Ministry and Money

Ministry and Money Part 2: Cultivating a Spirit of Giving

By Dan Reiland

Two guys were shipwrecked on a desert island. The first guy is freakin' out. He says: "It's bleak man, I mean this is bad. We have no food and we have no water. We're gonna die." The second guy is peaceful, at ease and completely tranquil. He cozies up under the shade of a palm tree to catch some Z's. This is driving the first guy nuts, so he turns and says: "How can you sit there so relaxed? Are you clueless? We have no water, we have no food, we have no shelter, we have no help and we have no hope - we are gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die." The second guy says: "You don't understand. I make $100,000 a week." He leaned back with his hands folded behind his head and attempts to go back to sleep. The first guy now fearful and ticked off says: "What difference does that make? Who cares how much you make? What good does your money do us now? You don't get it! We have no food, we have no water, we have no shelter, we are gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die." The second guy interrupted, "No YOU aren't getting it, I make $100,000 a week - and I tithe, my pastor WILL find me!" I don't know who wrote this story, but I think its great. It's funny because as far- fetched as it sounds the tiny morsel of truth makes it so funny.

Money is a "hot button" topic in the local church. This hot button is part of our human nature and gets pushed so easily in people because it's personal. As I said in Part 1; Why People Give - "Money always leads us to the real issues of the heart."

One of the reasons my mom didn't attend church for so many years is because when she was a young adult in Minneapolis, she missed church for several months because of illness, and never received a call. Then she got a letter in the mail saying it was time for financial pledges and they would send someone for a visit to discuss her commitment. That was the last draw for her; she was done with church. She said, "All they want is my money. That's all they care about."

It would be easy for pastors and church leaders to say something like, "your mom needed to be more mature about it. She needed to understand that while churches and people are imperfect, God's directive to be generous with personal finances for the sake of His Kingdom is His idea, and therefore should be followed." But the discerning leader knows better, and realizes that it is more complicated than an answer such as that.

It is true that there are immature and uncommitted people in the local church. But here is what I know. It doesn't solve the root of the issue for a leader to focus on that fact. We can complain all day long about those "stiff-necked" spiritually immature whiners. That never solves anything and in fact, redirects us from the right focus which is leading better. That is my goal for this article. I want to develop how we as church leaders can lead our people to a spirit of giving.

· Focus on how you can lead better rather than the shortcomings of the congregation.

I started to make the point that it is not helpful to focus on the flaws of the giver. Whether or not spiritual immaturity, consumerism, or poor money management is true isn't the issue. Leadership is the issue. I'm not picking on leaders. The point I want to make is that the solution to giving comes from becoming better leaders, not blaming the people.

A pastor said to me: "I don't know what more I can do. I have taught them what the Bible says for years. These people are just carnal." I was blunt with that pastor and told him though he never stood in the pulpit and said: "you are worthless, carnal people," his congregation felt it. There is a vibe that comes from a leader, and even if the people can't put their finger on it, they sense it and react. Or in this case, resist.

I am not excusing carnality. Again, I am focusing on the productive solution. You and I as church leaders must ask ourselves how we can communicate the truth of God's Word, as it relates to money, in such a way that the people are genuinely moved at a spirit level to give out of a generous heart.

This kind of leadership is not limited to the pulpit. On many occasions I have sat with people one on one or as a couple and discussed these very personal issues about money and giving. Every time, I tell them the church will survive quite well without their money, and it will, but it won't do so well without their full heart. And of course, we all know money follows the true passions of the heart. God doesn't need their money; he wants their heart.

· You must believe and practice generous giving yourself before anyone you lead will believe or practice it.

I'll be brief here because I assume you give financially from a generous heart yourself. Unfortunately, on more than one occasion, I have met a pastor or key board member who wasn't giving joyously. They were giving out of duty, at a nominal level, and of course had a list of "reasons" for this. There is no way God will bless that. It goes back to the vibe that people sense from you. This isn't leadership mumbo-jumbo. It is basic leadership fact. When the people are with you long enough they sense your heart. It has been said that your actions speak louder than your words. This is true. Your heart speaks louder than both because it literally shapes who you are as a person and a leader.

· Be careful about unintended training that creates dysfunctional giving in your church.

For too long leaders have taught Christians to be bill payers rather than become spirit-led givers. Many good church leaders fall prey to the pressure of financial demands and focus on short-term needs rather than the long term cultivation of a people with generous hearts.

For example, thousands of churches print in the bulletin that the weekly need is, (such as) $16,000.00 dollars. It is amazing how many of those churches never consistently or dramatically rise above the amount that is the declared budget. The people give to "meet budget" and pay the bills. They aren't giving because God is moving.

Another common scenario is when the pastor goes to the pulpit or lunch with key givers and declares an urgent need because the church has come under an immediate financial crunch. The need is usually met but the people are once again (unwittingly) taught to respond to short term crisis that originates from external sources, rather than to cultivate a heart that naturally gives from an overflow of love and gratitude and focuses on long term Kingdom results.

· Silence isn't the answer.

Because this is so complicated some church pastors opt for "turtle leadership." They pull their head back into the safety of their shell and hope that God does it by Himself or that some other leader helps makes it happen, (with God's help.) That's not the right approach. Many pastors take a Pilate sort of attitude, "I wash my hands of this." Some go so far as to say that the businessmen of the church should handle the money and the pastor should handle the "spiritual" things. Wow. This article would be 20 pages long if I unpacked the layers of problems with that statement. Money and spirituality are intensely interconnected.

Ask God for boldness and wisdom as you teach on giving and create an environment that cultivates a generous spirit. Speak up. Not every Sunday or at every lunch with a person who can leverage their financial blessings for the sake of the Kingdom, but speak up regularly. Make it part of common language. Money is part of life; treat it normally. Normalizing the connection between a believer, their money, and God's Kingdom work is vital.

· Focus on the heart, not the wallet.

I believe in and teach the concept of tithing. It's a good place to start. But I believe even more in a giving spirit. A spirit of giving is about lifestyle, loving God, and trust in His redemptive work among us. It's about gratitude and an acknowledgement that "life is bigger than me." A giving spirit is about generosity and paying attention to the needs around us. A giving spirit is about a people who recognize that God gave us all that we have and we are stewards of those gifts. A giving spirit understands that we must hold loosely to all that we have in order to bless others. A giving spirit embraces the truth that, like in the parable of the talents, we are held accountable to invest well for the sake of eternity. A giving spirit focuses more on what we have than what we don't have. A giving spirit is freed up from the compulsions of the world. A giving spirit sleeps well at night.

These kinds of thoughts encompass a lifetime of teaching, not a single sermon or two. These are the kinds of things to teach, model, and live in order to cultivate a giving spirit within your church. All are biblical, except perhaps for my last editorial comment about sleeping well at night. I may not be able to support that biblically, but I can experientially. I know many pastors that lay awake at night over financial concerns. My hope is the thoughts in this article, over the long haul, will help you rest well knowing God is at work helping you cultivate a giving spirit in your people.

This article is used by permission from Dr. Dan Reiland's free monthly e-newsletter 'The Pastor's Coach' available at www.INJOY.com.