Called to Give Stewardship Program

Frequently Asked Questions

How do we do the luncheon if we have more than one service?

If your church is in a small town with two worship services and the attendance is light in the first service, then most first service attendees will come back for a meal after the second service.

If your church is in a larger city where many of the people who come to the first service drive a longer distance, then have a brunch after the first service and a luncheon after the second service.

If you have two (or especially more than two) services, then have a brunch after each service.

Keep track of the total commitments from each service and instead of announcing it at the luncheon report the total the next week at church and also in the bulletin and newsletter.

Can we change Celebrate Generosity by eliminating some parts we think will not go over well?

Sometimes a congregation is tempted to do surgery on a stewardship program like this one. For example, they will decide to eliminate the catered luncheon or decide not to have estimate of giving cards.

PLEASE DON'T DO IT!

It always results in a greatly reduced increase in giving for the next year. One congregation in southern Indiana used the familiar Consecration Sunday program and cut out the meal and cards. They got a 5% increase in giving the next year. But, based on experiences of other congregations, they probably would have had a 30% increase if they had followed the instructions properly. Think about it.

Is a catered luncheon so expensive if it results in a 10-15% in giving?

Programs like Celebrate Generosity have been written by people who have studied the relationships between spiritual growth, appeals and responses for thousands of people for many years. They have found what works. The reason programs like this work is not because it is a carefully crafted "scam" but because when people growing spiritually are given a proper opportunity to think and respond to biblical ideas about stewardship - they do.

Furthermore, Celebrate Generosity is a celebration - an time to celebrate the ministries of a congregation and then take an opportunity to encourage members to support that work.

Do we need an outside leader?

Many stewardship programs (such as Herb Miller's Consecration Sunday program) require an outside leader whereas Eugene Grimm's does not. The main reason for an outside leader is that an outside leader is likely to make sure that a congregation follows the instructions.

If you believe that your congregation can follow Celebrate Generosity to the letter all by itself, then you probably do not need an outside leader. But if you know that there are going to be temptations to do "surgery" or make major modifications to the program, then you should consider finding an outside leader.

An outsidel leader needs to become familiar with the Celebrate Generosity program and simply guide it along.

Should we contact "inactive members"?

Inactive members are people for whom you have no record that they have worshiped or made a "contribution of record" during the last year. It would probably be better get them reconnected with the church in some way before asking them to think about their giving. Churches don't want to have inactives saying, "They only want me when they want money..."

On the other hand, you don't want anyone to feel like they "don't matter" so consider active anyone who has given anything at all in the last year.

Should we do this as part of our budget-making process?

If you do a program like Celebrate Generosity close to the time that you create your budget, do it a couple of weeks after the celebration. If you publish a proposed budget before Celebrate Giving it will probably change the way people think about this process. Instead of causing people to ask, "What does God want me to give?" they will be thinking, "How much does the church need from me?"

Celebrate Generosity is only for the yearly operating income. Do not try to use it for debt retirement, part of a special celebration (like a centennial), or a building campaign, etc.

Should a pastor have access to giving records?

The heart of Celebrate Generosity is asking people to consider what God is asking of them. This is obviously a spiritual matter - therefore a person's giving records reflect on them spiritually as much as his or her attendance and communing records.

What if we have never used "estimate of giving cards" before and some of our leaders are opposed to the idea?

From a number of studies it has been found that people who write their financial intentions on a card during a stewardship program will give two to three times as much as someone who does not.

There are always a few people in every congregation who will not fill out a card, but every year that number will diminish. Nobody forces anyone to fill out a card. The idea is to encourage people to grow spiritually - not to feel guilty.

What about people who are very uncomfortable about filling out an "estimate of giving card"?

Let them sign a card and write across it: "I will give as the Lord blesses me."

What about people who have had their hours cut back, or who do don't know what they can give in the next year?

Let them sign a card and write across it: "I will give as the Lord blesses me." Remember that this is called an "estimate" of giving card. If a person makes a commitment on a card and then runs into unexpected medical expenses or job loss, God does not expect them to maintain the amount they wanted to give.

On the other hand, if a person makes an estimate and then wins the lottery or gets a major promotion at work, then he or she has been blessed more and can respond by giving more.

Could we let all of the members fill out the estimate of giving cards anonymously, without signing them?

Research has shown that people who do not sign a card tend to give an average of 30% less than those who do sign a card. People are more honestly committed to their word when they put their name to it.

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