blessings to God and focusing on our ability to share those blessings.
I asked her if she felt in any way manipulated. She said she felt no manipulation at all and felt by contrast that people who think the churches are in the habit of manipulating people to give, are most likely being manipulated themselves by the modern zeitgeist.
The take-away is that raising resources involves sharing a gospel vision for the advancement of the kingdom of God and asking people to give generously toward it. That almost always produces funds for gospel ministry and a sense of delight in the congregation. For more on the theme of generosity see my book, Giving Generously. Buy the Book

The Importance of Vision

October 7, 2021Inline Text Rod Irvine
preachingIn my book Giving Generously I recommend holding a Commitment Day when the minister asks for pledges to fund the work of church ministry for the following year. The Commitment Day is not a standalone event but the culmination of a four to six week time when the vision and ministry of the church are highlighted to the congregation. A number of activities are held in this period but the most important is the preaching series which accompanies it. It is important to note that raising resources is only a secondary purpose of the series. The primary purpose of such a commitment series is to build up the spiritual lives of the congregation and engage them in the work and vision of the church. It is for this reason it is important to hold an annual Commitment Day even if there is no pressing financial need.

Yes, generally there was a message about money, or giving or generosity within the series. However, there was generally only one, possibly two at a stretch. I certainly do not advocate preaching multiple sermons on money unless the series is about ‘The Bible and Money Management’. That is a worthy subject but not one I would use in a Commitment series.

When I started to understand this process while I was the Senior Minister of Figtree Anglican Church, I wondered how it was possible to preach a new series every year. Wouldn’t I run out of things to say and just end up repeating myself? Initially I looked to famous ministers around the world to see how they approached such an exercise. After a while I got a feel for how to create my own series. And there was good news, very good news. Such series were everywhere in the bible, because the temptations of wealth or the encouragement to give, are themes in many of the books of both Old and New Testament.

I am now retired but in my general bible reading I keep finding groups of passages and verses that would make marvellous Commitment series. Consider the series of instructions found in Hebrews 13. They may be part of broader series on the whole book of Hebrews during the year. Some messages could be.
1. Loving our fellow Believers v 1
2. Practice Hospitality v 2
3. Support those persecuted for Christ v 4
4. Marriage in an age of Easy Virtue v 4
5. Trusting God with your Money v5
6. Honour your leaders v 7&8, 17
7. Offer a Sacrifice of Praise v9-16

This series with seven messages is a little longer than normal but the text naturally breaks into these parts. It also has the advantage of allowing a focus on areas of the Christian life such as hospitality that may get passed over. Further the series has a blend of themes to be explored and passages to be expanded. The message on money embedded in the series, can be particularly helpful as the text picks up the theological emphasis of our need to totally rely on God. Taken together they cover a range of basic issues that cannot help to build up the faith of even the most mature believer. Within the commitment period there could be a range of supplementary events based on the themes of the series. These could include marriage seminars, money seminars, hospitality events or a feature on the persecuted church or prison ministry.

I do not pretend that the titles I have given are the best or most desirable. I am sure they can be improved but are just proffered to give some sort of idea about how such series could be attempted. And if this series does not appeal, keep looking at the scriptures. They contain countless others. Buy the Book

The Importance of Vision

September 16, 2021Inline Text Rod Irvine
441797199.0.mThe Grace of Giving If you were asked who were the top three Christian leaders of the 20th century, who would you say? Of course the list is subjective and influenced by personal appeal and one’s own theological tradition. When I ponder that question the following names jump out to me.

First, Billy Graham the evangelist, who must surely go down as one of the giants of the faith in any age. Second, Martyn Lloyd Jones, the peerless preacher and the man who reintroduced the puritans to the evangelical world. Third there is John Stott, for the immense clarity of his biblical exposition and writing that made complex issues transparent. Jim Packer, for his profound scholarly insights, comes in a very close fourth for me.

When I was researching my book Giving Generously, I came across a small booklet called The Grace of Giving by John Stott. Even though it is a very slim volume, originally given as an exposition of 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 in San Diego in 1998, I have found that anything that Stott has written on almost any subject is stimulating and informative. Thus I sat up and took notice. Stott enunciated ten principles of Christian giving. Here they are, all from 2 Corinthians.

1. Christian giving is an expression of the grace of God. (2 Corinthians 8:1-6)
2. Christian giving can be a charisma, that is a gift of the spirit. (8:7)
3. Christian giving is inspired by the cross of Christ (8:8&9)
4. Christian giving is proportionate giving. (8:10-12)
5. Christian giving contributes to equality. (8:13-15)
6. Christian giving must be carefully supervised. (8:16-24)
7. Christian giving can be stimulated by a little friendly competition. (9:1-5)
8. Christian giving resembles a harvest. (9:6-11a)
9. Christian giving has theological significance. (9:13)
10. Christian giving promotes thanksgiving to God. (9:11b-15)

I commend this booklet to you. It is easily available online. One point I might add that is not evident from this summary. It would be incredibly valuable to prepare a bible study for home groups based on this material. This will be very helpful but if you are a pastor looking to raise resources to fund gospel ministry, there is one more step to do. In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 Paul does not shrink from actually asking people to contribute. This study would give people the knowledge and foundations of Christian giving. However Paul still actively asked for support and I suggest you must too. For more on how to ask, see Giving Generously.