Giving & Fundraising

Giving & Fundraising gathers Christian Standard articles that explore biblical generosity and practical approaches to supporting ministry. Here you’ll find teaching on stewardship, sacrificial giving, church finances, donor communication, and funding mission and outreach efforts with integrity. These articles aim to help individuals give joyfully, and help churches cultivate a culture of generosity—raising support in ways that are transparent, mission-focused, and faithful to the gospel.

December 3, 2012

Christian Standard

Four Verses for Four Purses: a Teaching Outline About Giving

Fiscal health is a strength of the church I serve. A reason for this is how we challenge people to give. This article is a sample teaching outline for pastors on the theme of giving. For more help, contact me through the church website, www.wschurch.org, or via Twitter @EddieLowen. By Eddie Lowen Some contemporary innovations are nothing short of incredible: High-definition television has made football and golf so much more enjoyable to watch. GPS (global positioning system) navigation has transformed travel. When did you last see someone with a folding map? Smartphones are amazing (my iPhone 5 came today!). I

November 29, 2012

Christian Standard

Good Gifts After Black Friday

By Mark A. Taylor I have a friend who works for a well-known benevolent organization not affiliated with any church, but providing a much-needed service to families in crisis. And at Christmastime, she sees the gifts pour in. People drive up every day in December with carloads of clothes, games, and food. But one donor stood out in my friend”s memory. The woman approached the front desk holding her daughter”s hand and carrying an armload of goodies. “We would like to meet the family who will receive our gifts,” she told the receptionist. “I want my little girl to experience

September 11, 2012

Christian Standard

Giving It Away

By Darrel Rowland Mounting a successful fund-raising drive is challenging enough for any church, especially in these difficult economic times. But two churches not only carried out smashing one-day giving campaigns earlier this year, they turned around and gave it away””all $176,000 of it. In fact, most of the money went to places not even associated with the church. Leaders of both churches say your congregation should try it, too. Launched in 2005, Forefront Church in Manhattan began an annual giving event called Celebration Generosity in 2009. That first year, members chipped in about $27,000 for various social service organizations

September 10, 2012

Christian Standard

Generous Churches

By Kent E. Fillinger “Generosity needs to be a thread woven through the fabric of the entire congregation,” said Leadership Network development director Chris Willard, “because generosity is a cultural issue.” Here”s how four churches are creating a culture of generosity among their members.  In their new book, Contagious Generosity: Creating a Culture of Giving in Your Church, Chris Willard and Jim Sheppard define generosity as “a lifestyle in which we share all that we have, are and ever will become as a demonstration of God”s love and a response to God”s grace.” Willard is the director of generosity initiatives

September 8, 2012

Christian Standard

Giving Up!

By Alan Ahlgrim Picture this: Your church launches a new campus with a state-of-the-art, 70,000-square-foot building on 30 acres””just before the economy implodes in the greatest recession most of us have experienced. Meanwhile you are fighting for the church”s life in a lawsuit that costs you $2 million to win. This creates a loss of momentum that results in staff reductions and the departure of many members to another congregation nearby. What do you do in such a situation? Alan Ahlgrim, pastor of Rocky Mountain Christian Church in Colorado, faced all those challenges and more. As he shares in this

September 20, 2011

Christian Standard

Indiana Church Shows Knack for Winning Grants

By Jennifer Taylor In the last four years, Jamestown (IN) Christian Church has received 14 grants totaling more than $110,000″”including one used to learn how to write grant applications! The congregation, located about 30 miles west of Indianapolis, began researching the process in 2003 and was awarded its first grant in 2007. JCC has received grants for a variety of uses, including beautifying its 17-acre property, building a shelter house for public use, and maintaining its food and clothing pantry. In 2010 the church received a grant of matching funds from the Indianapolis Center for Congregations to hire a design

August 7, 2011

Christian Standard

Meeting Others” Needs on Behalf of the Church

By Jennifer Taylor   After studying Nehemiah and the offering recorded in its final chapters, First Christian Church in Champaign, IL, collected its own special offering as a response of gratitude for God”s goodness””then gave some of it back to FCC members. Senior pastor J.P. Jones and his team designated $20,000 of the offering for the local community and involved the church in giving it away. Each week for four weeks, a different group received $5,000 with instructions to use the money to meet the needs of others on behalf of the church. The team selected a variety of people

July 13, 2011

Christian Standard

The Marriage of Resources and Passion

By Bert Crabbe One of the greatest growing challenges for church leaders is to figure out how to put the resources of older churches into the hands of younger ones. And when I say older churches, I mean those that have a building but don”t have enough people or income to keep the lights on. And when I say younger churches, I mean those that are bursting at the seams but can”t yet afford to own property. And yes, I know just because a church is older doesn”t mean it”s dying, and just because it”s younger . . . you

March 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Ways to Help the People of Japan

By Jennifer Taylor Several Christian ministries are offering ways to support the people of Japan in the wake of last week’s earthquake and tsunami, and the resulting nuclear uncertainties and concerns. Here are a few opportunities that we are aware of: — International Disaster Emergency Service is still helping residents of Haiti and New Zealand recover from the recent earthquakes there; the ministry is also accepting donations for the many hurting and homeless people devastated by last week’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan. IDES is in contact with many of the missionaries in the country and is sending funds to

January 19, 2011

Christian Standard

Preacher, Crew, to Climb Volcano

Greg Nettle, senior pastor at RiverTree Christian Church (Massillon, OH), is one of nine guys climbing a volcano in the Andes Mountains this month! Nettle and his team leave for Ecuador tomorrow; while there they will climb four mountains including Cotopaxi, the second-highest summit in the country and one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. The last 5,000 feet of the climb will be over the world’s largest equatorial glacier! The nine climbers, all part of RiverTree, are raising $100,000 for ChildReach Ministries and Compassion International. Click here to watch Greg and two teammates discuss the trip and

