Any of you who have listened to The Stewardship Seminar or The Stewardship Intensive know that I am a firm believer in creating custom offering envelopes for your church and including them in each week’s program/bulletin.

In fact, I shared our latest envelope design from The Journey (including our Christmas Offering info) in a post a few weeks ago (click here to download).

Since there are so many different styles of offering envelopes out there (including those tiny ones that can barely hold a quarter) and methods associated with receiving the offering , the transition sometimes leaves churches with a few questions.

One such question is about using an Offering Envelope Service, with personalized printed envelopes for all of your church members, typically distributed annually or quarterly.

Many churches have been using these services for years and ask me about whether they should discontinue because of their new system.

Honestly, I don’t think there’s a reason to stop the envelope service.  The cost of these services is typically very inexpensive, so just do both!

In fact, we do both at The Journey – we have envelopes in every program each week and we mail out envelopes to our members and regular givers.

Some people who get the mailed ones asked to be removed from the mailing and said they would use the ones we provide on Sunday, but we have a lot of people who appreciate the convenience.

That said, we saw a much bigger increase in giving when we went to envelopes in the program compared to when we add people to the mailed envelope service.

P.S. Is your church’s Stewardship System due for an upgrade?  Check out my most comprehensive stewardship resource, The Stewardship Intensive.

As church leaders, we’re all called to make disciples.  A big part of the disciple-making process is helping people recognize and grow in using their spiritual gifts for God’s Kingdom.

This is not a foreign concept to any pastor I know – in fact, you are probably doing it already with respect to some spiritual gifts.

For example, if someone has the gift of serving, you give them opportunities to serve.  If someone has the gift of hospitality, you let them serve as a greeter.  If someone has the gift of leadership, you give them opportunities to lead.

As Pastors and Church Leaders we have an obligation to cultivate all of the spiritual gifts.

But how do you cultivate those people in your church who have the gift of generosity?

Here are some ideas to help you cultivate the gift of generosity in the people of your church:

1 – Familiarize yourself and them with God’s generosity. Jesus talked about money more than heaven and hell combined.  Read through the Gospels and look at the generosity of Jesus with the person in question.  Read the parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16), The Parable of the Worker’s in the Vineyard (Matthew 20) and others.

Remind them that God doesn’t give us what is fair, he gives to us out of His grace.  Generous giving is an extension of God’s grace and His work.  Generosity is not fair.

2 – Don’t neglect the tithe. Generous giving is above the tithe.  The Bible tells us that the tithe belongs to God, so generosity is not giving something that already belongs to God.  Remind people to continue to be diligent in their tithe and know that generous giving is above the tithe.

3 – Help them to recognize God’s voice in their life. Most people who have the gift of generosity are compelled to give a specific number.  Help them to have confidence in the direction that they’re given.  Encourage them to only give what they’ve been told/compelled to give.  No more or less.

4 – Teach them to discern how they are to give what God calls them to give. Sometimes they are to give anonymously and sometimes they are to do it with someone else’s knowledge.  God may not only use them to give but to compel others to do so.

There may be times when they’re to give their gift with someone’s knowledge through a testimony to help disciple others.  Sometimes their giving and someone else knowing is to teach that person or to compel them to do the same.  God uses people with the gift of giving to be examples to others.  Encourage them to only do that which God leads them to do.

5 – Encourage them to never be motivated by guilt or manipulation. Others who find out that they have this gift or ‘are just a generous’ person may try to take advantage of them.  Encourage them to not allow this to happen.  God has given this gift to them and it’s their responsibility to be obedient.  He’s already found them to be a good steward, now it’s just up to them to be obedient.

6 – Challenge them to grow in their gift. There may be times when they’re to give a gift that seems completely outrageous.  Challenge them to trust God that this is the right gift to give.  Take it as a challenge and opportunity for growing their faith.

Look for ways to give in both large and small ways.  It may be as simple as leaving behind a larger tip for their waiter or it may be that they’re to give to a large endeavor.  Help them to look to grow in their gift not only by the amount that they give but by the number of opportunities that God gives them.

