Lord Jesus Christ, fill us, we pray, with your light, that we may reflect your wondrous glory. So fill us with your love, that we may count nothing too small to do for you, nothing too much to give, and nothing too hard to bear. Amen St Ignatius
Once downloaded, the resource may be printed in A4 size or as an A5 booklet.
Introduction
It is undeniable that in recent years, both locally and nationally, we have been talking increasingly about money.
At the same time, we recognise that over many centuries Christians have responded to the call of faith by living generously – firm in the knowledge that giving, whether by supporting the ministry of the Church, giving tocharitable causes, or helping those in need, is a natural response to the boundless generosity of God.
When Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly’ (John 10:10), he was talking about the life of God which overflows with generosity. When, as a Church and as individuals, we live with an abundance of God’s life within us, this abundance flows out and gives life to those around us. This is living generously; this is living ‘in tune’ with God as Christ did.
Yet God has given us a choice: we can choose to be self-reliant, self-sufficient – a choice which distances us from God – or we can choose to be God-reliant, choose to trust God and grow closer to Him.
This resource examines some of the practical steps we can take together to live faithfully and generously as ‘people of God’ (1 Peter 2:10). The greatnews is that travelling together helps us grow in the knowledge of God; grow in knowledge that generosity is the hallmark of our faith; and grow to trust in Him whose immeasurable love for us is our Salvation.
This resource is designed with a small group of people in mind. This might be the PCC, DCC, LCC, or a group representing different facets of church life.
The resource considers five qualities:
- Encouraging Generosity
- Living Generously
- Sharing Generosity
- Sharing Impact
- Faithful Generosity
Each of the five qualities explored starts with a Vision statement, a short description of what it might look like when this quality of church life is well established.
For some, realising one or all of the visions will remain an aspiration for now. On the other hand, you may find that your parish/church is pretty much there, or thereabouts.
The following steps are suggested:
Step 1: Reflect on the Visions and celebrate how your parish/church already lives them out.
Step 2: For each ‘Vision ‘, identify and agree on new areas which can be explored and developed.
Step 3: Identify and agree on how to develop and enhance what is already happening.
Step 4: Agree a plan. What can be done now? What can wait?
Step 5: After an agreed period (a year perhaps), assess progress and maybe start the process again.
Vision: Giving our Time, Talents and Treasure is Easy
“Information on why and how to give is readily available and easy to understand. We encourage our worshipping community to volunteer as much as they feel able. We are part of the Parish Giving Scheme and raise funds through contactless, online and text giving. Some members give via standing order, and we also make it easy for those who wish to give cash donations. Our Gift Aid processes are thorough. New members of our congregation(s) are invited to give in any way they can. We encourage legacy giving too.”
For Discussion
- Are opportunities for volunteering encouraged regularly?
- Are financial giving methods simple and accessible?
- Are current giving methods sustainable long term?
- Are available technologies, like contactless readers, being fully used?
- Are there groups that are not currently invited to give?
- Is a legacy policy and information on legacy giving in place?
- How might a newcomer learn about generosity and church life?
- What ensures newcomers are invited to consider planned giving?
Plans for Encouraging Generosity
- Designate a member of the church to encourage volunteering.
- Run a volunteering ‘bazaar’ as part of Sunday worship.
- Promote the Parish Giving Scheme to support planned giving
- Offer a contactless card reader (or is an additional reader needed?)
- Share giving information via all appropriate media
- Ensure information is always clear, accessible, and visible.Introduce text giving
- Establish a legacy policy and provide legacy literature
- Create a process for inviting newcomers to give (e.g. welcome packs, events, one-to-one conversations).
- Introduce the offertory (see ReimaginingTheOffertory.pdf)
Vision: Living Generously as Children of God
“We talk about generosity and giving; we frame them as part of our journeyof faith. We think about specific ways in which we can live generous lives. We have explored faith and generosity as a congregation and in small groups. Generosity is taught through preaching and group resources. Together, we explore ways to live generous lives. Faith and generosity are at the heart of our church life. We encourage new members of our church to explore generosity with us.”
For Discussion
- Over the past year or so, what teaching have we shared ongenerosity? Sermons, small-group discussions, courses?
- What other opportunities have we offered our congregation(s) for reflecting on generosity? Have we offered a half-day or full-day retreat, for example?
- Do we help new members of the congregation learn about and grow in generosity – whether it be time, talents or treasure?
