The Importance of the Pastoral Lane

The Senior Pastor is my biggest challenge in helping churches build a culture of generosity. In my last post, I wrote about how I think in lanes when it comes to creating a culture of generosity based upon biblical stewardship. In this edition, I start breaking down each lane, starting with The Importance of the Pastoral Lane.

But first, let me share why pastors (and ministerial staff) are my biggest challenge. Here are some key obstacles I face when working with pastors and their staff.

1. Lack of time. The tyranny of the urgent means that stewardship planning is put on the back burner.

2. Lack of expertise. Our Bible colleges and seminaries do not train pastors in stewardship.

3. Lack of awareness. Too many pastors simply do not have their finger on the pulse of giving at their church.

4. Lack of interest. Let’s be honest: if you don’t like to do something, it is hard to make yourself do it.

5. Lack of understanding. Many pastors hate anything related to money because of their lack of understanding.

6. Lack of action. All of the above combine into the perfect storm that results in nothing!

The good news, at least for me right now, is that you are reading this. So, while I have your attention, let me focus on the importance of the Pastoral Lane in building a culture of generosity at your church. Let me give you three reasons why I believe the Pastoral Lane is foundational to everything else we attempt to build.

• The pastor sets the tone for the entire church. It’s called leadership. Whatever a pastor has a heart for or is interested in will get the most out of their time. You will not raise funds if you do not have a stewardship leader.
• Dollars follow vision, and God gives the pastor the vision for the church. Some might disagree, but I firmly believe this is the biblical pattern. That does not mean the pastor is a dictator of the church. It simply means that successful churches are those where the pastor has received and communicated the vision.
• The more engaged the Senior Pastor is in the stewardship process, the greater the chance of that church raising the funds it needs. I have never seen this fail.

The above is why the Pastoral Lane is so important. Pastor, you are not asking for yourself. You’re asking for support of the vision God has burned in your heart. I will show you how to lead and engage your congregation to build a culture of generosity that will benefit your church and its members. Let’s get started working your pastoral lane!

Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach
mark@acts17generosity.com

OnlineGiving.org, the leading online giving processor in America, sponsors my writing. OG is owned and operated by committed Christians active in their local church. Find out more about their services at https://www.onlinegiving.org/. You can also read the blog post I wrote for them at https://www.onlinegiving.org/blog.