7 – Let them know there may be times when God doesn’t give them a figure to give. He just wants them to give out of the gift He’s given them.  That’s an opportunity for them to use their discretion.  During those opportunities let them know that there’s no right or wrong gift.  God just wants you to use the gift He’s given them.

8 – Challenge them to set goals for their giving. One of the things that Jesus taught in the Parable of the Talents is that “you have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things.”  Encourage them to look for opportunities to grow spiritually through their financial goals.

9 – Teach them to be wise about those who concern themselves with your gift. Studies have shown that generosity as a spiritual gift is given to a small percentage of believers.  With that in mind, they should be careful of people who seem overly concerned with their gift.

10 – Lastly, remind them that they can’t out-give God. We can try, but it will never happen.  In fact, it’s a lot of fun to try to out-give Him and watch how He blesses in return.

P.S. Here are some great resources to help you cultivate the spiritual gifts of the people in your congregation:

• For more on cultivating the gift of generosity, check out The Stewardship Intensive.
• For more on cultivating the gift of hospitality, check out The Assimilation Intensive.
• For more on cultivating the gift of serving, check out The Ministry Seminar.
• For more on cultivating the gift of leadership, check out Leadership Skills for a Growing Church.

Today’s 4th and final installment on structuring your church for growth is going to be a bit of a turn from the previous 3 posts.

After looking at the issues of by-laws, church governance, and budgeting, today I’d like to share a few quick thoughts about the importance of having your salary package set up properly.

For whatever reason, many of us in church leadership tend to neglect the issue of our personal finances, especially when it comes to how our salary package is set up.

I would dare say that the vast majority of pastors I talk to about this are currently erring on one of two sides when it comes to the way they’re getting paid:

1) They are unsure/afraid that they’re in violation of Federal and/or State tax laws, or 2) They are leaving a considerable amount of money on the table (ie: paying more than their share of taxes).

What does this have to do with your church growing?  Well, you’re not going to be able to devote your attention to leading your church if you’re too busy looking over your shoulder for the tax man!

With the special nature of clergy tax laws and the myriad of unique rules and potential pitfalls, I have one big recommendation, Pastor:

Get some professional help!

I recommend Steve Merriman and his team at Clergy Advantage (formerly Clergy Financial).  They know more about clergy tax law than anyone I have ever met – including the IRS!

I’ve never been more thankful for the Clergy Advantage team than I was about a year and a half ago when I was audited by the IRS.

The minor expense of paying for a group of people who work with clergy salary issues EVERYDAY is more than worth the peace of mind of knowing you’re in good hands.

Don’t waste another day living in fear when it comes to your taxes – Get some help!

P.S. Clergy Advantage is offering a Free Webinar on Tuesday, December 15, called “Tax Free Money for Ministers.” You can read more and register now by clicking this link.

Hundreds of you joined me a couple of weeks ago for my “How to Plan and Conduct a Christmas Offering” Webinars and hundreds more have downloaded the new Christmas Offering report that I released in October.

In spite of my best efforts however, there are still a few questions that I didn’t clearly address.  Today’s 2nd post is my effort to answer all of those unanswered Christmas Offering questions from the webinars and from your emails.

Here they are:

Q: If we start the offering around Thanksgiving (or just before) and run it through January, should we really call it a “Christmas Offering?”

A: The concept of this type of offering is about helping people stretch spiritually and fund Kingdom efforts at a time when they’re in the giving spirit in general.  That’s why I use the term “Christmas Offering” to describe this type of offering in my training and discussions.

However, you can feel free to call it whatever you think will best connect with your people.  If you’re planning to go into the new year, a “Christmas Offering” will not be as compelling.

At The Journey we refer to it as our “special offering” or “annual offering,” because we often end up extending it through January.

Q: Do you announce the goal amount and the progress to the church?

A: Yes! Once you determine your goal amount (remember, this should be a goal that you can meet and exceed), let people know.  We are all wired for a challenge and just knowing that goal amount may be just what it takes for someone to give more than ever to see it met – and learn some lessons about faith along the way!

