Stewardship and Church Growth
I've heard it said that "money flows to good ideas". Or..."God's work, done God's way, will never lack for God's supply". Are these statements true? How many good churches hurt for money? How many growing churches need to add staff or build a new building, but they cannot afford it?
Pastors often take the attitude "I don't feel comfortable preaching on money, it will offend people". Laymen sometimes believe, "God will provide whether I give or not. God will find a way to get His will accomplished." However, God's perfect will is not always done. Sin is not God's will. Suffering and starvation are not God's will. People dying daily, without ever hearing the gospel, is not God's will.
God has chosen to do His work primarily through the service and giving of His people. If the people in our churches are disobedient in their giving, we will not be the church God wants us to be.
In my last church, we found ourselves suddenly struggling financially. I read a book by John Bisagno, entitled "The Power of Positive Giving". After following the book's instructions on having an annual stewardship emphasis, our offerings increased 20%.
When I came to First Baptist Oviedo, we began a stewardship emphasis here. In nine years, our attendance has increased 315% to over 2700, while our giving has increased 560% to over 4.6 million annually. Our best estimate of current tithers is over 60% of our active attendees.
You may have been thinking, throughout this series of articles, that it's easy for me to preach about church growth, because we have the money. But why do we have it? It's because we have taught our people about stewardship.
Each January we teach three-weeks on stewardship. We emphasize the importance of our total life stewardship under the Lordship of Christ, along with the Biblical instruction of tithing. Very little about meeting the budget is mentioned.
The first Sunday, I usually preach on the stewardship theme for the year. The Sunday School lesson is centered around stewardship the first week. The music and testimonies also center around the theme.
The second week, both the Sunday School lesson and the message are about tithing. Testimonies from our lay people often are intertwined with the Sunday School lesson. Another idea we use is to have people, who have been saved or ministered to by our church, give testimonies. This is done in a brief interview-style, with 10-12 of our people.
The final week is a time of commitment. We ask our people to respond to the Scriptures by promising to tithe for the coming year. This is done by filling out a commitment card at the end of the message.
The underlying key is that we teach obedience to the Scriptures on a weekly basis. Tithing is simply another tangible step of obedience in our walk with God.
Often the objection is, "If I preach on money, I will lose people". Well, we must all choose who we lose. You will either lose those who refuse to give, or lose some of your givers who want to see God do great things.
God's perfect will is not always done. It is accomplished when we obey His leadership. If we do not give the money, both the church and our missionaries will go lacking. If we as pastors will preach the whole counsel of God, including the many passages about giving, God will convict, people will give, and God will bless you with a healthier, more vibrant church. Until next time...
Pastors often take the attitude "I don't feel comfortable preaching on money, it will offend people". Laymen sometimes believe, "God will provide whether I give or not. God will find a way to get His will accomplished." However, God's perfect will is not always done. Sin is not God's will. Suffering and starvation are not God's will. People dying daily, without ever hearing the gospel, is not God's will.
God has chosen to do His work primarily through the service and giving of His people. If the people in our churches are disobedient in their giving, we will not be the church God wants us to be.
In my last church, we found ourselves suddenly struggling financially. I read a book by John Bisagno, entitled "The Power of Positive Giving". After following the book's instructions on having an annual stewardship emphasis, our offerings increased 20%.
When I came to First Baptist Oviedo, we began a stewardship emphasis here. In nine years, our attendance has increased 315% to over 2700, while our giving has increased 560% to over 4.6 million annually. Our best estimate of current tithers is over 60% of our active attendees.
You may have been thinking, throughout this series of articles, that it's easy for me to preach about church growth, because we have the money. But why do we have it? It's because we have taught our people about stewardship.
Each January we teach three-weeks on stewardship. We emphasize the importance of our total life stewardship under the Lordship of Christ, along with the Biblical instruction of tithing. Very little about meeting the budget is mentioned.
The first Sunday, I usually preach on the stewardship theme for the year. The Sunday School lesson is centered around stewardship the first week. The music and testimonies also center around the theme.
The second week, both the Sunday School lesson and the message are about tithing. Testimonies from our lay people often are intertwined with the Sunday School lesson. Another idea we use is to have people, who have been saved or ministered to by our church, give testimonies. This is done in a brief interview-style, with 10-12 of our people.
The final week is a time of commitment. We ask our people to respond to the Scriptures by promising to tithe for the coming year. This is done by filling out a commitment card at the end of the message.
The underlying key is that we teach obedience to the Scriptures on a weekly basis. Tithing is simply another tangible step of obedience in our walk with God.
Often the objection is, "If I preach on money, I will lose people". Well, we must all choose who we lose. You will either lose those who refuse to give, or lose some of your givers who want to see God do great things.
God's perfect will is not always done. It is accomplished when we obey His leadership. If we do not give the money, both the church and our missionaries will go lacking. If we as pastors will preach the whole counsel of God, including the many passages about giving, God will convict, people will give, and God will bless you with a healthier, more vibrant church. Until next time...
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Leadership Principles of Jesus #3Leadership Principles of Jesus #4Leadership Principles of Jesus #5The Power of TruthThe Deity of ChristThe Incarnation—God With UsLíderes que perduran, primera parteLideri care rezistă, Partea 1Líderes que Duram, Parte 1वे अगुवे जो टिके रहते हैं, भाग 1القادة الذين يدومون الجزء الأولLeaders Who Last Part 1Jesus Died for Our SinsResurrection and AscensionOvercoming the WorldThe Promise of PeaceThe Peace of GodThe Spirit of TruthPeace in the Midst of ConflictLíderes que perduran, parte 2Lideri care rezistă, Partea a 2-aLíderes que Duram, Parte 2वे अगुवे जो टिके रहते हैं, भाग 2القادة الذين يدومون الجزء الثانيLeaders Who Last Part 2Facing Doubt with Truth
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The Implications of Believing in GodThe Denial of God’s WordEmbracing the Truth for PeaceThe Tabernacle and the VeilThe Sacrifice of JesusBold Access to GodLíderes que perduran, parte 3Lideri care rezistă, Partea a 3-aLíderes que Duram, Parte 3वे अगुवे जो टिके रहते हैं, भाग 3القادة الذين يدومون الجزء الثالثLeaders Who Last Part 3Peace in the Midst of TrialsPeace with GodThe Peace of GodLiving in PeaceComfort in Troubled TimesThe Promise of JoyJoy Beyond CircumstancesLeaders Who Last Part 4Líderes que perduran, parte 4Lideri care rezistă, Partea a 4-aLíderes que Duram, Parte 4वे अगुवे जो टिके रहते हैं, भाग 4القادة الذين يدومون الجزء الرابعThe Joy of Access to GodOvercoming Internal StrugglesThe Shepherd Who ComfortsExperiencing the Fullness of JoyBuilding RelationshipsThe Reality of PersecutionObedience through LoveLideri care rezistă, Partea a 5-aLíderes que perduran, parte 5वे अगुवे जो टिके रहते हैं, भाग 5Líderes que Duram, Parte 5القادة الذين يدومون الجزء الخامسLeaders Who Last Part 5The Importance of CommunityLove Your NeighborThe Reality of BelongingCelebration of CommunityExpecting OppositionThe Power of Seed PlantingStanding Firm in FaithLíderes que perduran, parte 6Lideri care rezistă, Partea a 6-aLíderes que Duram, Parte 6वे अगुवे जो टिके रहते हैं, भाग 6القادة الذين يدومون الجزء السادسLeaders Who Last Part 6Choosing Your MasterThe Example of HumilityThe Ultimate SacrificeResponding to God’s Call
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