To make your church rich, people have to be comfortable with giving substantial money to the church.
There is a way to do this.
The most popular churches are not often as beautiful and “saintly” as you think. Many of them have problems too. But instead of concentrating on their problems, they magnify what is good about their church. They make a deliberate effort to give the public an awesome image of their church. This is not just through billboards and media platforms but also through the atmosphere they create in the church. And it takes money to do that. And it takes people who give for the church to have money.
Just because some wealthy families attend a church doesn’t mean the church has a lot of money. People don’t give substantial money in the church because they have it. If people are not comfortable with giving a substantial amount in the church, they will not do it no matter how compelling the preacher makes it.
The solution is not to get better at persuading people to give. Instead, it is to create a giving culture. But for people to get into the giving culture, people need to have. If people don’t have, they will only wish to give. They will not be able to give.
How People Have Money to Give
There are several things that influence and affect people having the money to give. And exploring the solution for each of them influences how people give. These are some of them:
1. The Economic State of the City or Town
If the town is a poor town, there is a big problem. There will be no obvious opportunities to grow rich and make more money. So no matter how compelling the preacher gets, people won’t give because they just don’t have. And they probably can’t see how they can have.
The minister needs to create an economic breakthrough for that town or city. And this is not about having long hours of prayer. This is about discovering what is economically useful in the town or city.
The easiest place to begin is natural resources. What natural resources does the town have an abundance of? This is important in the case of a small town. Find out something natural and extremely valuable in the town that can bring economic prosperity.
If it is a city, find out what industry will gain an advantage if they move production to the city. Also, the church, as an organization can also press the government of the city or town to make certain laws that will bring economic prosperity to that area.
2. Willingness of People to Adapt to Change
Sometimes, the potential of economic prosperity exists in that town or city but people are just unwilling to change a lifestyle they have been accustomed to for generations. They feel economic prosperity is a threat to their culture and way of life.
The way to break this is through preaching. People’s minds rarely change overnight about these things. But gradually they become more willing to try new things. If people don’t try new things, they will find it difficult to make big money.
If there is no opportunity, look at the economic state to see what you can do. If there is opportunity but the members are not taking it, then it is a willingness problem. But if there is opportunity and people are taking it and still living in poverty, then it might be the next issue.
3. Small thinking
People who don’t take opportunity have little because they think small. The minister has to encourage people to think big. The members need to think big and expand their horizon. They need to understand that them having more doesn’t mean other people will have less.
The members must understand that they create opportunities for other people if they expand and grow bigger. They give the young and upcoming to take their previous position while they aim for something higher.
When people stay where they have always been, it creates a problem from those coming from behind. It is easier for the young to go forward when those in the forefront are thinking big and making progress.
When there are economic opportunities, people are willing to adapt to change, and they think big to make progress, the church members will have money.
Creating a Giving Culture
The best way to inspire people to give is when they see someone else giving. There are 3 major ways of creating a giving culture in your church:
1. Removing Anonymity
Most genuine people like to give anonymously. And that is good to avoid a showoff that is based on pride. But sometimes, the anonymity veil needs to be taken away so that people will be inspired.
In a certain church, the pastor announced on Sunday morning that an anonymous person gave a lump sum to fund a project. But later that week, in a much smaller gathering of the church, the pastor pointed at the person who gave the money. Most of the people were stunned.
They had thought it was one of the “wealthy” people who gave it. But when they saw that it was someone like them, it challenged them. And that started a wave of giving in the church.
Occasionally, the veil needs to be taken away so that people can see who gave something substantial. It inspires a giving culture in the church.
2. Encourage people to give to one another
This is also very powerful. People may have no sense of touch with what they give to the church. But they have a sense of touch and feeling with what they give to other people.
Regularly creating an event where members give to other members inspires a giving Culture in the church. Once a person can give wholeheartedly, it will extend to all their giving decisions.
3. Giving other things aside from money
It is a bad thing to make people feel like they can’t give because they don’t have money. Occasionally or even regularly, the church must create an opportunity for people to give things. Nobody should be robbed of the joys of giving.
People cannot accuse a church or minister of being greedy if they accept other things aside from money. People should be encouraged to give money most of the time because money can be exchanged into anything.
When people give things, it is better for the church to use those things as opposed to selling them. This will create a giving culture in any church.
Conclusion
The way to make a church rich is to make people have money and create a giving culture in the church. The principles here will turn your church into a giving church with people who have the money.
This is ChurchPad and we are here to help your church grow.
By David Olarinoye
09/14/20