December 24, 2010

Christian Standard

Church Offers Year-End Offering Opportunity

“Being a part of this church has changed my life! I am in a very difficult financial place right now so finding an extra $20 is hard. I do, however, have these rings to give. Thank you, I have been able to make it through the darkest time because every Sunday you are all here for me.” Inspired by this note, the team at 2|42 Community Church (Howell, MI) created a special year-end offering opportunity””“The Original Christmas Gift.” Just as the wise men gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus, members were encouraged to bring their gold (in

October 8, 2010

Christian Standard

“˜Give 10 for 5,000″²

Central India Christian Mission has designated October as “Give 10 for 5,000” month. It is asking supporters to give $10 each to provide 5,000 copies of the Hindi Family Pictorial Bible, which CICM first published in 1999 and which has played a vital role in sharing the good news with children and illiterate adults in India. Click here to find more information and to access bulletin inserts, posters, videos, and PowerPoint presentations!

September 27, 2010

Christian Standard

10,000 Pairs of Shoes for Romania

Andy Baker, an alumnus of Milligan College in Tennessee and founder of Remember the Children, a nonprofit organization dedicated to meeting the needs of Romanian families, spoke about shoes in Milligan”s chapel last Thursday. And students, faculty, and friends donated shoes to the cause. “10,000 shoes,” an initiative to collect 10,000 pairs of shoes in 10 months for Romanian children, captured the attention of Milligan students like Rachel Severns. She rallied students across the campus to meet the goal and even collected donations from the public. “Our students are excited about this campaign and combining the heart of the students

September 23, 2010

Christian Standard

Tweeting for Haitian Children

Northwest Haiti Christian Mission has partnered with a variety of organizations to raise money for a Miriam Center, a home and therapy center for Haitian children with cerebral palsy, severe autism, and other challenges. One of the partners””A Home in Haiti“”launched TwitChange last week to raise money for the cause by giving bidders the chance to have more than 150 celebrities follow them or mention them on Twitter or retweet their message. Celebrities participating include Eva Longoria, Shaquille O”Neal, Demi Moore, and many others. Read more about the project on NWHCM”s Web site or click here to visit TwitChange. The

June 27, 2010

Christian Standard

Great and Mighty Things

By Chuck Booher What is the best way to conduct a financial campaign when 14 percent of your county is unemployed and your offerings are barely making budget every week? Any sane person would probably say the best answer is, “You don”t!” You just don”t do a financial campaign in a down economy. Several months back, however, I found myself wrestling through this predicament. Truth was, not having a campaign was NOT an option. I had become senior pastor of Crossroads Christian Church three years prior and inherited several obstacles that had been worked through. The last hurdle to jump

July 1, 2009

Christian Standard

Establishing the Work of Our Hands

By Mark A. Taylor The picture (which accompanied the article “It’s Simple” by Luke Erickson and Tom Moen in this week’s print edition) reminds us of the virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31: “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy” (v. 20). She is typical of men and women described in our series ongoing through 2009. The theme (borrowed from last year”s National Missionary Convention) “Get Your Hands Dirty” connects their stories. We”ve included in their number not only those whose hands are literally soiled by digging wells, collecting trash, remodeling mission outposts, or

March 18, 2009

Christian Standard

Our Money Can Point People to Jesus

By Mark A. Taylor In a day when physical needs are multiplying and some non-Christians ridicule or distrust the church, extravagant giving by Christians is sure to get attention. So it”s no surprise that Waterfront Community Church in Schaumburg, Illinois, has received national coverage. The church gives away each week”s offering! (See this week’s “Buzz.”) But the church didn”t begin the practice to get publicity. According to “servant of pastoral care” Jim Semradek, Waterfront”s strategy is simply to point people to Jesus. In an interview on K-LOVE radio, he said, “Money is a tremendous vehicle to help people consider God.”

January 18, 2009

Christian Standard

Harvest of Talents: More Than Money

  By Pat Snyder Lincoln (Illinois) Christian Church”s “Harvest of Talents for World Hunger” is a unique ministry that calls on people to use their God-given talents to raise funds to fight world hunger. It is a partnership with International Disaster Emergency Services (IDES) based in Kempton, Indiana, that has sent money and food to hungry people around the world since the mid-1980s. When it first started in 1984, it included only the Lincoln church family (from toddlers to seniors), along with residents of local nursing facilities and shut-ins. It has grown to include participation from others in this country

January 4, 2009

Christian Standard

Small Groups that Give and Live Graciously

By Brian Mavis What would happen if a church gave back to her small groups half of what the groups tithed and asked them to invest the money in ministry? I had pondered this for a few years. I wondered whether the people in the small groups would be motivated to give more, and what they would choose to do with the money. When I joined the staff at LifeBridge Christian Church, Longmont, Colorado, I shared some of these thoughts and questions with the leaders and elders, and I was floored when they said, “Let”s find out.” Before I share

June 1, 2008

Christian Standard

Learning the ABC”s

By Brad Dupray Everyone”s heard the complaint: “All the church ever talks about is money.” That perception has gotten the best of many preachers. As a result they have shied away from talking about money because they don”t want to be guilty of overplaying the issue. How does a preacher face a congregation and encourage them to give money to the church without at least a little concern that it seems self-serving? Greg Nettle, senior pastor of RiverTree Christian Church in Massillon, Ohio, wrestled with that conflict. Nettle felt when he preached about “stewardship” there was too much focus on

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