Last week I was with Hill Country Bible Church in Austin, Texas. While I was there, DeWayne McNally shared a story from Texas history that I asked to share. Sam Houston became the sixth governor of the state of Texas in 1859. Life on the Texas frontier was rough and rugged. Men molded by the…
Category: Stewardship
The Shrinking American Middle Class
The Pew Research Center has published new findings on the shrinking middle class in America. American’s have probably already felt this to some degree, but the article cites some helpful information related to the diminishing middle class. What does this mean for churches and their stewardship ministries? How should church leadership address this?
How to Connect with Younger Givers
As the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers begin to age out of the American church, so will their financial support. One of the worst assumptions church leaders can make is that Generation X and the Millennials will pick up the giving dollar for dollar. Here’s a great article from Christianity Today on how churches…
The Top 10 Things to Know About the Generosity of Women
Here are 10 things you need to know about the generosity of women, thanks to Mary Jovanovich of Schwab Charitable: 62% of women are the primary sources of household wealth 40% of women out earn their husbands 47% of all businesses are owned by women Women will inherit over $28 Trillion in the next four…
Neither Poverty nor Riches
This weekend I finished Neither Poverty nor Riches by Craig Blomberg. The book serves as a theological survey of Scripture regarding money and possessions. Here are Blomberg’s final five conclusions from this book which I highly recommend: Material possessions are a good gift from God meant for his people to enjoy. Material possessions are simultaneously…
Secrecy vs. Confidentiality
It’s common to hear a church leader struggle with the challenge of developing and discipling their givers when their church’s giving records are closed. My company, MortarStone Generosity, provides data analytics and intelligence software that measure the recency, frequency, volume and tenure of givers so that church leaders can encourage givers to take steps toward…
Lifeway Research on ‘Shrinking Donors’
Lifeway Research has recently contributed to the commentary on stewardship and generosity with a report that cites research conducted by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The report echos what others have been stating all summer, chiefly that the pool of givers to religious organizations is dwindling. How is it, then, that in the face…
The 2020 Giving USA Report
Americans are incredibly blessed. Those in our nation who are age 60 and above average $800,000 in personal assets. In the coming years our nation will see the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of the world as over $33 trillion will pass from one generation to their designated beneficiaries. The 2020 Giving USA…
Economic Stratification and Patronage in the First Century Roman Empire
Peter Oakes is the Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester. His recent monograph, titled, Empire, Economics, and the New Testament*, provides a couple of resources for generosity that I wanted to share. I hope that you will find them beneficial. ECONOMIC STRATIFICATION / CLASSES IN THE FIRST CENTURY 0.04%…
The Eight Pockets of Stewardship
People who regularly attend church services or who have joined a local faith community have particular giving habits and patterns. It’s important that those who steward the financial resources of a congregation understand that donors are not motivated equally by every appeal. In my pastoral experience, there are eight different pockets of giving in a…
