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What Truly Generous Churches Are Learning

by Rick Long

Connecting Innovators to Multiplywww.leadnet.org

Article SummaryMore and more churches are working to build aculture of generosity that shines through even in darkeconomic times. These innovative leaders know thatGod is the same yesterday, today and forever. Butthey also know that difficult times create an entirelynew environment for ministry-and extraordinaryopportunities to demonstrate the power of generousliving.

L E A D E R S H I P N E T W O R K

Further ReadingAvoiding the Money Conflict: How to Ask for Moneyin a Culture that Has Avoided Fundraising by Alexis Wilson

The Genesis of Generosity: First Steps toward CreatingCultures of Generosity in Churches by Pat Springle

Discipling the High-Capacity Giver; Some Churchesare Taking New Attitudes and New Approaches toCaring for Wealthier Members of Their Congregationsby Alexis Wilson

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When Kent Sparks, assisting pastor at the Argyle,TX campus of Cross Timbers Church(www.crosstimberschurch.org), stood up thatSunday morning in October 2008, he didn’t haveto tell the congregation that the economy wassuffering. Many had their own stories or knew offriends and loved ones who were sufferingfinancially. Kent knew many of the stories too.

So he decided to take a bold step as heintroduced the morning offering. “I just wonder ifthere is someone in this room who ought toreceive, not give, today,” Kent said. “Maybesomeone here doesn’t even have gas money to gethome. If you’re in that type of need, would youraise your hand?” A young, single mother in thecongregation slowly raised her hand. When shedid, Kent didn’t just pray for her. He didn’tsuggest she apply for the church’s benevolencefund. Instead, he immediately walked down theaisle, took the $20 he had in his wallet and gaveit to her. As soon as he did, others seated nearbyopened their wallets and quickly, quietly, lovinglygave her even more money.

In that simple act, a young family was blessed,and an entire congregation saw the power ofbold, generous giving.

Like the good people at Cross Timbers, more andmore churches are working to build a culture ofgenerosity that shines through even in darkeconomic times—the type of generosity thattransforms lives and hearts as people share theirtime, their talent and their treasure.

These innovative leaders know that God is thesame yesterday, today and forever, and that hisprinciples for generosity and stewardship are, aswell. But they also know that difficult times createan entirely new environment for ministry. Thefinancial hardship that can strike—sometimeswithout warning—is only part of the problempeople and communities face. Added to theeconomic woes are other ripple effects that canbe just as devastating. On a personal level,financial stress can lead to broken marriages, fear,feelings of isolation or depression and doubtsabout God. And communities face increasedcrime and strained social service resources.

Truly generous churches don’t ignore theserealities. Quite the opposite. They respond withurgency and eagerness because they know theextraordinarily difficult times create extraordinaryopportunities to demonstrate the power ofgenerous living. As they pursue generosity bothinside and outside the church walls, they arebringing real change to communities across the country.

These remarkably generous churches come fromdifferent traditions and different sections of thecountry. On the outside, they appear moredifferent than alike, but a look inside showsseveral common values and practices. GenerousChurches use both “official” communicationchannels and informal personal relationships toshare the vision that generosity isn’t an action buta lifestyle. They also creatively seek, share andcelebrate stories that illustrate true generosity.

Generous churches aren’t known by their facilities but by the priorities of the congregations who worship there.

They build credibility through uncommonfinancial transparency and accountability. Andthey “go big” with large-scale givingopportunities that change individual lives andunite the church in profound, new ways.

dÉí=íÜÉ=dÉåÉêçëáíó=jÉëë~ÖÉ=oáÖÜíPastors and leaders at truly generous churchesknow that creating a culture of generosity reallyisn’t about money. It’s about people’s hearts andsouls and relationship with Christ. Unfortunately,this bigger vision goes against the popular pictureof what it means to be “generous.”

That’s why these churches spend a great deal ofenergy communicating their vision. They wanttheir congregations to understand that generosity

means more than writing acheck. Establishing a firmfoundation is especiallyimportant in difficult times.

The Journey, St. Louis, MO(http://www.journeyon.net)is one of these churches.Lead Pastor Darrin Patrickhas built the Journey arounda simple principle: “Churchis not something we ‘do.’Church is something weare.” That vision shapes aperspective on generositythat is both liberating and

challenging. Campus Pastor Joel Lindsey says itwell: “In trying to encourage generosity, the realmessage is, ‘We don’t just want you to write acheck. We want you to know Jesus more.’”

Other leading churches have a similar take on thelanguage of generosity:

• University United Methodist Church, SanAntonio, TX (www.uchurch.tv), bases itsgenerosity language around the church’score message, as well. Directing PastorCharles Anderson says, “We have a sayingin our church; ‘Look to Jesus that we mightlook like Jesus.’ That easily translates into a very simple generosity message: “GiveLike Jesus.”

• LifeBridge Christian Church, Longmont,CO (www.lbcc.org), organizes all itswork—including generosity—around threebasics: “Discover grace, grow in grace and live gracefully.” The formula naturallysupports their teaching and practice of generosity.

While each church’swords are different, all establish a broaddefinition of generosity.Their language ispositive, God-centeredand connected to thechurch’s overall values.You won’t find generouschurches attempting to“guilt” their membersinto giving or urging thecongregation to givebecause “We need topay some bills.” Theyreinforce that givingflows out of commit-ment, not the other way around.

A culture of generosity may be guided by a strongvision, but for that vision to take hold, much moreis needed. Especially during times of hardship.

