Creating A Generosity Checklist For 2027
Pastors spend countless hours developing sermon series, discipleship pathways and ministry calendars. But how much time do we spend developing a strategy to foster generosity? Jesus talked extensively about money. Yet many churches struggle to talk about it with the same confidence and conviction. That's a missed opportunity.
Below are practical ways to move your church from occasional conversations about giving to an intentional culture of generosity. And here is a condensed version of the checklist as a one-page PDF. I've organized the ideas into three levels so you can identify where your church is today and where you want to take it tomorrow. But before we look at how, let’s look at why.
Also, if you’re looking for coaching on this topic beyond this article then visit benstapley.com/coach to schedule a free consultation. I would love to help you determine the obstacles you're facing and if I’m the best person to help you overcome them.
Why / Fostering & Funding
Foster Greater Trust & Sacrifice - This isn’t about making sure you as the pastor get your COLA. This isn’t even about doing more good work in the community. This is primarily about doing more work in the hearts of your people. God has all the funds and financing He needs to accomplish His mission. What He needs is the desire and affections of your people submitted to Him. Talking about the treasure of your people is the fastest way to address their heart.
Fund The Work Of God - If you put the mission above the people it will be felt. But if you also neglect the mission it will be missed. God wants to do a work in your people so that He can do a work in their communities. God desires to do more in your midst in 2027. Increase the funds to make His dreams become realities.
You Don’t Hit The Target Unless You’re Aiming - Pastors love to map out yearly plans. This is the one year bible reading plan for the congregation. This is the 12 month teaching series we are walking through. But they don’t often map out a roadmap for generosity. And unless you chart the path, you ain’t gonna get to the destination.
Basic / Building Awareness / Low Effort & High Accessibility
These initiatives are relatively easy to implement, require minimal resources and help normalize generosity throughout the church.
Thank Then Ask - You are probably familiar with the ACTS framework for prayer. Adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. It ends with thanking and then asking. Demonstrate decorum by using that same sequence. And be precise with your language. Don’t thank the room. Thank ‘those who have given to our church’. This clearly but graciously acknowledges those that do and do not give.
Ask Every Sunday - I heard a pastor in an affluent area boast that he didn’t need to take an offering cause they had such a large endowment. What a missed opportunity to teach and train the congregation on such an important subject. And don’t oversell who abstains. In the effort to appear gracious I’ve heard churches communicate more about who shouldn’t participate than who should. But if we truly believe that a lifestyle of sacrifice is freeing we shouldn’t safeguard it to such a large degree.
Ask With Conviction - Often whoever is making the ask undersells it. They mutter under their breath or speed through their sentences. Either because they are embarrassed or they fear the congregation is embarrassed. Neither should be true. We believe that it is better to give than receive. We have the confidence to trust God in all areas of our lives. Even our finances. Therefore we need to relish - not rush through - the chance to share about generosity.
Vet Those Who Are Asking - Whoever is making the ask during your announcement package or hosting time need to be vetted. Verify they are giving themselves. You don’t want to put someone in the compromising position of incongruency. There aren’t many volunteer positions you would require giving as a requirement, but this is one of them.
Year End Giving Letter - You legally need to send year end giving statements so people can claim charitable giving with the tax man. But you also should accompany it with a heartfelt letter of thanks. You already are paying the postage for the envelope. Just stick another piece of paper in with a hand written signature. Bonus points if you take the time to write a personalized sentence or two with each letter.
Call Yourself To Greater Levels - Each year my wife and I assess where our giving is at and if we can give more. Usually the answer is yes. Mainly because we have gotten pay increases throughout our careers. Intentionally asking helps us continue to strengthen this spiritual discipline. Don’t allow your generosity to plateau while your salary has increased.
Intermediate / Building Habits / Moderate Effort & Intentional Engagement
These initiatives encourage people to move from occasional generosity to consistent and intentional stewardship.
Highlight Activity Every Sunday - Before you ask for a present display of generosity, highlight a past ministry activity. Let your people know what happened last week because of their giving. Then ask for participation. And make sure to visualize it. A couple quick iPhone photos from the event go a long way to help those who don't attend visualize it. Bonus points if you can capture a photo of someone actually enjoying the event 🙂. Here and here are examples of how that has looked in my context.
