To say MLK could preach is an obvious understatement. He knew full well the hatred and injustice in the world, yet he hung on to hope. He had courage.

Listening to MLK preach changed the way I delivered my plenary about celebrating the offering as an act of worship. I was braver than before.

Scraping layers of vintage paint offers lots of time to think.  Being me, I was thinking about cultural change in faith-based organizations.  It's a very similar undertaking. Some patches peel off easily, where the types of paint were totally incompatible and failed to stick.  Some paint had been there for decades and had NO intention of leaving.  I persisted.

What could be easier than repainting a bathroom, or changing an element of worship, or updating the website?  What could be harder?

Giving is such an important part of worship that it deserves words. Not just ‘the ushers will now come forward to collect the offering…’ and a cursory prayer, but a moment of genuine gratitude and celebration. Celebrate all the gifts, not just gifts from people sitting in the pews at the moment.

If someone has $40 in their wallet, they may give $20 - saving that second $20 for lunch the next day. Online gifts were $160. Lots of great examples and statistics here from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Literally the stack of church and money books Lori brought to a class of ministry students.

Generosity starts with a grateful heart.

How can churches say thank you? Sending a thank you card is an easy starting point. Here are eleven ways to use thank you cards.

If you give a wedding gift, you expect to receive a thank-you note.  It’s common courtesy.  If you don’t give a gift, you generally don’t get a thank-you note.  Obvious, right? However, in church giving often nobody gets a thank-you note.  Nobody gets thanked.  Really.  In many churches, donors get an annual receipt with no thank-you letter. But I’m proposing here that everybody gets a thank-you note. Here’s why: gratitude generally and thank-you letters in particular make a good springboard into generosity.

If you are Christian who fundraises, this books is for you. If you are working for an organization that regards fundraising as a necessary evil, you might need to buy more than one copy!

I help congregations with generosity assessments - looking at giving trends and congregational values. It's joyful, challenging and sometimes vulnerable work (for both me and the congregation!)

One of the big questions I ask churches is: "Are you two or three funerals away from disaster?"

This is a great article on ending well for congregations. Denial seldom helps congregations move forward; facing these questions guides future direction.

"Young families can't give." Twice in a week I heard exactly the same statement from church leaders. I believe what they meant was "young families with housing costs, daycare fees and mouths to feed can't afford to give to the church." I surely hope it wasn't a theological statement excluding young families! Let me start with a story: