The 2022 Giving USA report is out! Learn why you should know about it and ow you can use it within your congregation.

In the exciting series finale - learn more from clergy and laity about the varied opinions about whether or not the physical offering plate still has a place in the worship service.

“We are on a journey of sorts – to determine if the offering plate, passed around during worship, is relevant…instead of using “con”– which from Latin is literally “against” – those of you who wrote are arguing that passing the physical offering plate is not really relevant.

Goodness gracious. Y’all had some feelings about the offering plate…This week, let’s hear from the proponents of the offering plate

There’s a raging debate going on in my church: Pass the offering plate or not? Actually, there’s nothing raging about it. Any time there’s disagreement in the church, it has the capacity to go from “loving conversation” to “raging debate” in about ten minutes.

Boomers and the Greatest Generation are more often motivated to give out of a sense of loyalty. They have a profound respect for and love of institutions like the church. For Millennials, that’s not enough. They want to give to an organization or congregation that they believe is changing the world and matches with their values.

It seems that everyone in the United States is focused on personal happiness. We want our children to be happy. We want to be happy. We want to be #1 in happiness (sorry folks, that distinction belongs to Finland; we’re #15). It’s a measure of our success.

But what if happiness is the wrong thing to strive for?

If you’re lucky, you’ll have one person on your Finance team who will ask hard questions...That person may help you avert disaster. This is a person who can help you and your congregation be sure your feet are planted on firm ground.

Obviously only you, your business administrators and your Generosity Team can determine if Venmo is right for you and your ministry context. As someone who has used Venmo, it is an easy and quick way to help pay for a creature in need (human or otherwise). It just may be a great way for you to reach a younger demographic too.

Spreadsheets tell stories.
In words, I let our leadership know how our income is doing. Any time I can, I highlight the generosity of our congregation.