Dave Travis, managing director for LeadershipNetwork (www.leadnet.org) explains it this way:“People want to see their giving connect with realpeople and real needs. The more tangible theresults, the better.”

Sometimes, a need can be so compelling that acongregation will respond almost immediately.Asbury United Methodist Church, Tulsa, OK(www.asburytulsa.org), has experienced just sucha case. Their staff once wanted to raise money topurchase Bibles for children in the PersecutedChurch. The fit seemed perfect. After all, Asbury’sDNA is built on a deep reverence for Scripture, anemphasis on children and a heart for missions.Rather than assembling a committee, developinga new program or launching a fundraising drive,the staff settled on a much simpler, almostminimalistic strategy. They dedicated just five

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LEADERS AT TRULY

GENEROUS

CHURCHES KNOW

THAT CREATING A

CULTURE OF

GENEROSITY

REALLY ISN’T

ABOUT MONEY.

YOU WON’T FIND

GENEROUS CHURCHES

ATTEMPTING TO

“GUILT” THEIR

MEMBERS INTO

GIVING OR URGING

THE CONGREGATION

TO GIVE BECAUSE

“WE NEED TO PAY

SOME BILLS.”

minutes in one worship service to share the need.The straightforward pitch essentially asked twoquestions:

“Can you imagine what your life would belike if you didn’t have a Bible?”

“Can you imagine how these children’s liveswould be enriched if they had Bibles?

That simple message instantly resonated with thecongregation. In five minutes, the congregationlearned enough to know that their giving couldmake a real difference. The result? The offeringproduced special gifts of $25,000 for thePersecuted Church. That’s a testament to both thechurch’s generosity and the power of acompelling message.

Keep It PersonalWhile “official” church communications areimportant in building a culture of generosity,personal relationships can play an even bigger role.

In the context of a true generosity initiative,relationship-building is not a tactic or ploy. It is,rather, a natural outgrowth of the church’scommitment to serving in love. Relationships affirmthe principle that giving is a matter of the heart.

Michael Miller, Director of Maximum Impact at NorthRidge Church, Detroit, MI(http://northridgechurch.com), stresses thisimportant building block: “Before we think aboutthe big things, we need to think about the littlethings—relationships. It’s up to us to win the rightto make the ask. At NorthRidge, our senior pastorBrad Powell understands this. He invites twelveleader/influencer/capacity guys to join him in aten week small group commits once a year. toget twelve of our biggest donors together. Not toask for anything—just to get them in the room.And God takes it from there.”

Joel Lindsey of The Journey, says it this way: “We’rea very young congregation. Sometimes, words like‘stewardship’ and ‘tithe’ just get in the way of anauthentic connection. When I sit down with ayoung couple to talk about generosity, those wordsoften don’t resonate. What does resonate is the fact

that we can talk about generosity as a natural partof our response to Jesus.”

Christopher Willard, director of LeadershipNetwork’s Generous Churches LeadershipCommunity, cites another reason relationships areso important: “High-wealth people often havehuge problems. Everybody they know wantssomething from them. In many cases, they need apastor more than they need a development officer.”

Ken Williams, Executive Pastor at WoodsEdgeCommunity Church, Spring, TX(www.woodsedge.org), adds that relationships aretwo-way conversations—not one-way salespitches. And sometimes, listening is moreimportant than talking.

Ken tells the story of one WoodsEdge memberwho owns a manufacturing company thatemploys a number of church members. As thelocal economy slowed, his business was soonsuffering. In conversation, Ken learned that theowner was more concerned about how he wouldpay his brothers and sisters in Christ than abouthis own paycheck. That added sense ofresponsibility only deepened his anxiety. In asense, this member was already being generous—and the church’s most important task was now tohelp him gain peace with circumstances thatwere out of his control.

Ken recalls a similar conversation with anapparently successful real estate agent in theircongregation. “I learned that while, yes, he hadbeen quite successful, he actually hadn’t soldanything in a year. That reality directly impactedhis ability to give, if not his heart for giving. If wedidn’t have an open and honest relationship thatallowed this kind of sharing, I probably wouldhave been encouraging him in entirely the wrong way.”

Build the StrategyGenerous churches also place a premium oncreative strategies, tools and resources to spreadthe message of giving. And they make certaintheir generosity goals are actually filteringthrough to the congregation.

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Asbury United Methodist Church, for example,builds its ministry around eight core objectives:

1. Every member confessing Jesus Christ asLord.

2. Every member living to love, seek and savethe lost through Christ.

3. Every member worshiping God, corporatelyand privately.

4. Every member participating in a small groupChristian community.

5. Every member developing a Biblicalworldview by learning and applying God’sWord.

6. Every member bringing the tithe (one-tenth)in loving obedience to God’s graciousprovision.

7. Every member devoted to prayer.

8. Every member discovering and usingspiritual gifts for ministry and mission.

Over time, the church had developed significantaction plans for seven of the objectives. Onlynumber 6—the giving objective—was without aspecific plan. When Asbury’s leaders realizedthis, they got busy. One step was to give moreemphasis to Financial Peace University. Thechurch also hired Stewardship Pastor JimLenderman, with responsibility to make the givingobjective a reality. Jim is currently working onnew ways to incorporate stewardship intoAsbury’s educational programs. He also isinvestigating the idea of a discovery ministry,where people can explore local opportunities to “get their hands dirty” and find how their time, their talents and their treasure can best beput to use.

