I talk with a lot of pastors who say, “Well, Casey, you don’t know our church. Most of our people are not even Christians yet.  We kind of stay away from talking about giving because we don’t want to run off non-Christians.”

I usually let them finish and ask them if they have ever heard the story of the Rich Young Ruler.  It is found in Luke 18:18-23.  Check this out how Jesus responded to the rich, lost guy, “When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’”

Jesus knew that this man had one hurdle in following; it was money.  He made the “big ask” and the guy was “very sad”.  Jesus was very clear about what he wanted the man to do – “give [your money] to the poor.”

What can we learn?

1.  It is okay if people get offended if you talk about money, as long as you talk about it the right way.

2.  Talking about money will thin the herd (decrease attendance).

3.  Some people are addicted to money and can’t fully follow until they give more money away.

4.  Jesus cared more about this man’s heart than his campaign.  Notice Jesus didn’t say, “Give your money to my deal.”  Jesus said, “Give your money to the poor.”  Motives matter.

5.  Jesus didn’t say, “Well, I hate to talk with you about this and you can do this if you want. Etc.”  He didn’t apologize!  You can quit apologizing too.

Do you have a hard time speaking about money because you are afraid of offending lost people?

How much do you speak about giving with your church?

1.  The same reason I will not eat at a restaurant unless they take check cards or credit cards!  GET RELEVANT!

2.  People don’t carry a lot of cash anymore

3.  MOST places will not accept a personal check in the real world! People carrying check books are limited

4.  It catches first time donors and low budget givers that would usually give nothing.  (Tipping Machine)

5.  You eliminate any barriers of why people don’t give

6.  Its a very small investment for the return. ($2,500 for a countertop unit) and ($5,000 for nice standing unit)

PS… If I could buy something for $2,500 bucks that put $10,000 in my bank account in twelve months I would buy 1000 of them today!  It’s called ROI – Return on Investment

7.  Where our treasure is, our heart follows.  The more people use the kiosk, the more of their heart they are giving to God.

Contact me through our contact form here if you want to talk about getting a kiosk for your church.

What are your thoughts on kiosks in the church?

This post is a passion of mine because I am sick of seeing pastors distracted from the work of the ministry to pay the bills.  We work with millions of dollars of church budgets and one common theme we see is that pastors are not making enough money.

Let me give you 4 reasons ministry leaders should make more money:

1.  To Decrease Stress

Ministry is always ranked as one of the most stressful jobs.  The last thing a pastor needs to be thinking about is how they are going to pay their personal bills or be able to afford a family vacation.  IF YOU ARE BAD WITH YOUR MONEY, YOU DON’T NEED MORE MONEY!!!  However, a lot of the ministry leaders I work with really make below what it takes to run a family financially.  Church planters, you need to pay yourself first before you hire a bunch of staff!!! Don’t make your spouse bitter!

2. To Allow The Spouse To Stay Home

If the ministry leader is the “bread winner” in the home they should make enough to allow the spouse to stay home if they want to.  I have seen too many spouses angry because they have to work so their spouse can be in ministry.

3.  To Live Culturally Relevant Lives

If the pastor constantly is saying NO to stuff because he can’t afford to go to a ball game or send his kid to a camp, that is ridiculous.  I am not saying the pastor should have to drive the nicest car and have all the toys, but if the pastor does want to buy a new car or have a toy, they should be able to do it!

4.  To Eliminate The Poor-Mouth Mentality

It is very tempting for pastors to poor-mouth around their people.  I hear pastors poor-mouth in messages sometime as well.  I don’t think it should be a goal of pastors to come across as being broke all the time.  A broke mentality leads to a broke church.  Pay the pastor a fare wage to eliminate poor-mouthing.

What would you add or take away from this list?  Do you agree or disagree?