Five debilitating myths can keep a pastor from effectively calling people to give.
- People don’t want to give. In one survey we asked, “How pleased are you with your giving to your church?” The majority said they were not pleased. Many said it was one of the weakest areas of their spiritual lives. This showed me people do want to give more; they just need practical help. Many want to give more, but they feel they have too many bills. That means I need to teach everything from plastic surgery (cut up the credit cards) to appendectomies (remove unnecessary expenses), so people can get their financial lives in order.
- If we help people, they will generously give back to the church. A brokenhearted pastor once shared with me, “I’ve poured out my life for these people. I can’t understand why they don’t give to the ministry.” I responded, “Which children tend to be the most helpful to their parents? Those who have been spoiled rotten or those who have been taught sacrifice and discipline?” I have discovered the people who give the most complain the least, while those who give the least complain the most. People become more loyal and faithful when they are asked to give and serve. Unless we teach biblical giving, people become increasingly self-centered.
- When the economy is down, we can’t expect people to give. Several years ago when our church was considering whether to embark on a multimillion-dollar building program, our economy was in a downhill slide with high unemployment. Many members warned we should hold off until the economy changed. The large majority in church were employed, though, committed to their church, and willing to sacrifice when asked. So we went ahead with the project. After completing the building, we were debt-free in less than three years—even though family incomes in our area are below the state average. If we expect nothing, people live down to our expectations.
- God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply. I once sat in a performance review with a dedicated leader whose ministry had financial problems. When asked about that, he said if we accurately teach the Bible and pray, God will always supply our financial needs. He said he had no strategy to encourage giving other than godliness and prayer. Prayer is important, but many times “God’s way” involves more than passivity in gathering necessary resources, as the Jesus’ parable of the pounds suggests.
- 5. If we urge people to give, they’ll get angry. When I first proposed a giving strategy for our church, one of our key leaders was tenaciously opposed. “If we pressure people to give, they’ll get irritated and offerings will go down,” he said. “You’re exactly right,” I responded. “That’s why we are going to teach biblical giving with the same boldness and lack of pressure that we teach prayer and purity.” Although a few people complained when we did that, just as they do when we talk about other areas of discipleship, the majority responded positively, and offerings increased more than 20 percent.
—Jay Pankratz
1998 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or contact us.