WoodsEdge Community Church faced a slightlydifferent problem. The church has long had a hostof tools and resources to encourage generousliving. Unfortunately, Executive Pastor KenWilliams realized the congregation was unawareof all that was available. “Unless someone hadneeded and sought out a certain kind of supportin the past, it became pretty obvious that they hadno idea of what our church offered. With the

economic downturn deepening, I knew we neededto be more proactive in getting the word out.”

So WoodsEdge’s communications team puttogether a colorful brochure outlining thechurch’s five basic financial ministries:

1. Financial Courses

2. Financial Advisers

3. Small Group Curriculum

4. Financial Assistance

5. Employment Assistance

But WoodsEdge did more than produce abrochure. They aggressively distributed it—mostnotably, putting a copy on every seat in theworship center one Sunday morning.

The eight-page brochure answered the members’most likely questions about each resource. Thegoal was to overcome whatever barriers mightkeep someone from saying “yes” to the verysolution or opportunity they needed.

The “Financial Advisers” section of the brochureis a good example. Financial advisors occupy aposition very much like that of marriagecounselors. Some have professional experiencewhile others have training through variousChristian stewardship ministries. Some advisershave very technical skills to meet the specific

5

WoodsEdge financial advisor brochure

client’s needs—whether estate planning,retirement planning, college funding or debtreduction. But personal chemistry is equallyimportant. The client must be comfortable enoughto share very personal, even private informationwith the adviser. There must be complete trustbetween counselor and counselee.

That’s why the WoodsEdge brochure describeseach financial counselor’s education, expertiseand background in detail. Each bio even includesa color photo. The intent is to help people identifythe professional with whom they will feel mostcomfortable. A 60-year old almost-retired manmight prefer working with someone in a similarlife situation. A 35-year old up-and-comingfemale entrepreneur might be more comfortablewith a very different kind of professional. Thebrochure did some of the qualifying work to helppeople make the right choice.

fåëéáêÉ=ïáíÜ=píçêáÉë

All churches that are developing a culture ofgenerosity during tough times have found thatstorytelling is central to their success. Storiesbring concepts to life, engage people’s interestand inspire action.

Jim Kuykendall, seniorassociate pastor at CrossTimbers, says, “As we tellstories in our church, we wantto present once-broken peoplewho have been dramaticallychanged by an encounter withGod. After all, that describesevery one of us. The stories tellof a very big God and,hopefully, make people want

to be part of a church that is truly servingHim.” Most of the stories originate, inone way or another, through theministries Cross Timbers sponsors—including Celebrate Recovery and theHealing Place (which offers professionalChristian counseling and support groups for children, adolescents, adultsand families).

One key to Cross Timbers’ culture is the honestyand vulnerability of its lead pastor, Toby Slough.Julie Kovac, director of Finance at Cross Timbers,says, “Toby really sets the model. Nearly everyweek, he gets up there and says, ‘I’m a mess.’Then he tells how he’s growing through it. Thatkind of openness makes it okay for other peopleto tell about their junk, as well.”

Joel Lindsey of The Journey explains anotheraspect of the storytelling process: “Generositystories are often deeply personal, especially to theone being helped. Some facts and failings areinappropriate to share at a mass level. It’s crucialthat the church respect confidentially. One way toaccomplish this is through a focus on the one being generous rather than the person being helped.”

Charles Stinson, lay leader at Asbury UnitedMethodist Church, takes this a step further. “Thepoint isn’t just to talk about someone else’sgenerosity. It’s to demonstrate the generosity ofour own church members. That just makes thestory so much more real, so much more inspiringand so much more effective.”

Asbury, for example, has an active group ofhearing-impaired members. While their faith iscontagious, communication with other membersof the congregation is difficult. But a recent storyhelped bring both hearing and hearing-impairedmembers together. It was the story of a missiontrip the deaf congregants organized and took toassist a hearing-impaired congregation in Mexicothat had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina.The entire congregation saw—and heard—aboutlove in action, about pushing past limitations,and about the church being the church. And that’sa message that everyone could understand

Lights, Camera, Action!Generous churches almost always tap into thepower of video as they tell stories.

Storytelling videos are a part of the worshipexperience at almost every highly generouschurch. While not specifically a generosityinitiative, some of these stories have a direct“give” message. And cumulatively, all are calling

6

TOBY SLOUGH

the congregation to a higher standard of serviceand generosity.

And it’s not just the biggest churches that areusing video. The Journey—whose weekendattendance of 2,300 is just over half that of CrossTimbers—also has taken the leap. They recentlyinvested in the technology required to producereasonably high-quality videos sufficient for their purposes.

The attitude of the leadership at Asbury is typicalof many highly generous churches. A churchconsultant recently recommended that Asburymove to a 52-weeks-a-year video storytellingprogram. While Asbury’s leaders aren’t certainthat’s the right level for them, they are certainthey need to ramp up. “At some point, we willhave to fund a full-time team to produce ourvideos,” says Jim Lenderman. “We’re going tohave to bite the bullet. It’s that important.”

For maximum penetration, however, storytellingcan’t be confined to video or any other singlemedium.

Jim Lenderman of Asbury gives one reason: “If weshow a video clip or have a personal testimonyduring a single worship service, what good doesthat do for a member who wasn’t at that service?”

