MODELING GENEROSITY

             The blog series that we are in has been about giving as a heart issue, and last week we talked about Biblical generosity. This week is about modeling! I don’t mean cool shoes or the latest outfit or the best haircut. So don’t panic. When I was writing that word modeling, the idea of shoes struck me.

          Let me share a story with you. One of the things I’ve done the last few years is buy daily calendars for the folks in my office. I take the time to search out the best calendar for each, with a topic that I think that person would appreciate. One of the daily calendars that I get each year for one specific person is “Shoes.” 365 days of shoes. Each pair very different (and, as far as I can tell, there have been no repeats, even over the last several years!) For someone who owns a few pairs of shoes, but really only wears one of two pairs of shoes regularly (they’re the most comfortable), it blows my mind that there are that many shoes to begin with. And some of those shoes make me wonder how someone can walk in them, or even where to put your foot!

          If you’ve ever watched a model walking the runway in a fancy pair of shoes designed to match the outfit exactly, maybe you’ve wondered how they can be graceful wearing them!

          The kind of modeling we’re talking about today doesn’t require a fancy pair of new shoes. It’s about showing someone else your generosity journey.

·        Maybe some of our folks aren’t generous because they’ve never seen someone else who was generous.

·        Maybe someone isn’t generous because they don’t know what it looks like.

·        Or maybe they’re not generous because they’ve never been the recipient of generosity from someone else.

          I think the best way to learn is to see someone else is doing it! To hear stories about how generosity has transformed lives can be a great teaching moment.

          The point isn’t to be the prettiest model on the runway, but to be a model that gives credit to God for that generosity and that transformation. It’s not about you; it’s about God!

          Increases in our heart capacity or the heart capacity of someone else is all due to God!

          When heart capacity increases, that generosity and the love of God will reach the world!

 

 

          TEACHING ABOUT BIBLICAL GENEROSITY

 

          Last week, I talked about generosity and stewardship being heart and not head issues. This week, I want to start a series to share ways we can change how we approach stewardship as a whole to a heart issue.

          The first way we can do this is to teach Biblical Generosity, and to do it regularly.

          By this, I don’t mean to ask for money all the time. Money is just a small part of generosity, that focusing only on the need of the church to receive will turn off folks and “turn off” generosity.

          Of course, we all know that money “makes the world go round” (or at least it seems to). And we know that Jesus talked about money more in the New Testament than any other topic. There are statistics that money was covered in 15% of his preaching; that 11 out of 39 parables were about money (or 16 out of 38)—depending on the source.

          But it’s not because money is the most important thing. It’s because WE (and the world we live in) place so much emphasis on money and what it can do FOR us (and TO us). Explaining to us through parables and teaching and preaching should enable us to view money properly and to practice Biblical Generosity.

          But we have to change how WE approach generosity. We have to stop placing our emphasis on the need of the church to receive money, and more on the need of the giver to give. Generosity and giving is part of worship, and it’s a spiritual discipline. So, as church leaders, we must talk about generosity when it comes up in Scripture, or a Bible study, or in conversation. We cannot avoid talking about it until the fall campaign.

          One of the ways generosity comes up all the time is through the offering moment. Most churches have a time when we used to pass the offering plates (although most of us don’t do that anymore for safety reasons). This is the time when we give folks the opportunity to dedicate themselves and their gifts to God. It’s also a great time to share what generosity means and how their generosity has changed lives. You can share a story, or a video, or music, or a skit, or…. If you’re struggling to find a story about changed lives, maybe prayer and conversation about discipleship in your local church could be in order.

          Biblical Generosity is the type of generosity we should all be focused upon and practicing.

 

 

 

                        GIVING AS A HEART ISSUE

           Too often, we focus on giving as a wallet issue, or a financial issue, or a head issue. But I don’t think it is any of those things, and I don’t think spending is either.

