“Discovering the joy of giving is vital.” An Interview with Rev. Melvin Amerson

One of the many joys of writing Inspiring Generosity is the opportunity to talk to people whom I have admired over the years. Rev. Melvin Amerson is one of those people. An ordained elder in the Texas Annual Conference, Melvin has written two books on the topic of stewardship: Stewardship in African-American Churches (2006) and Celebrating the Offering (2007), co-written with his brother, Rev. James Amerson. He is currently appointed to the Texas Methodist Foundation.
 
Melvin was gracious enough to answer some of my burning questions. The answers may have been edited for clarity and length.
 
Cesie:  First of all, can you tell me how you got into doing stewardship work in the church? What was your journey like?

 Melvin: Years ago, before accepting my call to ministry, I took a Christian Financial Management Course and discovered my passion for stewardship. In my pastoral appointments, I led personal finance-related Bible study series and courses.
 
Leading stewardship or financial matters was often challenging in the local church, but I remained intentional that financially supporting ministry was an integral part of discipleship. Helping worshippers connect their offering as worship, while discovering the joy of giving is vital.
 
In my last pastoral appointment, I was part of a building and relocation project, which led to my appointment of over 20 years at the Texas Methodist Foundation.
 
2. Where did you learn about generosity?

 I learned and gleaned generosity from a multitude of sources: from family, mentor-colleagues, and exposing myself to a wide range of Generosity/Philanthropy/Finance resources. Observing, listening, reading stories of generosity and impact giving is a wonderful way to uncover the joy of generosity.

Along the way, I met two fascinating people in Mrs. Carroll and Mr. Wilson. They really impacted my life regarding personal generosity and influenced the way I encourage gifting.
 
Mr. Wilson was a member of the church I grew up in. He was very generous. Whenever there was a need, he’d be there. One day we had a church bus full of people going to the State Fair. Mr. Wilson paid for all of us to go which so surprised and impressed me. When you’re passionate about something, you pay for it.
 
Mrs. Carroll was like a second mother to me when I was living in Atlanta (this was before I went to seminary). She was a big advocate for generosity. You could just feel the joy of giving from her. She taught me a lot about the importance of generosity, community, church, and family.
 
3. What are you doing now?
 
As mentioned before, I serve at Texas Methodist Foundation in the Philanthropy Department. My work primarily centers on helping congregations with Year-Round Generosity and Philanthropy. Personally, I would like to see churches to do more on encouraging memorials and planned gifts. All Saints Day is a great opportunity to honor the legacy of loved ones. Annually, I make memorial gifts to honor my parents. This is a way to promote memorials and planned gifts for the endowment.
 
4. You have seen and experienced a lot, over the years, I’m sure. What have been the biggest changes you’ve witnessed in the church and what changes have you experienced related to stewardship and development work?
 
Streaming worship services, Bible studies, and meetings have significantly changed the church attendance and participation on many levels. Church members potentially reside in different cities, states, and countries. Our faith communities have radically changed and will continue to evolve. E-giving is a component of those changes. In some ways this has altered the invitations to give.
 
Still, the offering is an act of worship – but it may happen outside of the sanctuary or at another time other than the time of the traditional worship service. Addressing different generational giving and communication practices and preferences in one congregation must be intentionally addressed for a multi-generation church.
 
Use of language is particularly important when talking about money. Generosity and gratitude are preferred words over stewardship.
 
5. What prompted you to write Stewardship in African-American Churches? Are there ways that you would update it for today? And if so, what new message might you bring to that work?
 
While attending a stewardship conference, colleagues Don Joiner and Dave Bell, formerly with the General Board of Discipleship, asked me to author a book on stewardship in the African American context. They recognized unique differences in raising financial resources and felt strongly that a resource was necessary to address this void. Today, I would identify the various generational giving differences and offer strategies to clergy and financial committees to appeal to those groups with the congregation.
 
6. What are one or two stewardship practices that all congregations should be doing?
 
I feel churches should consider a Year-Round Generosity approach. The annual stewardship campaign is not enough to develop a culture of generosity within the local church.
 
Also, I think more attention should be devoted to the offering invitation. Using media and sharing ministry impact stories for members who worship on-line and in-person.
 
7. You and I recently attended the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving’s four-week class on Legacy Giving. What are two or three takeaways from that class that you think are important to share?
 
Key takeaways center on:
- Ask open-ended questions of potential donors, then, patiently listen to their story and passion.
- Be mindful of donor cultivation and determining donor capacity.
- Lastly, be aware of the importance of developing an intentional planned giving plan along with establishing an endowment.
 
8. What scriptures do you consider to be foundational in your work?
 
II Corinthians 8 and 9
I do not say this as a command, but I am, by mentioning the eagerness of others, testing the genuineness of your love. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich (II Corinthians 8:8-9).
 
I Timothy 6:18-19
They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Cesie: Thank you, Melvin, for taking the time to answer these questions and for helping my readers grow in their understanding of generosity from someone who has just about seen it all. What a blessing you are!
 
If you’d like to contact Melvin, you can email him at the Texas Methodist Foundation.

Cesie Delve Scheuermann (pronounced “CC Delv Sherman,” yes, really) is a Stewardship Consultant for the OR-ID Annual Conference. She is also a Senior Ministry Strategist with Horizons Stewardship. For 25 years, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she has helped raise over three million dollars for numerous churches and non-profit organizations. She’d like you to be humming this song “Generosity” by Jerome Collins.
 
You can reach Cesie at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com, at CesieScheuermann.com, or at cesieds@horizons.net. Want to schedule a meeting? She’s got you covered!
 
Schedule a meeting now.
 
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