We expect that some people will contribute very little financially to our churches. Take for instance the college student, living on student loans. She might toss a crumpled five in the offering here and there, but don't expect much more. Or visitors—they're likely to keep the purse strings drawn until they decide to make your church their home.
But what would you do if you discovered that one of your elders wasn't giving? I'm not talking about an elder experiencing a financial crisis or one recently out of work. And I'm not talking about someone who's just overly frugal. What if you found out that you had an elder who wasn't giving a dime? Nada.
How would you respond?
Well, that's exactly the situation I found myself in.
This was one of those leadership challenges that seminary doesn't prepare you for. To make matters worse, I happened upon the unpleasant discovery during a particularly dark season in my leadership journey. I had recently transitioned from a fruitful decade of ministry at my first church to take a new position as lead pastor at a larger church in the Midwest.
The challenge of the new ministry seemed clear. We needed to relocate this thriving church to a larger facility that could accommodate the growth. It sounded like a great challenge and a lot of fun—or so I thought. What I couldn't see were the unhealthy spiritual and political issues simmering just below the surface, ready to boil over and ruin the potential of our church. What unfolded was heartbreaking, a political fight with collateral damage that would scar every member of our church family.
By the time I arrived, the decline was already beginning. As a young pastor, I wasn't emotionally equipped to handle the tension. Our leadership and staffing ranks had been hammered. Attendance and giving was plummeting. Whatever momentum was in place when I arrived was quickly dissipating. We needed to rebuild. One asset I was counting on was our leadership team. I knew I wasn't alone. Our church had an elder oversight team for times such as this. I took comfort in the fact that there were seven godly elders, fully engaged, who were there to help me navigate our way forward.
In order to put together the plan for the future, I needed to fully assess the financial situation. I went to our financial manager and asked for a giving report on all of our leaders, those we had just lost and the ones who remained. I needed to know where we stood as we prepared to rebuild. What I discovered was disheartening: two of the elders we'd lost had been significant financial stakeholders. Even worse, I discovered that one of the leaders of our remaining elder team was not a contributor at all. He hadn't given a dime in more than three years.
So what should pastors do when they find that a key leader is not a stakeholder in the ministry? I would love to say that I knew the right call, and that I made it, that I was proactive and didn't simply watch with disappointment as my friend finished his term and rotated off the board. But I can't. While this episode remains in the column of missed opportunities, it did prompt changes going forward. We have since created tools to assist in the selection and development of real stakeholders in time, talent, and tithe. Here's what resulted.
A Culture of Generosity
After that experience I began to communicate that anyone coming into leadership would be expected to be a personal model of generosity. We led our church through a prayerful time of refining our vision. The result is an important three-word statement that describes what our church will look like when our vision is fulfilled. We will be a "generous, life-changing, community." Everything we do as a church is designed to drive us in that direction. So as a church we talk about generosity, model generosity, teach generosity, and celebrate it when it happens.
Each year, for instance, we use Memorial Day weekend to emphasize the discipline of generosity through an event that we call "Feed the Need." On that weekend, following our worship time, we take the entire church family to a local discount grocer. We take over the entire store for two hours, and pay for and pack groceries. The following Saturday we go to an under-resourced neighborhood that our church has adopted and we personally distribute the boxes and pray with each of the hundreds of families we serve. It is a great exercise to help set a tone of generosity for our ministry season.
We've found that creating a culture of generosity ensures that future leaders often hear us talk about the generosity of our staff and elders.
If I learned anything through the pain of that early experience it was this: the "generosity conversation" needs to occur during the leadership development process rather than after someone steps into a position of leadership.
The first real exposure to the concept of being a financial stakeholder happens during our membership class. Each new member signs a covenant which states, among other things, that they promise to be a financial stakeholder in our ministry. This also gives us permission to hold them accountable on this issue. The goal is that no one who is invited into leadership should ever be surprised that generosity is an expectation.
Ultimately, when anyone is invited into the leadership development process there are a series of conversations that specifically address generosity.
Leadership development begins within our small group environment. Small group leaders are encouraged to be looking for those with potential to lead a group. Once they are identified, these people are invited into leadership training, which includes teaching on being a financial stakeholder.