“An example from our own church illustrates thepoint. One Super Bowl Sunday, we shared withthe congregation the amazing results of a special

offering we had just collected. Thanks to ourmembers’ generosity, Asbury had been able toprovide five months of the food needed by ourlocal Restore Hope ministry. To put it anotherway: our members donated enough to cover theministry’s entire food distribution program foralmost half of the coming year. But because wepresented the story in worship on Super BowlSunday, a good number of members missed thatblessing. We could have done so much more—and brought so many more members into thisinspiring celebration. What if we had a videocrew filming the food being dropped off and putthat video on our web site? We’ll know betternext time.”

There’s another reason a good story shouldn’t justbe told once. Any schoolteacher can tell you thatstudents—whether young or old—listen and learndifferently. Some by seeing, some by reading, andalmost everyone by experiencing.

Generous churches understand this principle and,therefore, use multiple media channels—whatever channels fit their individual culture. AtAsbury, a growingcollection of videotestimonials is nowarchived on the church’sweb site in a sectioncalled “My Story.” Otherstories are included in thechurch’s monthly printmagazine, Tidings,” acopy of which is mailed to each household in the church. Tidings is also distributed throughracks conveniently placedoutside the sanctuary. Andan electronic version(utilizing the latest inpage-turning technology) appears on the church’sweb site.

Charles Stinson adds another thought. “Whenstories are really inspiring, another channel justnaturally evolves. Members of the congregationbegin telling the stories to their friends, family,neighbors and work associates. The stories takeon a life of their own.”

7

Story telling videos are a part of the worship experience atalmost every highly generous church.

Cover of Tidings Magazine

What other communication methods do generouschurches use to spread generosity stories andmessages? Again, it depends partly on the cultureand capabilities of the church.

Michael Miller at NorthRidge is looking at theirsmall group network as a possible conduit forgenerosity messages. After all, the church hasnearly 4,300 people in small groups. One ofMichael’s goals is to “normalize generosity,” tomake it part of the natural fabric of the church.And small groups are the perfect way to do that.That’s where members “do life together.” Soworking generosity into the framework of thoserelationships is a natural.

Like other generous churches, NorthRidge alsoencourages online giving. But a special section ofthe NorthRidge web site goes even deeper—withan explanation of the church’s “MaximumImpact” philosophy and listings of opportunitiesthat will help members begin to transform theirlives for greater generosity.

CelebrateCreating a culture of generosity isn’t completewithout celebration. Generous churches reportthat celebration brings excitement and enhances

community. It reinforces ashared culture. Acongregation thatcelebrates generosity movesfrom watching someoneelse’s story to togethermaking its own. And in a time of economicdownturn—when goodnews sometimes seemssofar away—celebration can provide a much-neededspark.

Michael Miller atNorthridge expresses onechallenge on the

celebration side. “While celebration is crucial,we don’t want to pat ourselves on the back toomuch. The key is to keep the focus on the story,not on ‘us’—or to put it another way, to focus on

the fruit that will come out of our giving—not onhow wonderful we are for the act of giving.”

_É= ^ÅÅçìåí~ÄäÉÔ_Éqê~åëé~êÉåíPastors and leaders whowant their congregations tobe generous must mirrorgenerosity at a church level.This is, in part, simply amatter of doing the rightthing. After all, Jesus calledus to be good and faithfulstewards. But it’s also a keyto building a culture of generosity,particularly in difficulteconomic times.

According to Rick Rusaw of LifeBridge ChristianChurch, “People are going to be watching howthe church spends its money in the coming days.Families and individuals are tightening theirpersonal belts. And they need to know that as achurch, we are too. Why should they sacrifice forthe church if the church isn’t sacrificing as well?”

At Cross Timbers, financial accountability takesseveral forms. Julie Kovac, Director of Finance,lists several:

• Tracking. Giving per attendee statistics aremonitored for each campus to uncover anychanges, up or down.

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A CONGREGATION

THAT CELEBRATES

GENEROSITY

MOVES FROM

WATCHING

SOMEONE ELSE’S

STORY TO

TOGETHER MAKING

ITS OWN.

Generous Churches report that celebration brings excitementand enhances community.

FAMILIES AND

INDIVIDUALS ARE

TIGHTENING THEIR

PERSONAL BELTS.

AND THEY NEED

TO KNOW THAT

AS A CHURCH, WE

ARE TOO.

9

In his regular “Encourager” e-newsletter, Directing Pastor Charles Anderson of University UnitedMethodist Church perfectly captured the spirit of celebration through a message that was personal,powerful and connected the giving to the church's larger vision:

“As I write this letter to you on the afternoon of March 10, I can only praise God and thankyou for what has happened in our church during the last four weeks.

Just four Sundays ago, at the conclusion of our first-ever Global Impact Celebration, youstepped forward and volunteered just under $308,000 in Faith Promises for the remainderof 2009 — an amount equivalent to nearly 5% of this year’s Operating Budget. Familiesand individuals of all ages and stages dedicated themselves to second-mile giving to causesbeyond the walls of this church. Simply amazing and totally inspiring.

Then, in worship on March 1, our church officers clearly set out the challenge of retainingour church staff during a time of national financial contraction. Our personnel and financeleaders asked you to pray and seek God's guidance. They set a deadline of today — March10 — for your action.

This afternoon, March 10, the Finance Office reported the following:

New/increased pledges = $151,945.00

Cash collected = $187,318.51

Total = $339,263.51!

Way to go, church!

