As we approach the Easter season and a time when many churches rely on extra volunteers to help services and activities run smoothly, I’ve been challenging myself about a previously held opinion. I think lots of you probably have the same one.
I’ve long said that if we can get people in the door of the church, engaged and serving, then faithful giving will follow. Most pastors and church leaders would agree. Serving leads to giving, right?
Maybe not. While I’m not suggesting that’s wrong, I am suggesting that it’s time for us to challenge the idea. We know that it sometimes happens that way, but what if we tried something different? What if we developed people as givers first, and then we watched to see what happens to their willingness to serve?
When I do sermons on giving, what often happens is that someone comes up to me afterwards and says:
“Mr. Sheppard, that was a good sermon, and I appreciate it. You gave me a lot to think about, but why do you spend all your time talking about financial generosity? Aren’t there other kinds of generosity?”
The hard truth is that faithful givers don’t ask that question. Someone who asks that question is likely trying to leverage their serving and volunteering as reasons for why they are not giving, and they want me to bless that. While I don’t make such a blunt statement directly in response to the people who ask me this, this distinction matters for church leadership.
Instead, what I do say is that there are two main reasons why I focus so much on financial generosity:
First, it’s the only kind of generosity that Jesus really teaches about, and he says that it's a spiritual stronghold for us.
This truth shows up in two different places that are especially noteworthy, Luke 16 with the parable of the dishonest manager and in Matthew 6 with the Sermon on the Mount. These are two completely different stories and contexts, but Jesus makes exactly the same point, no matter which translation you’re reading: “You cannot serve two masters. You will hate one and love the other. Or you will love one and hate the other. You cannot serve God and money.” We have to pay attention when Jesus says something twice.
The second thing I tell people when they ask why I preach so much on financial generosity is that those who give generously of their money tend to also give generously of their time and talent through serving and volunteering.
The reverse is not true, and this reminds me of Matthew 6:21: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be, also.” In other words, if our money is there, our heart will be there. And if our heart is there, we will want to serve and volunteer.
These are not necessarily answers people want to hear. They really just want me to tell them that if they’re serving in the church, that’s all that matters. That somehow there is a monetary value assigned to their volunteering, and it’s fine if they aren’t giving if they are serving. But serving does not let them off the hook for giving financially.
On the other hand, giving doesn’t let people off the hook for serving. The reality is that some people would rather just write a check and be done with it. They don’t think they need to get involved if they are giving, and that viewpoint is equally incorrect.
Now, I know some of you might push back against this and say you’ve personally seen how serving leads to greater giving, because it strengthens people’s relationship with the church body. When they are more involved, they give more. But is this twisting why we’re called to give? If they are giving just because of increased engagement, they may not be giving from a place of worship and a true thankfulness to God.
What it really comes down to is that you need people who are giving AND serving.
We want people to give generously of their money, time and talent for the sake of their own hearts, not for the sake of the church. So, if we know that those who give generously financially first are also more likely to serve, then maybe that’s where we start. We develop our givers and help them grow spiritually, and then we tap into those faithful supporters to bring their time and talent to the church as well.
The Easter season is a great time to test this different theory and pay attention to what’s happening in the life of your church when it comes to the relationship between giving and serving. You’ll likely have a lot of feet on the ground serving, but just because it’s a busy time of year, don’t ignore the opportunity to develop giving as well.
If handled appropriately with thought and care, it could be one of the ripest times for growth in giving as an act of worship for what Jesus did at the cross for each and every one of us.
As always, feel free to reach out if you'd like to delve deeper into any topic. You can contact me via email at jim@generis.com.