“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Matthew 22:21 Those were Jesus’ words in answer to a trick question presented to him by the Pharisees. The question was, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Paying taxes was a huge issue for...
Welcome back to another edition of the Stewardship Journal. We took last week off for Labor Day, the traditional end of summer. Fall is right around the corner, bringing cooler weather and football! It also means full activities for our churches across Missouri and a crucial time for giving. The...
Labor Day is upon us! If you are like me, you are wondering where summer went. Labor Day is the traditional end of summer weekend. It is officially the day we celebrate the contributions workers have made to our country's strength, prosperity, and well-being. Our nation’s way of saying, “Thank...
It’s not enough to simply know your giving landscape. Why? Because knowledge without action is worthless. The following are some key ideas on how you can gain and keep donors. Implement a front-end back-end strategy. A front-end strategy works to attract new donors AND to see younger donors become consistent givers....
Do you know the state of generosity at your church? In my last edition, I gave you the findings of a new Barna study, The Giving Landscape: Who Drives Generosity and Why. I ended by saying, “Knowing national giving trends is helpful. It gives you insight into what possible barriers...
As I travel the back roads of Missouri, this time of year always catches my attention. After watching the barren fields of the winter give way to the fledgling seedlings grow into tall stalks of deep green, I now see the browning tassels of corn waving in the late summer...
Welcome to another edition of the Stewardship Journal. This will be our final Journal of the summer. Next week, Labor Day, we will not publish the Journal. Here is a preview of this week’s Stewardship Journal. We begin this edition with a lead post by our own Dr. Neil Franks, President and...
Are you ready for some football? Say goodbye to your husbands, wives; football season has arrived! Have you ever watched a football game and seen players raise four fingers in the air at the start of the 4th quarter? The players are reminding themselves that they have one last quarter to...
Are you running behind budget? I have had great success using come-from-behind strategies that use Labor Day to bring additional dollars to the plate. The following is taken from my seasonal playbook, Recovering Your Lost Offerings. Here is a brief plan of action for a Labor Day offering: Finalize the offering...
“Leaders must ask themselves: How can generosity be taught?”1. That is a quote from Barna’s new study on the state of giving, entitled The Giving Landscape: Who Drives Generosity – And Why. I will review their findings in this edition of the Coach, entitled The Coach’s Review of the Latest...