During that training we evaluate character and competency. One of the keys is their performance as a model of generosity. We regularly check to ensure their giving is prioritized (given out of the "first fruits," not as an afterthought), proportional (at least 10 percent of their income), and progressive (increasing in generosity).
The last stage in developing an elder is a six-month internship with our board. During this time, they attend meetings and pair up with existing elders for personal development. This internship allows time for growth opportunities to be identified. It is crucial this happen before the candidate becomes an elder. At the end of that process the board makes a decision whether or not they will be invited to fill the role of elder.
Often the topic of generosity surfaces during the internship. Each intern is required to fill out a formal application which includes specific questions regarding their giving commitments.
On one occasion, a young dynamic leader was invited into our internship program. We knew that he was giving, but he wasn't tithing because his family was battling debt. This presented us with a great opportunity for spiritual development. We outlined specific time frames and giving goals and prayerfully committed together that he would regularly test God by growing his giving. Within 12 months their family was debt free and tithing faithfully, and they had a series of spectacular stories in which God had proven himself faithful to meet their needs. Three years later, this young elder is the most outspoken voice in our church on the value of generosity. He leads the Financial Peace University in our congregation, helping other families prepare for greater generosity.
Celebrate Leaders as Models of Generosity
Whenever I, as the senior pastor, am casting vision I want to be able to stand before our people and say that all of our leaders are pacesetters in this area. This is not about public recognition of individual givers but a celebration that our church is well led by those who are committed enough to be models of generosity.
Eventually, we did relocate our church. It was a $6 million project which required a unified and committed leadership team. Ultimately we needed to raise $2.6 million dollars cash, in order to make the move. Our capital campaign culminated on "Commitment Sunday" when we made the official ask of our entire congregation for the biggest give in the 70-year history of our church. I believe one of the most powerful tools I had that day was the fact our staff, elders, and leadership team of 28 families had already committed 10 percent of the entire goal of the campaign. They were indeed stakeholders in this new season of ministry. The rest of the congregation simply played "follow the leader" and helped us meet our goal.
Addressing this problem can be awkward … but we can't afford to overlook this crucial area in the lives of our leaders.
It took us years to build this system of developing leaders who are also financial stakeholders. It is easy to lose momentum. Our elders serve a term of three years and can serve as many as six consecutive years. So it is important to have check points along the way that encourage ongoing development in the area of giving. Some of the tools we have found helpful include annual accountability reports that each elder fills out and submits to the team, and frequent testimonials of giving within our meetings.
Our board is also challenged to lead the charge in our annual financial challenge and Christmas offerings. As a board we prayerfully set financial targets for our annual compaigns. The elders are the first to pledge what they will each contribute. Only after they have pledged do we ask the rest of the church to give. Seasons of life change, financial status changes, all of us face challenges and temptations to hold back, but the culture of our elder team helps to keep us on course.
Implement a Plan
I've often reflected on that situation I was confronted with many years ago. If I had it to do over again, how could I have better helped my elder who was not contributing financially? There are a few practices I would now implement immediately. If you're facing a similar challenge, you many find these helpful.
Begin by finding out the condition of your team. That assumes that you can access essential information regarding the giving of your leaders. This knowledge is an irreplaceable tool in developing your team.
Once you have assessed the giving habits of your leaders, begin with teaching the biblical value of generosity. Work with your leaders to write biblical standards of generosity into the mission statement of your church and the expectations of leaders.
Then invest in any elders or staffers who are not yet giving generously by helping them to identify a path of increasing obedience. And finally, celebrate the stories that result. We collect written and video-taped giving testimonials from congregants and play them for the congregation. We also celebrate as an elder board by sharing stories of how giving, even in tight times, has strengthened our faith.
If this is the first time you've been challenged to lead in this vital arena, let me encourage you to address the issue. Addressing this problem can be difficult and awkward. The temptation is to ignore it, but we simply can't afford to overlook this crucial area of obedience in the lives of our leaders. The church's mission is too important to be led by those who are not on board.
Brian Pipping is senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Lake Zurich, Illinois.
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