Yesterday (and today at 4pm for that matter) I had the honor of hosting a webinar on two of the most important minutes in your church service. We talked about the giving talk, and how you must intentionally explain what’s going to happen and what you want people to do before you receive an offering.
People give for different reasons, and you must rotate your giving talks to hit on all these different reasons. There are five primary reasons why someone gives:
1. They see a need. You’ve probably heard this phrase: “People don’t give to need; they give to vision.” While that’s true for some people, it’s not true for all people.
2. They believe in a vision. Let’s face it – keeping the staff employed, the mortgage current and the light bill paid in full isn’t that inspiring. But being a part of a church that’s making an eternal difference is a mission that will inspire people.
3. They are taught how to do it. Many people don’t give because they don’t know how. This doesn’t sound true to you, but you’re familiar with how the church works. Many people, especially those new to the church in general or your church in particular, may not fully understand how giving works. You’ve got to educate them!
4. They understand the Bible. In addition to stats and stories, you must teach people what the Scripture says about giving. You must to commit to teach your people about Biblical stewardship and generosity. We’ve got a whole resource on this!
5. They have a relationship with someone. The final reason that people give is often the strongest – people give because they have a relationship with someone. This may be the pastor, another staff member, or a volunteer, but relationships in the church are VERY powerful. We’ve seen it over and over again – people come to church and get connected to a small group or a volunteer team. Once they have relationships, they “buy into the church” on a much deeper level.
For what it’s worth, the giving talk scripts that we send our members each month are built to address these five reasons. Set your giving talks on autopilot and get intentional with the time of giving in your service. Sign up here, and if it doesn’t help your church…I’ll give you your money back.
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In our case we survive month to month. To invest in product to increase giving is a crap shoot, no? I so want to be able to meet the need of our community as well as our own folks. See you february 1!
No, it isn’t a crap shoot. It is proven to work in churches that actually apply the stuff we sent out. We create the $1 trial for people so you can get a taste of it. If you invest in this for 1 year, you will have more money than you invested. If not, we will give your money back. It’s a no lose approach for you.