Our Finance Director, Debbie Vignes, wrote me: “Truly amazing. Never before have I seenChrist working so powerfully in lives of the members in this congregation. It isindescribable the humbleness I have felt in listening to the conversations with manymembers this week.”

We've had a UTSA college student giving from her college fund, because of what thischurch has done for her.

We've had a 10-year old give $11.25 — every dime she has — in response.

We've heard miracle stories of anonymous gifts, land transactions, business deals, andestates settlements miraculously coming through for folks, empowering them to give specialgifts at this special time.

Way to go, church! Do you realize that, in a time of economic upheaval that’sunprecedented for most people, you have come up with nearly $647,000.00 in newministry resources in one month? Just think of the people that you have affected - not onlythe staff people and missionaries whose jobs you have preserved, but also the countlesspeople they will reach for Jesus. Truly, this past month has confirmed everything good,right, and true that I knew and thought about this congregation.

God is good…all the time, and especially right now!”

• Reserve fund. Cross Timbers maintainssubstantial liquidity, for both current andunexpected expenses. At any given time, thechurch may have upwards of $2 million inthe bank.

• Contingency plans. When the economyshowed early signs of trouble—even beforethe church’s giving dipped—Cross Timbersprepared emergency plans that would beready, if needed.

• “Family” meetings. In congregationalmeetings, the staff reassures people that thechurch is keeping a close eye on its financesand will make whatever changes prove to benecessary.

• Web-based information. The church’s Website invites visitors to request a copy of thechurch’s audit or call for more information atany time.

Asbury has also found that financial transparencyand accountability builds trust. In Asbury’s case,this starts with strong financial leaders who bringto the church the same financial controls bywhich they manage successful for-profitenterprises. Asbury’s last two controllers havebeen CPAs. And the church’s finance committeeisn’t just composed of willing volunteers, butrather of truly skilled business professionals whohave experience building and managing financialcomplex financial systems.

Executive Director Dwight Yoder reports that allthe church’s finances are fully audited eachyear—a $20,000 per year investment but one thatDwight says is more than worth it, for bothpractical and psychological purposes.

And when people do see that you are being wisewith their money? Well, great things can happen.Dwight recalls receiving a call sometime backfrom one member. He had been blessedfinancially, was interested in giving more and setup a meeting with Dwight to ask a simplequestion, “If I gave X amount to this church,where would it go? What would you do with it?”Dwight proceeded to outline the purposes towhich the money might be put and the financial

controls that would ensure his money would bewell spent.

The member was so impressed—and so excited—that he ended up giving twice the amount heoriginally had in mind.

Dwight is willing to be so transparent aboutAsbury’s finances for one simple reason: “Themoney, after all, belongs to God, not the staff.”

Charles Stinson, lay leader at Asbury, says, “Thattype of transparency builds trust, and trustencourages personal generosity. Actually, thesedifficult times bring a huge opportunity for manymembers in our church. Because we arereasonably stable in what has become anunstable economy, we’re thinking more and moreabout how to live and give.”

University United Methodist Church recently tooktheir financial openness to a new level, with somequite astounding results. As the economy sliddeeper into recession and giving fell accordingly,Directing Pastor Charles Anderson and his staffconcluded that without changes, they would haveto make significant cuts in the church’s budget,including staff reductions and pay cuts.

In one memorable Sunday worship service,Anderson and other church officers informed thecongregation of the cutbacks that would benecessary if giving levels did not increase—full-time clergy salaries reduced by 16.7% and overallstaff budget by 11%. The candor was not a ploy,but rather an honest admission of the realityfacing the church. Personnel and finance leadershumbly asked the congregation to pray and seekGod’s guidance.

The response was immediate and overwhelming.Within 10 days, University’s people gavesubstantially more than the minimumrequired to avoid the painful cuts. Just asthe church had shown its commitment togood stewardship, the people showed thatthey too were willing to make whateversacrifices were necessary to continue thechurch’s great work.

10

RICK RUSAW

Perhaps no example of financial transparency andtrust goes further than that of a pilot programlaunched by LifeBridge Christian Church with ahandful of their small groups.

Pastor Rick Rusaw is known for being bold,especially when it comes to the church’s externalservice. That boldness extends to the generosityarena in the form of the church’s “50-50program.” The idea is as simple as it isrevolutionary. Participating small groups get todecide how 50% of their contributions to thechurch are spent.

LifeBridge has long had a large benevolence andmission budget, including all sorts of systems fordeciding the allocation of those funds. The 50-50program seeks to give the church’s small groupsmore say in the process.

The church office tracks the contributions ofparticipating small groups over a period of time.Fifty percent of those funds are managed asalways. But at the end of each accounting period,the church reports to the group the cumulativeamount of their contributions and invites them todecide how to disburse 50% of those funds. Inother words, rather than the church identifyingthe missions and benevolences to be helped, themembers make those decisions directly.

The 50-50 program brings the money closer to theneeds that are personally known to the group.Perhaps a co-worker needs help with a medicalbill or childcare expenses. Maybe a single motherin a member’s neighborhood needs a car for basictransportation. The group can decide how themoney would best be put to use.

By moving some authority directly to themembers, the 50-50 program encourages real anddirect generosity and aid becomes moredecentralized. Sometimes, the groups literallywrite a check to address an immediate need andthen get reimbursement from the church after thefact. Other times, they ask the church to make adisbursement. Whatever the situation requires,the group has the authority to act.

