Dynamic Giving

With only 4 percent of American church members tithing, many churches badly need a boost in offerings. Unfortunately, most of us pastors have no training in stewardship development and have no idea how to lead people to generous, biblical giving. The Bible tells us what to do in this situation: Hire a stewardship consultant. Okay, that's not exactly what it says, but the message is there. In Proverbs, the wisest man who ever lived tells us that 'Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed' (Proverbs 15:22). And when the apostle Paul wanted to make sure the Corinthians gave generously to the famine-relief collection, he sent men to Corinth to encourage the people. 'So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work [the collection] as well.' (2 Corinthians 8:6). 'So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange before...

Here's a great Valentine's Day gift idea for the couples in your church: present them with a sermon series on financial stewardship. I'm not kidding. You can renew their passion for each other by teaching them God's principles of financial contentment, wise money management, getting out of debt, generous giving, and true prosperity. So, what's so romantic about getting your finances in order? It is widely recognized that couples fight more about money—how much to spend, how much to save, how much to borrow, and how much is enough—than about any other topic. Check out these stats. According to the National Survey of Marital Strengths, 80 percent of happy couples agreed with the statement, "Making financial decisions is not difficult." Only 32 percent of unhappy couples agreed. Agreement with the statement, "We agree on how to spend money," for happy couples was 89 percent. But only 41 percent of unhappy couples agreed. Obviously, conflict over m...