Church Fundraising Ideas

10 Ideas to Increase Offerings 10-25%

Proven ways churches of all sizes have increased offerings
By Brian Kluth, pastor, natl-intl speaker, author & radio commentator (www.kluth.org)

#1 - Generosity devotional and/or financial sermon series

Hundreds of churches are successfully using the "40 Day Spiritual

Journey to a More Generous Life" Bible devotional to inspire greater
generosity and increase giving. Using this in my own church, we our
giving increase an amazing 41% in the weeks following sending the
devotional to every family in our church and my preaching a financial
sermon series! Pastor John Maxwell has taught thousands of pastors
Biblical stewardship principles at Pastors' conferences he puts on. He
says teaching an annual 4-message stewardship series is the single
most important thing he does every year to help people grow in their
spiritual and financial life. He has done this every year for 20 years. Only
one of the four messages he gives specifically deals with giving money.
Over the years, some of the month-long themes included: "God's
Challenge, Our Choice," "Taking the Stew Out of Stewardship," "The
ABC's of Stewardship," and "It's a Matter of Trust." Be sure to try and use real-life illustrations in your
sermons. Tell people how the Lord has creatively provided for you and/or others you know who
faithfully honored the Lord in their giving. When you teach from the head it goes to the head, but
when you teach from a life it goes to a life. For resources that will help you put together financial or
generosity sermons, go to: www.MAXIMUMgenerosity.org.

#2 - Outside Teaching
Resources That Will Teach
Christians How To Become
More Generous and Better
Manage Their Finances

Use teaching materials from one of the

following sources:

• MAXIMUM Generosity's "40

Days to a More Generous Life"
Bible Devotional
• "Financial Funnies"
Cartoons to cause people
to chuckle, think and
become more generous.
• Crown Financial Ministries
• Willow Creek Association's Good Sense Ministry
 • Check with your denomination to see what they have to offer or would recommend.
• Download the following National Report: "45 Best Practices to Inspire Generosity and Increase
Giving": http://www.kluth.org/1NatlReport.htm

These excellent materials for small group financial Bible studies, Sunday school classes, stewardship
campaigns, or seminars will help take people in your congregation to a whole new level of financial
peace and Biblical generosity.

#3 - Personal Giving Testimonies

Before the offering is collected, have an individual or a

couple give a personal testimony about how the Lord
has taught them to give 10% or more to the Lord's work as their first and highest financial priority.
Have them also briefly explain how they've felt about this decision and how the Lord has blessed
them for their obedience. Some churches with video equipment have done these as taped interviews
and then played them during the service. Use weekly questions from the www.GenerousLife.info
devotional to help people develop their generosity story/testimony.

#4 - Designated Giving

Allow people to give designated "over-and-above-regular-gifts" to a building project, mission's offering

or annual faith promise, renovations, or special needs. These usually do not have a negative impact
on regular giving.

#5 - 90-Day Tithing Challenge

There is only one place in al l of Scripture that God invites us to "test Him" and that is in the giving of
tithes and offerings. When John Maxwell was still pastoring, once a year, he would issue a 90-Day
tithing challenge and promise to return any funds given during this period if people did not experience
God's help in their financial lives. Following the month-long stewardship preaching series, his church
would ask regular givers to turn in a card saying they will tithe the next year. He would ask non-
tithers and new people to sign a card saying they would begin to tithe. The church offered a full refund
to anyone who tithes for 90 days and then regretted this decision. For a sample policy from the
MAXIMUM Generosity website, click here.

#6 - All-Church Tithing Sunday

Challenge everyone in advance to bring a full 10%

of their income as an offering to church on a
designated Sunday. A second option is to have
people write on a card (without indicating their
name) how much their tithe "would be" if they gave
10% of their annual household income to the church. Tally this information and report the totals back
to the congregation. People will be amazed to discover that if they faithfully gave 10% of their income
to the Lord's work in their local church, that they could expand the church budget 2-4x's for missions,
staff, regular operations, and building/renovation projects.

#7 - Pre-Offering Bible Verse, Comments And Offertory Prayer By A Church Leader

I attended one church where a church leader or lay person would read an appropriate Scripture verse
on finances, stewardship, or giving before the offering, make a few personal comments about why it
was meaningful to him, and then pray for the morning offering. Give leaders a copy of Brian Kluth's
internet handout (100 verses to encourage
generosity) and try this in your own church. For a list of
these verses, click here. To order a copy of these
verses in weekly PowerPoint slides with attractive
photos, click here. Some churches just show the one of
the PowerPoint offertory slides just before the offering is taken and they have the person praying for
the offering read the verse on the screen and then pray according to what the verse said.

#8 - Effective Use of Your Church's Giving Records

Put Biblical reasons "why to give" to the Lord on the bottom or back of your giving records. Send out
quarterly giving record reports to your congregation with a financial newsletter. Encourage your
congregation concerning the the value and importance of their faithful giving. For helpful articles,
reports, and samples, click here.

#9 - Outside Guest Speaker

Bring in an experienced financial or generosity speaker. This can be done during a Sunday message,
for a weekend seminar, or for a midweek estate planning session. A qualified and quality outside
speaker can clearly teach God's word on a Biblical perspective to finances and generosity without
fear or timidity.

#10 - Start A Christian Financial Counseling Ministry

Have a lay person in your church begin a Christian financial counseling ministry to help families in
trouble. As families begin to get their finances in order, they'll begin to faithfully give to the Lord's
work.

SPECIAL NOTE: The author has seen churches that have used just 3 or 4 of these
ideas increase their giving 10%-25% or more!!!!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brian Kluth is a national and international speaker and writer on Biblical generosity
and financial matters. He is also a church pastor and the founder of MAXIMUM Generosity, a public
ministry dedicated to advancing Biblical generosity through inspirational preaching, leadership training
seminars, writing, resources and the media. Brian’s written materials have been distributed to more than
350,000 Christian leaders in more than 100 countries .For additional materials or to contact Brian, email:
bk@kluth.org or visit: www.kluth.org

© www.kluth.org. Copyright reprint permission for non-commercial purposes can be purchased for $20 to
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