As for the progress, you definitely want to keep people informed.  You don’t have to announce the exact amount raised every week, but you should make mention of how things are going on a regular basis.

Q: What happens to the funds if we miss our goal (or exceed it by a lot)?

A: This is a good question on both ends.

1) On the “missing your goal” side: If you have tried some of the ideas I shared in the webinars and still fell short of your goal, then something (or some things) simply go unfunded.

That’s why it’s so important to choose your causes wisely AND make sure that they are one-time causes.  In other words, don’t set up a staff person’s salary so that it depends on your Christmas Offering.

You also don’t want to promise anyone any certain amount (especially outside organizations) until your offering has concluded.  For example, even if you don’t reach your goal and can only give half of what you planned to a local homeless shelter, that’s still a meaningful gift to them.

2) If you exceed your goal (which I’m praying you do, by the way), then you can simply divide the extra between missions and the 2010 budget.  It can provide just the right shot in the arm to both your missions efforts AND your general operating funds for the upcoming year!

Thanks again for all the great feedback and interaction regarding the Christmas Offering report and webinars – I look forward to hearing how God uses it all to bless your churches and expand His Kingdom!

P.S. If you missed the Christmas Offering Webinar, you can listen to a replay of the audio by CLICKING HERE.

And you can also still download your “How to Plan & Conduct a Christmas Offering” Report by CLICKING HERE.

Today’s post is the third in a 4 part series about structuring your church for growth.  If you missed the other two, you can find them here: Part 1 (by-laws) & Part 2 (church governance).

While the first two topics (by-laws and church governance) are areas where some churches are tied by denominational mandate or tradition, today’s topic addresses an area where every church has options: the budget.

Most of us in church leadership are familiar with the old quote, “show me your checkbook and I’ll tell you what’s important to you,” but too often we fail to strategically do the same analysis with our own church budgets.

Without serious attention, your church’s  budget can become bloated and confusing, often doing a poor job of allocating your resources toward the fulfillment of the vision.

I make no secret of how much I’ve learned in the area of church finances from Steve Stroope (co-author of Money Matters in Church and Senior Pastor of LakePointe Church in Rockwall, TX) over the years.

In their book, Stroope and Aubrey Malphurs suggest – based on studying growing, spiritually healthy churches – allocating your budget something like this:

• 10% – Missions
• 20% – Programming
• 50% – Personnel (staffing)
• 20% – Facilities

This is a great starting point.

Depending on your church’s unique situation, you may need to tweak these specific numbers, but the basics are solid. And the core principle is to have a plan! These percentages will help keep you from getting overextended in one area or another.

One area where you can adjust is personnel.  If you’re a small church you may need to spend a higher percentage on staff, and less in a larger church.  In fact, at The Journey, we aim to spend only about 30% on staff salaries.

We are able to run very lean in this area (and still compensate our staff well – check out ChurchStaffing.com for a good reference on how much to pay) and free up more of our budget to be used in the other areas.

So, how does your church’s budget break down?

Are any of these 4 areas drastically out of line with the above recommendations?

What can you do for 2010 that will help your church be a better, more effective steward of the resources that God provides?

P.S. For a great resource on church finances and more about this topic, check out Improve the Financial Fitness of Your Church (with Steve Stroope).

Hundreds of you joined me last week for my series of “How to Plan and Conduct a Christmas Offering” Webinars and even more have downloaded the new Christmas Offering report that I released a couple of weeks ago.

In spite of my best efforts however, there are still a few questions that I didn’t clearly address.  I’m writing this post today in an effort to answer all of those unanswered Christmas Offering questions from the webinars and from your emails.

Here they are:

Q: If we really push a Christmas Offering, won’t that negatively impact our regular budget offering?

A: No.  In most cases, if you carefully and prayerfully determine the causes you are going to raise money for, there will not be a negative impact on your regular tithes and offerings.

However, you will need to clearly and repeatedly remind your people that the Christmas Offering is above and beyond their regular giving.

