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October 29, 2009

Should churches raise their expectations of member giving?

The new author (Greg Fox) of Donor Power Blog (formerly penned by Jeff Brooks) posted "DONOR" A Title Earned ... Not Given as a passionate appeal to organizations to reconsider what qualifies a donor to be a donor.

Here is his criteria for someone to be able to "rightfully" claim to be a donor:


  • Are among the 15% who give 85% of the revenue

  • Contribute 10% or more of their annual household income to only a few select charities

  • Demonstrated a sustained pattern of giving over three or more consecutive years

  • Give and who also advocate for your organization, or

  • Have a personal relationship to the charity

What comes to mind is the stream of conversation surrounding an increased level of expectation surrounding the expectations of church membership. I want to limit the scope of that conversation directly related to funding.

While I believe there is room to increase the giving expectations of those who sit in the pews, I'm not ready to discount anyone who is willing to contribute to funding the work of the Kingdom. What I do think there is room for is to segment a church's membership and begin to strategically move people toward a more Biblical practice of money management and stewardship.

Some will object to this idea saying that what a person gives is between the individual and God. I can certainly see where that objective comes from, but I think that perspective is dead wrong. Money is a spiritual issue, an outward sign of an inward commitment. Therefore, it fall under the "jurisdiction" of those charged with facilitating the spiritual growth of Christians, specifically pastors and church leaders.

Whatever your position is on the subject, I know we can agree that raising the expectations of church members in the area of giving, stewardship, and generosity, is part of the transformational process Paul so clearly articulated in Romans 12:1-2. If the church leader doesn't talk about money and raise the expectation of Christians to match a Biblical orientation toward money, then we have failed in our role as spiritual leaders.

Posted by bstroup at October 29, 2009 8:45 AM

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