Plans for Living Generously
- Plan a themed sermon series on generous living. You might like to consider using one of these resources: ‘Giving to God‘ or ‘Our Offering’
- Use the lectionary to draw out the theme of our response to God’s generosity.
- Provide themed resources for small groups.
- Run a short retreat with the theme of living generously/generous discipleship.
- Include generosity in courses for new Christians and those preparing for confirmation.
- Teach generosity (time/talents/treasure) in children’s & youth groups.
Vision: We Share What God Gives us to Help Others
“We seek to hold together our ministry costs, our support for the wider Church’s ministry, and the care of our building(s) as complementary expressions of our mission. We budget prayerfully, planning for regular, realistic contributions to the Common Mission Fund (CMF) while maintaining our church building(s) as placesof worship, welcome and witness. We do not allow fabric costs to drain our resources, nor do we treat CMF as discretionary. We regard our commitment to both as acts of shared discipleship.”
For Discussion
- Does our spending reflect a commitment to the ministry of the Church?
- Is there a shared understanding that giving supports both our parish and the wider church throughout our diocese?
- Do our decisions demonstrate that we value both?
- Have we clearly communicated what CMF funds, and why it matters?
- Do we plan maintenance in advance, or are we reactive?
- Can projects be phased, deferred, or funded through grants?
- How do we balance preservation with the building’s future mission use?
Plans for Sharing Generosity
- Begin financial discussions with prayer for wisdom and faithful generosity.
- Review our mission and ministry priorities for the next 3–5 years.
- Prioritise balanced budgeting; treat CMF as a first-line commitment; establish fabric and mission reserves; review expenditure quarterly.
- Use quinquennial reports as forward plans; seek grants; and maintainrestricted reserves for repairs.
- Review PCC financial reporting; ensure all trustees understand their dutiesunder the Charities Act 2011.
Vision: Communicating Well is Second Nature to Us
“Our congregations understand what we need to support our mission locally andbeyond. Most of us understand the income and expenditure streams of our church(es). We are clear about the difference we make as a church, and we regularly communicate this to the congregation and wider community through various media. All our materials explain why support is needed. Materials for the wider community show how the church provides support beyond our church walls. We have a regular practice of saying ‘thank you’ to all who give their time, talents and financial resources. We have found that our donors trust us to make good choices.”
For Discussion
- How often is gratitude expressed to givers, and is the impact of their giving communicated to them?
- Is generosity clearly and appropriately linked to vision and ministry plans?
- Is financial information presented in a clear, accessible, and engaging way?
- Are stories regularly shared to demonstrate the impact of generosity?
Plans for Sharing Impact
- Consistently express gratitude for all forms of giving.
- Involve the wider church in key decisions and priorities.
- Connect generosity to a compelling vision for future ministry.
- Explain clearly to the congregation what the CMF supports; regularly celebrate giving and progress.
- Provide examples to show, in practical terms, how a range of regular. donations, including small donations, support your parish/church.
- Explain the church’s needs for financial and other types of support.
- Present regular financial updates in an engaging and accessible format.
- Share stories that show how living generously reveals God’s love in action.
Vision: Generosity is elemental to our Identity as Children of God
“Generosity is woven into all aspects of our church life, from hospitality to meeting agendas. We take time to consider how we will respond to our generous God and what we need to do to become more generous as a church community. We have an ongoing programme in place to make this happen. Our finances include regular planned giving to charitable causes, both local and beyond. Generosity shapes our vision and mission plans, and it is reflected in our worship, including the Offertory. We practice generosity in a way that is faithful to our church and community context.”
For Discussion
- Is there regular, planned giving to charitable causes locally and beyond, and are these decisions communicated to the congregation
- Do financial giving decisions reflect the diversity of the church community?
- How often has generosity appeared on PCC/DCC/LCC or other meeting agendas over the past year?
- Does the Offertory liturgy reflect the intended culture of generosity?
- What message might the Offertory convey to someone new to church?
- How are stories and expressions of generosity from different cultures shared and learned from?
Plans for Faithful Generosity
- Periodically review the Offertory liturgy to ensure that it reflects your message over time.
- Highlight generosity in church vision and mission plans.
- Set aside one, two or more Sundays a year to pray, reflect and review giving; you might like to consider using the resource ‘Our Offering’
- Regularly celebrate generosity; encourage the sharing of personal reflections on generosity as part of everyday faith.
- Review the church giving policy. Is this generous? Or is the policy to give what is left over?
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