While LifeBridge wisely began the 50-50 programon a pilot basis with just a handful of small

groups, after just six months Pastor Rick Rusawdecided to take it church wide. As the initiativeexpands, expectations are that the benefits will beeven more dramatic—and not just financially.Individuals, neighborhoods and entirecommunities will see in a very direct way howdeeply LifeBridge cares and loves.

`êÉ~íÉ=_áÖ=lééçêíìåáíáÉëToo often, a church’s members livesolo lives. They are connected tothe Lord and to each other throughtheir membership in the church but do not truly share a unifyingpurpose in their daily lives.

Churches that are developing aculture of generosity, especially indown economic times, are workingto change this pattern. Central totheir culture is not only a sharedvision and a sense of accountabilitybut also a sense of shared mission.Many of these churches have foundthat when they create a large-scaleopportunity—when they go big—thecongregation can be drawn together in waysnever previously thought possible. They seemiracle upon miracle, in generous giving and inchanged hearts. And that attitude then carriesover to the members’ individual lives.

“Going big” means different things in differentchurches.

Go Big on TeachingAt Asbury United Methodist Church, Pastor TomHarrison built one sermon series around AndyStanley’s book, Fields of Gold. But he didn’t wantthe congregation to simply listen to his summaryof the book’s teaching on generosity. He wantedas many members as possible to be personallyinvolved with the content. So, instead of merelyencouraging members to buy a copy, Tominformed the congregation that Asbury wouldgive a copy to anyone—and everyone—whowould commit to read the book in the weekbefore his first sermon. The response wasoverwhelming: some 2800 individuals made the

11

Fields of Gold by AndyStanley

commitment and received a copy of the book. Itwas a tremendous investment on Asbury’s part—but an even bigger statement. The book-buygenerated much conversation both inside andoutside the church, even as the generosityteaching took hold.

Go Big with Symbolism Sometimes, a big idea can be expressed through avery small, even symbolic step. One Sunday morning at The Journey, attendeeswere asked to write down all the importantpossessions they own (house, car, bank account,clothing, phones, etc.) and then put that paper inthe offering plate. Inherent in this exercise is amessage that is as profound as it is simple. If Godis the true owner of everything, we need to giveall our stuff to him. Generosity isn’t necessarily amatter of writing a check, it’s using what wehave—time, talent and treasure—for Hispurposes, not ours.

Subtle changes in a church’s normal patterns can

also be symbolic. Pastor Jeff Wells at WoodsEdgeCommunity Church, for example, normally usesan expository teaching style. When he breaksfrom that pattern, the congregation automaticallyknows something special is going on. Duringdifficult economic times, Jeff may do a standalonemessage on courageous faith in the midst offinancial challenges. The members automaticallyknow this is big—big enough that they shouldgive extra consideration to Jeff’s words. Cross Timbers provides another example. On one

memorable Sunday, Toby introduced the offeringwith a rather unusual message: “As a staff, wetake your trust very seriously. We know peopleare struggling. And I want you to know that weare here for you. In fact, if you have a financialneed this morning, I encourage you to takemoney out of the plate rather than put money in.And I mean it.” Far from sparking a dangerous dip into thechurch’s finances, Toby’smessage was an incredibleboost to the church’s generousspirit. Two weeks later, CrossTimbers took in the largestoffering they had collected allyear.

But receiving the offering wasonly a start. Cross Timbersused some of the extra moneythat came in to purchase $5000 worth of $50 giftcards, which were then distributed with love andsensitivity. At the close of a worship service, thosein need were invited to come forward for prayer.As the prayer time concluded, the folks who hadcome forward were told that because thechurch—their church—had been so generous,each of them would receive a special gift card.The recipients were blessed in a very tangibleway, but every person in attendance saw apowerful example of the good that theirgenerosity accomplished.

Go Big by Being DistinctiveHaving established that a truly generous cultureis about more than money, the next question isobvious. What makes the church distinct fromany other group? After all, there are plenty ofhelping agencies out there. How can the churchbe the church when it comes to giving? What’sdifferent and special about the church?

Steve McCarthy, site pastor with LifeBridgeChristian Church, gives an indication of how hischurch answers these questions.

In the face of mounting local unemployment,LifeBridge wanted to do something that wouldhelp those who had lost jobs. Perhaps throughsome sort of job assistance program. Perhaps

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Cross Timbers encouraged members in need to take money outof the offering plate during a memorable service.

Cross Timbers handed out$5000 worth of $50 gift

cards.

through financial counseling. The challenge?There are lots of personnel agencies and financialplanners out there.

Steve and other leaders at LifeBridge began to askthe crucial question: How could the church offerdistinctive help—deeper, more meaningful, morespiritually based than other programs? After all, ajob is a job. Could the church add to the efforts ofthose other organizations—or would they merelybe duplicating the work of other more qualifiedhelping agencies?

Today, the church is answering those questionswith a multifaceted program that goes beyondfinancial and vocational assistance. In theLifeBridge program, expert coaches—lawyers,financial planners, real estate experts andcounselors—do more than provide solidprofessional advice for those who have lost a job.They also bring prayer, encouragement, supportand accountability into the mix. As Steve puts it:”If you’re struggling, these folks can help.”

The counselors are always kind, but also directwhere they need to be “You’re going to call themortgage company on Tuesday? Let’s get togetherand pray on Monday night.“ The churchassistance team can provide some practicaladvice and emotional support for those who havenever before faced hard times before.

