It can be awkward, or it can be holy.
I'm talking about the offering time of worship. One of the biggest reasons new church starts fail financially, is because the planter and launch team fail to speak about money in a missional manner.
With that in mind, here are a few bullet-point tips. Use them as they strike you best....
* Create an atmosphere of holiness around the offering. Don't make the offering an interruption, or an apology, or a quick get-er-done moment. I suggest that in contemporary worship, you build the offering time into the song set. Equip your worship leader to invite the ushers forward to "receive" (not take) the offering. After all, you're not stealing from anyone! Empower the worship leader to briefly, but concisely, express how God is a giver towards His work in us so we can be givers to God's work in others--- then share a specific example of something/someone in your congregation or city. Don't stop the background music while sharing this invitation as it bridges one song (and thought) to the next. Don't be rote, be relational! Work at this!
* Create a flow where a short video can be shared on giving while the ushers move through the congregation. Have a transition song coming out of the video. Keep the video short, perhaps funny. Check www.worship house.org for such possibilities.
* Inter-weave the worship singing with a person (or couple) on stage ready to introduce themselves and share why they give financially to your church. Often times these folks need to be coached so their message is to the point. Empower them to also share a prayer over the congregation. You're not only allowing people's testimonies to glorify God, but the testimonies are equipping people to be bolder leaders in public faith. When I first started this manner at my plant, people were hoping I wouldn't ask them to speak. Soon, however, that changed and people were excited to be asked and coached! Guess what happened next? The offerings went up! People started to give more (or more consistent) because they saw the joy of giving in their fellow disciples!!
* Replace offering plates or baskets with bags with handles. This way, no one has to see what's in the bag. In addition, inviting people to come forward to place an offering in a basket at the front stage is a great idea when you want people to give above and beyond their regular tithe. This could be tied into communion time. Communion is a time of receiving, not taking!
* Encourage and show people how to give electronically--- "first fruit giving." It not only makes your giving way more consistent each month, but it teaches the obedience of giving and thinking of God first. If some electronic givers still want to drop something into the bag as it is passed by, create and distribute cards that express "I've Given Electronically" or something like that. I have found this to be a great model.
* Consistently express through preaching, or during the offering time, what the offerings are doing as they are sewn--- either inside the congregation or outside. Both is best! In other words, don't do a Steward Sunday, but make every Sunday a time to rejoice in the giving. You watch, your congregation won't complain about "all the pastor ever does is talk about money" because money will be seen as mission.
* Planter: speak out your gratitude for God's provision and people's faith responses. You are teaching your folks to be thankful...and how to express it. I believe making the offering a holy time breaks the curse of greed or fear. Statistically, 70% of USA church members give NOTHING to their church! Those that do, statistically, only give an average of 2.5% of their income! Our churches don't have financial programs, we have faith programs. So, equip folk in faith and you're equipping them to also be givers!
Friends: When you treat the offering as important as confession and forgiveness, or prayer, or preaching, or singing--- you are creating an atmosphere of holiness in and around it. It is then no longer taking, but receiving!
No comments:
Post a Comment