Funded And Free October SURVEY

To fund the vision God has given you for your church, it is important to understand why people give. We have found that there are five basic reasons that an individual will give money to an organization.

1. Relationship

People will give money to a larger organization because of the relationship they have with the people there. If a person participates in a small group and are connected with many relationships at your church because they volunteer regularly, they are much more likely to give money to the church because it is impacting them relationally.

2. Vision

Strong vision inspires people to give. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) states: “without vision, the people perish.” Clear vision helps people understand the key next steps that God wants for your church and connects them to the amount of money it will take to be well-funded.

Be careful, however, because too often leaders are told that people give to vision and vision alone. Vision is vital, but it is not the only reason people give.

3. Need

We have heard it said that “people give to vision, not to need.” This is simply not the case! When the enormous tsunami struck Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and several other nations on December 26, 2004 and killed 250,000 people, the outpouring of giving was unprecedented. When Port-Au-Prince, Haiti collapsed in an earthquake on January 12, 2010, people gave in an incredible way!

People will give to need. Express a need clearly and show them how addressing it will help the church accomplish its mission. People will give.

4. Obedience

Many people give because they are living lives that are obedient to God’s Word. They understand that God is an incredible giver (He gave His only Son!), and they are grateful to have been blessed with some money. You can build a city-shaking, life-impacting ministry when you have a group of people living their lives in obedience in this way!

5. Education

People give because they have been educated about what God’s Word says about money, and they have been taught practical tools that helped them put their desire to give into action.

The vast majority of people want to give, but sadly, many people have not been taught how to manage their money well. As a result, they have pledged away all of their money (or maybe a little more) to the lender. It is important to educate people on God’s principles of money management and to teach practical ways to put Scriptures regarding money into practice.

Ask people in your church the question, “Why do you give?”