Steve recalls just one example. A member hadbeen out of work for a year, resulting in enormousfinancial problems and debt. Through theencouragement of a LifeBridge coach, he starteda conversation with his mortgage company—carefully explaining his situation and expressinga desire to bring his loan current. The lenderresponded favorably to his honesty andconscientiousness—soon offering to restructurehis loan to create a new, more manageablepayment plan. A small thing? Not for this family.Thanks to LifeBridge’s involvement, the familywas able to overcome embarrassment, takeinitiative, be proactive and move toward a muchmore stable future.

Go Big with QuestionsSometimes, the big idea comes from asking a verydirect question. Take the special offering for

missionaries University United Methodistconducted at the end of a weekend-long GlobalImpact Celebration. For two days, members had achance to meet the church’s missionaries, heartheir stories and be introduced the excitingopportunities on their horizon.

On the final Sunday, Charles put the challenge tohis congregation this way:

“What would you give to this mission if youknew God would not let it fail?”

The congregation answered in a big, big way—stepping up with over $300,000 in Faith Promises.

Go Big with Creative Community ServiceAt LifeBridge Christian Church, an external focusis central to their DNA. And partnerships are a

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LifeBridge Christian Church Fast Food Drive menu.

common strategy. That’s why when the churchlaunched its “Fast for Food” drive, they worked incooperation with local agencies that couldmultiply the impact of their dollars.

The idea was simple. Over a four-week period,members were encouraged to give up a meal ortwo and donate that money to the Fast for Fooddrive. The dollars would then be funneled througha local non-profit that could use its buying power to leverage and multiply the impact ofthose dollars.

Steve explains one fundamental thought behindthe effort. “People feel paralyzed during trulydifficult financial times. Those with needs don’tknow where to turn. And those who could helpdon’t know how to start or believe that the littlethey could do won’t matter. In Fast for Food, oneof our goals was to say to our folks, “Here’ssomething you can help with. Even without a tonof sacrifice. If we all just transfer a little of whatyou have, let’s see what we can do together.”

Members were encouraged to think creatively fromtheir own life. What could they give up? Whatcould they give? Fast for Food sparked all sorts ofconversations within the church and withinindividual families. Conversations that raisedawareness, brought parents and children togetherand gave them an outlet for inventive giving.

Drawing from Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 6 that“When you fast, do not look somber as thehypocrites do…,” the Fast for Food program alsowas intentionally designed to demonstrate the joyof giving. In fact, every aspect of the program tookon a fun tone. For example, LifeBridge printed a“kids menu”—letting the little ones see how themoney they might spend on even a single slice ofpizza could purchase multiple meals under Fastfor Food. The church’s senior leadership alsoallowed time for families to discuss during theworship service what they might want to give up.And they passed out unused fast food sacks andboxes that participants could use for their sparechange throughout the week.

In the final week, Fast for Food became Food forFood. Approximately ten local restaurants agreed

to donate 10% of the proceeds from all foodpurchases by LifeBridge members. Again, the daywas a joyous one as members met for a meal,shared the stories with other friends and watchedthe dollars mount up.

Stories of how various families respondedabound:• One family ate peanut butter and jelly

sandwiches instead of having a weekly pizzanight, as had been their custom.

• Another family’s school-aged childrendecided that instead of purchasing pizza,hamburgers, chicken nuggets, etc. in theschool cafeteria once a week, they wouldmake their own lunch and donate the $2 or$3 they saved to Fast for Food.

• A family that had a pattern of eating outalmost every day decided to eat in for anentire month. They saved and gave $1000 toFast for Food—and made a fundamentalchange in their dining habits.

On the final Sunday, LifeBridge members droppedall the coins and bills they had saved in a bigglass aquarium at the church. It was notuncommon to see children emptying their piggybanks with a big smile on their face.

The financial results were just as impressive as thespiritual results. The church’s original goal hadbeen $25,000. By the time they actually launchedFast for Food, they had upped the goal to$36,000. But when all was said and done, wellover $42,000 was raised—almost 70% above theoriginal goal. And the church’s regular giving wasup too. There were even positive lifestylechanges; one member reported that he lost tenpounds during the month—because he wasn’teating his usual junk food diet!

qÜÉ=cìíìêÉ=çÑ=dÉåÉêçëáíóEven as difficult financial times cause somechurches to retrench and get overly cautious,generous churches tack against the wind—searching for new and bigger ways to respond inlove and generosity.

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Perhaps the greatest excitement comes as achurch’s members adopt a true personal lifestyleof generosity—giving through their living. Arecently launched initiative at LifeBridgeillustrates the point. LifeBridge is now offering joband life training for single mothers. By providinghelp on budgeting, parenting, discipline,forgiveness, communication and other essentialskills, the effort is making a real difference in thelives of young and often vulnerable mothers. But,interestingly, this much needed initiative was notpart of some long-range strategic plan hatched bythe church’s staff. Rather, it grew organicallywhen some of LifeBridge’s high-capacity giversgot involved with a group of single moms. Therelationship between those with substantialmeans and those with substantial needs changedeverything. As the members saw firsthand thedepth of the challenges the young mothers faced,they wanted to do more. Their solution was tocreate—and fund—a more organized assistance

program.

That’s generous giving—and generous living.

As Pastor Rick Rusaw putsit, “Getting people intoexperiences, getting themengaged in other people’slives is the springboard. Ifwe only define generosityas dollars, we’ve missed the

point. Generosity has to do with life. We’re excited

about the money that has been provided to fundthis program. We’re even more excited about thelife changes in both the donors’ and the recipients’hearts.”

