Generous churches have generous leaders. This isn’t just lofty speech, helpful as that is. It is about looking out for generosity and celebrating it when found. It is also about encouraging generosity by regularly thanking people for all the generosity they show (and not regular as in ‘once a year’ but every time the church comes together). This generosity can take many forms (such as giving money, giving time, giving our possessions, giving freely of our talents and abilities) and we need to celebrate all of them.
Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) have a crucial role to play in inspiring generosity. In what ways does the church financially support others, and is this explained to church members? It is important to explain to church members how the church financially supports others through their giving. PCC members can be crucial in setting the generous culture, in showing others the generosity they want to encourage. The amount is not as important as the fact that it is committed and regular, and PCC members have a crucial leadership role to play with this.
We can also inspire people’s generosity through the plans and vision to grow our church’s ministry and mission. We should be prepared to look honestly and constructively at our plans and ask whether they reflect God’s generosity and the generosity he is calling us to.
Ways to inspire generosity
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Regularly thank God for people’s generosity during intercessions
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Encourage church members to generously support each other when raising money or providing care within our community
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In our services, celebrate generosity that is found, thanking God for working through us to share his generosity with others.
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Introduce a generosity thread to weave into our mission plans, reviewing our plans and visions to name the generosity within them.
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Communicate the generosity the church shows collectively through what is given to others.