On Monday, August 22nd, I will speaking at the IMPACT Annual Meeting 2022 in Marietta, GA in an event for pastors and church leaders. The subject I have been asked to teach on is the 10 giving systems every church must have to be fully-funded. Specifically, I will be telling how the implementation of these systems helped Piedmont Church, the place where I attend, increase its weekly giving 18% during the pandemic.
It is such an honor for me to invest in this incredible group of leaders. If you can be in the Atlanta area, I would love for you to attend and meet you in-person. Click HERE for the evening schedule.
A couple of things to know in advance – First, fully-funding a church’s mission and vision is vital because where there is no vision, the people perish. But where there are no financial resources, the vision perishes. Second, a system is simply anything you do twice. So if anything you can automate in terms of behaviors or processes simply makes you more efficient.
10 Giving Systems Every Church Must Have To Be Fully-Funded
I will expand on these thoughts during my session, but the following are 10 Giving Systems Every Church Must Have To Be Fully-Funded:
- Preaching System – Nothing changes a human heart more than biblical preaching. I recommend two money-message series per year, but definitely one in January. In January, people have Christmas debt, are making New Year resolutions, and setting up their annual budgets. It is a great time to answer the questions people are asking and when they are asking them. For a helpful sermon outline on tithing click 7 Promises God Gives People Who Tithe.
- Stewardship Education System – The action step for people to take from the preaching they have heard is to move into a stewardship education class. There are many good ones out there but I recommend I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. This class will help those in your church get out of debt, stay out of debt, and position their lives to begin giving to your local church.
- First-Time Giver System – When someone does give for the very first time, this is a spiritual decision, not a financial one. They are making a conscious decision driven by prayer and biblical teaching to trust God with what the world trusts in the most, money and possessions. This life-changing decision needs to be celebrated and followed up on as a discipleship moment.
- Digital-Giving System – Churches should review their digital giving platforms and processes every April and May. They should also do a promotional drive to get as many people as possible participating in recurring online giving. Why April and May? Summer is coming. With vacation and travel sports, the number deterrent to a summer-giving slump is recurring digital giving. For a nice chart of industry rates and fees, click HERE for information provided by GiveINJOY.
- High-Capacity Giver System – I recommend developing relationships with high-capacity givers during the summer. Notice I said “developing relationships”, not “asking for money.” Summer is a time of cookouts, ball games, and going to the lake. Build relational trust and equity. Also, enjoy yourself and allow your time with those who have sacrificed the most for the ministry energize and encourage you. For more on discipling high-capacity givers, click 10 Reasons Why Pastors Should Be Engaging Their Financial Leaders During The Coronavirus COVID-19 and Pastors, 9 Things Your Wealthy People Think As You Meet With Them And How To Attach Them To BIG Vision. For another interesting article which would add value in this area, click 7 Things Dabo Swinney Did To Connect With And Get Big Financial Gifts From Wealthy People.
- Special Offerings – Whether it is a Pastor Appreciation Day, A Heart For The House Offering, a Harvest Offering, an annual campaign, or a capital campaign, many churches have a dedicated moment of sacrificial giving on their calendar in the Fall to fund mission and vision. Developing a 4-week public communication system is critical to success in this area.
- Year-End Giving System – In this article by Neon One, we learn 31% of all giving to the average church happens in the month of December. 12% of a church’s entire annual giving happens in just three days from December 29 to 31. You must have a system in place to maximize this event.
- Weekly Services – Once again, a system is anything you do twice. This would be your 2-to-3 minute time before asking for the offering. Delivering an effective offering talk gives you an opportunity to preach on money 52 weeks per year. A good offering talk will always focus on a Stat, Scripture, or Story.
- Appreciation System – This should not be done by default but rather design. You should plan out individual, corporate, and small group times to express appreciation. Depending on the setting, a token of appreciation (gift) is appropriate. I recommend Randy Alcorn’s wonderful book The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving.
- Evaluation System – Systems 1 through 7 provide the framework for an Annual Funding Plan. Beginning in October, I recommend planning out the following year’s Annual Funding Plan. Do a clinical evaluation on how you did implementing the previous nine systems. Ask what could we have done better, and what went well, and what needs even more attention put towards it.
Once again, I hope you can attend IMPACT Annual Meeting 2022 where I will discuss these in deeper detail.
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