Mid Year Giving Letter - Double up the appreciation you send to your congregation. This early summer communication piece allows you to thank them, remind them of the vision / direction for the church that year, roll back the curtain on upcoming initiatives and anything else you want to shoe horn into a one-pager.
Call Your Staff To Greater Levels - We list tithing to the church as a requirement on our job descriptions and are very upfront about it during the hiring process. That being said, it is easy to say one thing to get the job but do another thing during the job. So engage your staff with where they are on the giving ladder (listed below) at least once a year. Every outcome from these conversations is beneficial. You celebrate their financial faithfulness. You help nudge them up the ladder. You listen to potential reasons for their lack of support. All conversations that are healthy and helpful.
Generous - Give beyond a tithe
Tithing - Give 10% of income
Consistent - Give consistently
Occasional - Give occasionally
Initial - Gave once
Absent - Has yet to give
Acknowledge Sizeable Gifts - As church leaders we acknowledge volunteers - those who give their time. I do that at Zarephath Christian Church during our Sunday morning all teams huddle and monthly with a spotlight in the service during hosting. This is how that looks. But church leaders rarely acknowledge donors - those who give their money. Now I’m not suggesting you give these people a shoutout. It wouldn’t be appropriate to publicly acknowledge a donor but it is fitting to privately honor them. So recognize those who do the lion share of giving at your church with handwritten notes.
Launch A Year End Campaign - Invite special giving tied to a clear ministry opportunity with transparent reporting afterward. People are in the giving spirit around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Capitalize on those good vibes. Here, here and here are some of the ways we recently updated the congregation on room upgrades they gave towards.
Thank First Time Givers - Send a personalized message thanking people for taking their first step in generosity. This small step helps nudge first time givers to become long time givers.
Advanced / Building A Culture / High Effort & Long-Term Transformation
These initiatives require more strategic planning, leadership alignment and infrastructure. They help establish generosity as part of the church's identity.
Launch A Vision Night - These are best done before you launch the year end campaign. The goal is to get your early adopters (those who already give) on board before you ask more to join the journey. This night honors their past investment and calls for future investment. It also gives you more time to build a spiritual foundation for generosity and explain the focuses of upcoming initiatives to a greater degree. I was a part of these nights when on staff at Liquid Church. This church continues to do an incredible job with these events.
90 Day Tithe Challenge - Make it easy for everyone to accept this challenge by eliminating any risk involved. If anyone doesn’t feel that God has blessed them after 90 days of tithing, refund 100% of their tithe. No questions asked. Here and here is how that can look on your website. Here are a number of resources you can use to pull it off.
Teach On The Topic - Some pastors avoid taking this step for fear of offending their congregation. But would you rather often them or God by sidestepping this subject. Preach a three to four week series exploring stewardship, contentment, sacrifice and eternal investment. And don’t apologize for it. Don’t tell new guests you are sorry they came on this Sunday. Tell them you are glad because money is a big part of their lives and you want them to know where God stands on the subject.
Stop Your Giving Tuesday - A lot of churches feel the need to participate because of FOMO. Everyone else is asking for money on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. So we need to as well! These are great for non-profits that don’t have regular access to cast vision to their donor base. That is NOT a church. We have 52 times a year we stand before our donors with their full attention. If you can’t capitalize on that you ain’t gonna capitalize on Giving Tuesday. Stopping it also prevents you from being white noise during a busy season. You’re already calling your folks to so much during the months of November and December. Lay off this additional ask that nets meager results.
Leverage A Range Of Motivation - Most churches leverage the past. The students had a retreat last Sunday because of your giving, so you should consider giving this Sunday. Not a lot of churches leverage the future. This is what we are planning to do next year, so you should consider giving this year. The chart below gives a list of 15 motivators along with scripture support. Incorporate as many of these as you can to engage a wider range of people.
You don't need to implement all these ideas next Sunday. In fact, please don't. That would probably exhaust your staff and congregation. Instead, identify a few initiatives that fit your church's current capacity and begin building momentum. And remember, the goal isn't simply to raise more money. It's to raise more generous disciples. When generosity grows, trust deepens, hearts change and ministry expands. That's a return on investment worth pursuing. And if you want additional help in this area then visit benstapley.com/coach to schedule a free consultation. I would love to help you win. Have an awesome day.