Buoyed by the inspiring results to date, theleaders at generous churches will continue to askquestions, dream and innovate. Ken Williams atWoodsEdge Community Church exemplifies thekind of innovative thinking that is so common inthese churches:

“As we encourage our congregation to giveboldly, maybe we should be thinking evenbigger as a church. For example, could wepromise our congregation that if they titheand lose their job, we’ll take care of them?Is there a way we could build somethinglike that into our plan? That could beespecially valuable in a down economy.

“Or maybe we could say, ‘If you tithe anddon’t like the results, we’ll give you yourmoney back.’”

Those ideas may or may not be part of the future,but with that kind of bold thinking, WoodsEdgeand other churches like it will continue their pushtoward an even stronger culture of generosity. Aculture that never asks how to get people to givemore, but rather how to get people to love Godmore – especially in tough economic times.

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IF WE ONLY DEFINE

GENEROSITY AS

DOLLARS, WE'VE

MISSED THE POINT.

GENEROSITY HAS

TO DO WITH LIFE.

16

Rick Long is the president of Tulsa-basedSOURCEmpi (www.source-mpi.com), astrategic communications firm he founded 20years ago. SOURCEmpi provides marketing,publication and interactive services forleading corporations, associations and non-profits, including Leadership Network. Alicensed attorney, Rick is an elder at Kirk ofthe Hills, Presbyterian in Tulsa.

Leadership Network welcomes your response.The primary writer is Rick Long. Editorialadvisors were Chris Willard, Director ofGenerous Churches Leadership Communitiesfor Leadership Network and Warren Bird,Director of Research and Intellectual CapitalSupport for Leadership Network. Contactthem via Diana.Jones@leadnet.org

© 2009 Leadership Network (http://www.leadnet.org)

Want to find more resources like this one? For the mostcurrent listing of free and purchasable resources, someof which are distributed solely through LeadershipNetwork, go to http://www.leadnet.org/papers (alternate:http://www.leadnet.org, then select “resources” then“downloads”) or call toll-free 800-765-5323 or 214-969-5950 outside the U.S. and Canada.

Leadership Network’s mission is to identify, connectand help high-capacity Christian leaders multiply theirimpact.

* Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken fromthe NIV translation.

CHRIS WILLARD

RICK LONG

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RESOURCES FROM LEADERSHIP NETWORK

GENEROUS CHURCHES CONCEPT PAPERS

CREATING A CULTURE OF BALANCE: A MANDATE FOR NEXT GENERATION PASTORS This concept paper exposes many of the stresses and struggles that next generation pastors-senior pastors in their 20sand 30s who are growing in influence and impact-are dealing with, and opens conversations to creating a balancebetween the demands of a busy schedule, a growing congregation and maintaining spiritual vitality.

COMMUNICATING WITH THE POSTMODERN CULTURE: AUTHENTICITY AND TRUTH “Wow is out; real is in.” Next Generation pastors have observed a significant shift in the culture. Pastor Toby Sloughobserves, “If we’ll invest the time and effort we used to spend in ‘Wow!’ and put those resources into authenticity,people will come in droves, and they’ll respond to even the most demanding truths in the Scriptures.”

PODCASTS

LEADERSHIP LONELINESS: HOW PASTORS DEAL WITH TIMES THEY FEEL ALL ALONE Loneliness is a painful and familiar emotion that many pastors experience. Dr. Sam Chand’s unique position as aconsultant to pastors has allowed him to have several authentic conversations about lonely times leaders have gonethrough and how they have dealt with those feelings. He explains where different types of loneliness can comes from,what leaders should expect, and healthy coping mechanisms that can alleviate some of the loneliness they feel.LENGTH: 23:57

GROWING AS A LEADER BY INCREASING YOUR PAIN THRESHOLD: AN INTERVIEW WITH SAM CHAND All leaders experience pain, but healthy leaders find appropriate ways to increase their pain threshold. Doing so helpsthem grow as a leader to new levels, enabling them to take their churches and ministries to new levels as well. Failureto deal with their pain leads to a “leadership leprosy” in which they, like someone with leprosy, do harm to themselvesor those around them because of their inability to deal with pain. Author and pastoral consultant Sam Chand(http://www.samchand.com) offers many practical ideas in this fast-moving podcast.

BOOKS

More than 30 titles from the leading thinkers and practitioners in church ministry are available through the Jossey-Bassimprint series, and the Leadership Network Innovation Series with Zondervan. Books in each of these series illustrateeffective leadership in today’s changing cultural landscape, with the intention of reaching the growing numbers ofpeople who seek God but are yet to know God.

LIVING A LIFE ON LOAN: FINDING GRACE AT THE INTERSECTIONSBy Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson As a Christian, your life is no longer about you. It is allowing God to write his story through you and your story.

LEADERSHIP NETWORK ADVANCE E-NEWSLETTERLeadership Network Advance is an indispensable, twice-monthly, free email newsletter featuring the best in innovativechurch strategies. You’ll gain insights from the ministry pioneers who are setting the standard for tomorrow’s church.Each issue will also point you to resources, tools and events that will help you build a more effective ministry. For signup information: http://leadnet.org/epubs_signup.asp

LEADERSHIP NETWORK BLOGS Books @ Leadership Network — The place to talk about Leadership Network books. Learnings @ Leadership Network — First-hand reports of what innovative churches are doing!Digital @ Leadership Network — How technology relates to your innovative ministry.