- Next Sunday
- Posts
- The power of knowing your giving story
The power of knowing your giving story
Finding your giving story and why it matters
Have you ever told your staff your giving story? If not, that probably means you’ve never heard of that phrase or you’re not sure what your story is.
That’s okay! It’s not too late to unlock the power of your giving story for the benefit of your team and congregation.
Because once you know your giving story, you can encourage your staff to find theirs, and once it’s important to you and your staff, it will become important to your congregation—and that opens the door to transformation.
Ready to find out how to do that in your church? You’re in the right place.
The first step to helping others find their giving story is knowing your own. Ask yourself:
What was the first time I felt called to give?
Why do I give? What is my heart posture?
How has tithing impacted my life?
Answering these questions will help you find the threads of your giving story, and—of course—will be and should be different from person to person.
Maybe tithing has impacted your life because it has helped you trust in the Lord when it comes to your finances (which is no easy feat, we know).
Or maybe the first time you felt called to give was when you heard a story that spoke to you, and you knew God was pointing you to contribute to the cause.
Whatever it is, iron it out until there is a clear line of what, why, and how. You can then share it with your staff and encourage them to answer these questions, too.
Make giving stories a priority with a deadline
Once your staff understands what a giving story is and what yours looks like, give them a timeline for determining what their giving story is. Two weeks, three weeks, whatever you feel suits your team best, but give it a deadline to show its importance.
And then by X date, everyone should have their stories ready to share in groups of twos and threes. Find the format that makes it the most helpful and achievable.
Work on drawing out milestones of your own and others' giving stories to bring out understanding and empathy and spark conversations around the different shapes these stories can take.
The goal is not to compare or compete with these stories, but to recognize where the giving is coming from—literally and figuratively—evaluate our heart posture, and connect with one another.
Anything we give through finances or talents or both, the why of that giving is more important than the amount or the hours given.
Action Items:
Uncover your giving story and share it with your staff
This is no time to be shy. Find your story through the prompts we suggested as well as any other questions that come to you. Whatever helps you find your giving story.
Explore! Reflect! Discover!
Encourage your staff to find and share their giving stories
Give them the tools and a timeline to develop and define their giving stories. This could look like groups of twos and threes, prompts, or a printed template to provide some guidance.
Remember: It’s about uncovering the core of why you give and how that has impacted and shaped your life, not starting a competition.
Make giving stories a priority in your congregation
We don’t mean you should make sharing a giving story mandatory in your church. But if your flock knows your giving story, they’re more likely to want to find their own.
Doing so can help them build a stronger, healthier connection to giving and have a stronger understanding of why they do so.
And that means better heart posture and mindset across what it means to give. Because where the giving comes from is almost more important than what is being given.