          As an accountant, my nature would probably be to make sure everything is balanced, and enough is set aside for emergencies, and I have budgeted properly so that bills are paid timely, and there is an emergency fund available. Not that there’s anything wrong with any of those thoughts. However, that is very much a head and wallet thinking.

          And…if all I do is focus on my checkbook and earning more and keeping more, I cut my heart out of the entire prospect. Giving falls to the wayside, and I focus only on myself and MY needs and MY wants and MY spending.

          Churches can do the same thing. I cannot tell you how many finance meetings I have sat in where the entire discussion is focused on trying to determine how to increase income and decrease costs, and being worried about having spent too much for something that wasn’t in the budget. Both the church’s budget and its spending start to focus only on the church and its members and THEIR needs and THEIR wants and THEIR spending.

          If we are disciples of Jesus and are truly focused on making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, then we cannot stay focused on ourselves or even on our church. Our giving and our spending must, instead, be focused on advancing God’s kingdom in meaningful ways (and it probably isn’t making sure the people in the pews are comfortable and happy, or that more funds are spent on making the building pretty then in making disciples.)

          An article I just read by Jim Sheppard of Generis says that “when a church focuses on developing its community and its leadership around using money wisely, thoughtfully, and impactfully, then God’s kingdom advances in meaningful ways.”

          There are many ways we can change our focus and our church’s focus and make our giving and spending heart issues. Stay tuned for the next blog!

 

            WHAT DOES YOUR SPENDING REVEAL?

 

          Have you considered the questions: What are my priorities? How do I determine what they are? And then, carry those questions a little further and apply them to our church? What are our church’s priorities? How do we figure out what they are?

          What does our spending reveal about our priorities? This is an important consideration. It’s not that we don’t have priorities; we do. But we have to figure out what they are. If we look at what we’re spending our money on; what we spend our time on; what we spend ourselves on, then we’ll be able to see what our priorities are.

          I’ve sometimes said that a checkbook is a theological document. It is one way to see what someone’s theology is. Financial generosity is reflected in a checkbook. Lack of financial generosity is also reflected in a checkbook.

          A calendar can also be a theological document. It is another way to see what someone’s theology is. Generosity of time is reflected in a calendar, just as a lack of generosity of time is.

          How our finances are spent is a great way to show what is important to us.

          How our time is spent is another way to show what is important to us.

          So…look at those personal theological documents: your calendars, your apps, your checkbooks, your computer programs, and see what they show. What is important to you?

          Look at your church’s theological documents: how the building is used, how time is spent by staff and volunteers, what financial reports show, and see what they show. What is important to the church? Is it making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, or is it something else?

 

                             ASKING QUESTIONS

 

          It may be time that we stop simply taking for granted what we’ve always done, what’s always worked before, and the belief that things will go back to the way things used to be.

          Just because something worked once doesn’t mean it will work now. Just last week, I wrote how my own eyes aren’t working like they used to. Ministry and stewardship are the same. My less clear eyesight is affecting me; ministry and stewardship are affecting the world.

          Is continuing the same things the same way working for us? If we’re honest, the answer may be “not really.”

          So, if we’re being honest, let’s ask ourselves some questions:

1.   Who is our ministry for?

2.   What is the difference we are making?

3.   Who are we, now?

4.   Who is our neighbor, now?

5.   What is God asking of us, now?

          Did you notice that the last three questions contain the word now? If we’re just going to keep doing the same old, the same old, then we really don’t care about the now. The problem is, I think we do care. We care about what God is asking of us right here, right now. Or we should.

          The “new normal” may not be temporary, it may BE the new normal. We can’t ignore change; and we can’t ignore our neighbor.

          Taking the time to sit together as a leadership team, as a small group, as a council, as a congregation, as clergy, and as laity is vital. Answering these questions, honestly, may be difficult, but if we’re serious about being who God is asking us to be; if we’re serious about doing what God is asking us to do; and if we’re serious about loving as God asks us to love, then the answers to these questions can only help guide that work.