Greetings all,
It's not just the congregation that can get uncomfortable when someone starts talking about money in church. Many church leaders habitually begin any such topic with apologetic words, delivered in a reserved tone. It's as though money is too earthly a topic for the spiritually minded, and any partnership with ministry is an uncomfortable one. Yet this approach is a hundred miles away from the Bible's perspective, that sees wealth as not only something that can be handled with wisdom, but used in a way to glorify God.
The way to break the unhealthy connotations, both in your mind and that of your congregation is, of course, better teaching. So that's why this month, as tax time rolls around, Geneva is devoting its site to providing you with helpful resources for developing an inspired approach to your finances.
Seven resources to get you thinking right
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Inspiring generosity in, and for your church plant – How do you create a culture within your church that does more than just hand over money? Church planter Paul Harrington has decades of church planting experience in the Australian context under his belt. He has had to find the money to both start and sustain church plants in areas that have given established denominations pause for thought. In this month's webinar he offers clear advice for inspiring generosity towards and within your church plant.
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Giving Generously review – One of the best books available on fundraising for churches and creating a spirit of generosity within congregations is Rod Irvine's Giving Generously: Resourcing Local Church Ministry. Ray Galea takes a look at this practical, Australian manual, and shares how he has put it to work in his own church planting context.
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Stories, the key to generosity – North coast church planter Chris Ekins talks about how he has focussed on stories as a driver for generosity at Coast EV, in particular the Gospel story that undergirds every act of giving.
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To own or not to own a church building? – One of the biggest fundraising tasks a congregation will ever have to confront is a building project. Church planter Andrew Heard, church planter and senior pastor at EV Church, asks the crucial question, 'Is property a spiritual goal?'
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Raising money for a building – So you've decided to put down roots in a particular area – is there an appropriate and effective way of putting this need before your congregation and supporters? At Multiply16 this year Rod Irvine, the author of 'Giving Generously: Resourcing Local Church Ministry', delivered a seminar on the specific task of raising money for a building project.
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Should you put aside money for church planting? – Andrew Heard gives a surprising answer to whether or not church teams should budget to give money to new church plants. He warns that financial planning includes thinking about how NOT to sever the nerve between a congregation and evangelism.
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Living well – Not all financial struggles a church planter will confront have to do with funding the work itself. Successful businessman and Geneva Push supporter Scott Parry-Jones provides advice to church planters on being good stewards of the money God has given them with off-set accounts, credit cards and good governance so that you can spend money where it really needs to go.
Hoping this helps you see your church finances as an encouraging part of your ministry!
– Ed.
