Simple steps towards generosity: Church stewardship for the overwhelmed
“Six Simple Steps towards Generosity” sounds like a headline on a supermarket magazine, if there was a glossy tabloid on church stewardship. This post suggests simple steps an individual, even a tired and overwhelmed individual, can do right now. If you are comfortable praying in the grocery store and good on a smartphone, I think you could do this all while waiting in line (please email me if you try this!)
Belovedness
Remember that you are a beloved child of God. If this takes some convincing, then pause to refresh before going further.
Gratitude - looking back
Thank God for the generous people who have gone before. For saints across time who have prayed, persevered and passed the torch to us. I’m grateful today for writers, stewards of Christian thought who share their wisdom and experience.
Prayer
Pray. “Lord, help me to be generous” might be a place to begin. Generosity is a spiritual gift, which means we can ask for God’s Spirit to fill us with the joy of giving.
Pray for the people around you - all God’s beloved children.
Gratitude - right now
Send a thank-you to someone at your church. Perhaps the church treasurer, offering steward or church administrator. The pastor or minister. Advanced course: thank someone from your denominational head office. I just sent such an email. It was not long, nor eloquent but I expect it was encouraging and that’s the goal here. One of the many terrific things about gratitude is that it’s contagious.
Action
Make it easy to be generous. Sign up for your church’s pre-authorized giving program. If that’s not an option, use CanadaHelps to become a regular donor to any charity in Canada. Yes, a small percentage of your gift goes to CanadaHelps. Don’t sweat it - they do great work, you are building the charitable infrastructure in Canada. Plus, CanadaHelps will always remember to make your donation. On your own, you might forget (speaking from my own experience of course!)
If you value putting something in the offering plate, go ahead and do that too. It’s fine to give more than once, or using more than one method. Generosity is a spiritual discipline like prayer, something Jesus followers do individually and as a congregation. There are many ways to pray and many ways to give.
Gratitude - future
Thank God for how God will use your future gifts to your church. That’s wild to think about, isn’t it? Gratitude to God is not limited by time or space. Gratitude for the future is my working definition of hope right now.
Blessings to you as you choose to live generously!
Other news
ICYMI: My article on SuperHero Stella and giving trends in the Canadian Church is in the current issue of Faith Today magazine. I particularly like the illustration!
Happy News!
Growing a Generous Church: A Year in the Life of Peach Blossom Church has been shortlisted for a Word Guild Book award. I’m delighted!
