Generational giving: Can young families give?
I enjoyed meeting with people from Manitoba last night. They had some excellent questions and as always, my brain was formulating responses overnight and I woke up with even more to add to the discussion!
We talked about the high cost of housing and how that disportionately affects younger people. That’s true, and yet cultivating generosity is too important to be deferred until later in life. The church doesn’t say, you can learn to pray when you’re retired and have more time. Instead, we encourage everyone to pray as they are able.
A generous experiment
What I wish I’d said last night, and what I’ve often said before (credit to Darren Pries-Klassen for the original idea), is this:
Find a cause you care about. Choose an amount you can afford. Give regularly. See what happens.
Launch into a generous experiment! I trust that our generous God will guide our giving when we ask. Pray, “Lord, help me to be generous” as a start.
If there needs to be financial counseling first - if debt is an issue, I pray that the church is a safe space to have this conversation and for referrals to get help. We talked last night about my book and this is something that Peach Blossom church addresses. Tend to your wounds first.
Here’s a quick primer on why and the how of regular giving.
Why give regularly?
I’m a huge fan of pre-authorized giving where technology helps us be generous on a regular basis. A Scriptural basis for this is 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 where Paul asks the Corinthian church to put money aside regularly, rather than waiting for him to come and launch into a big appeal. Like prayer, generosity improves with practice.
How to set up regular giving?
If you a tech savvy person, you can probably automate your e-transfers, or set up reminders for regular e-transfers. If your church doesn’t do that, please ask them to set this up.
But there is another way: any charity in Canada can use CanadaHelps for online giving and also automated monthly giving. CanadaHelps is a wonderful organization and the kind people there can help your church set up a Donate button on your website. Even without this, an individual can use CanadaHelps to donate to any charity in Canada. Ideally, your church connects so that CanadaHelps can deposit funds directly into your church’s bank account. They also handle receipting which can be very helpful. Don’t worry about the small percentage that funds CanadaHelp’s work, they are an excellent organization which benefits thousands of charities.
I’m grateful for the prayers and generosity of so many people who have come before me. I pray that the generosity and prayers of people today will be gifts to the future of the church, whatever that looks like.