Remember, that’s one of the biggest reasons for doing a Christmas Offering: to help your people grow by giving sacrificially.

Q: We just kicked off a new capital campaign – should we conduct a Christmas Offering or wait until next year?

A: With a new capital campaign, I would say it’s probably best to wait until next year.  So much energy and effort goes into launching a campaign like that, that the Christmas Offering would likely be too much.

I’ll say this though: If you’re in a capital campaign (just not at the beginning of one), you can still run a successful Christmas Offering.  Just keep that in mind when you set your goal.

Q: If two of our causes are giving to US/World Missions and Church Planting, should we present them separately or just list them in the same category?

A: That really depends on a couple of different factors.

1) Are both of these causes at the heart of your church’s culture? In other words, will your people be more prone to support the offering if you present each cause separately?  If so, then I would definitely separate them out and promote them individually.

2) How many overall causes are you promoting?  Keep in mind that 3-4 causes are enough for most churches.  Many more than that and you run the risk of people tuning out because of too much information.

Hopefully you’re getting ready to roll-out your Christmas Offering, but it’s not too late!

I’ll be back next week with another post to answer the rest of your questions…

P.S. If you missed the Christmas Offering Webinar, you can listen to a replay of the audio by CLICKING HERE.

And you can also still download your “How to Plan & Conduct a Christmas Offering” Report by CLICKING HERE.

I wanted to send out a big Thank You this morning to all of you who joined me for one of the 4 Christmas Offering Webinars that I did last week (over 825 of you participated).

I’ve also heard from a bunch of you who either found out about them late or couldn’t attend for one reason or another, so I’m giving you all a chance to listen.

We have set up a special page where you can listen to an audio replay of one of the webinars from last week.  While it doesn’t include my slides or the bonus resources that I gave to everyone who joined me in the live webinars, you can get all of the content from the audio to make your church’s Christmas Offering a rousing success!

You can listen at:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/christmasreplay

Also, I’ll be posting some of the frequently asked Christmas Offering Questions from the webinars here on the blog later this week.

P.S. To get the most of the webinar replay, be sure to download your FREE copy of my new “How to Plan & Conduct a Christmas Offering” Report. You can grab it here:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/christmas

P.P.S. Feel free to share this post (and the URL for the Christmas Offering Webinar Replay) with anyone who might find it helpful.  I can’t wait to hear all that God does in and through our churches through the Christmas Offering.  Thanks again for your support!

I’m just about to start the first of 4 Free “How to Plan & Conduct a Christmas Offering” Webinars that I’m doing this week, and I wanted to share some samples of what we’re using to let our folks at The Journey know about this year’s offering.

Here are the links to samples of:

• The letter & documents that explain the offering
• The large-format envelope we’re using to send the info packet
• The Journey’s special offering envelope design

If you haven’t already signed up for one of these Free Webinars, you can still sign up by CLICKING HERE.

I’ve tried to set up the times so that each of you can join me for one of them.

And don’t forget to grab your copy of my new E-Book by the same name, “How to Plan & Conduct a Christmas Offering” (PDF) at:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/christmas

In case you haven’t heard – I’m doing 4 webinars this week (today through Thursday) to help you plan and conduct your church’s Christmas Offering.

I want to help you maximize your ministry potential and grow your people – don’t delay, register now!

Here’s all the info:

FREE – Register Now!

Join Nelson Searcy in this 90-minute webinar without ever having to leave your office or home! Nelson will teach you to challenge your people to grow spiritually and maximize the impact of your church’s Christmas Offering. Once registered, you will simply need a phone and a computer with internet access to participate. This is a great opportunity to train your entire staff with this webinar.

4 Convenient Times to Choose From! Tuesday, October 27, 2009 1:30PM – 3:00PM Eastern Wednesday, October 28, 2009 3:00PM – 4:30PM Eastern Wednesday, October 28, 2009 7:00PM – 8:30PM Eastern Thursday, October 29, 2009 4:00PM – 5:30PM Eastern Here’s what you can expect to learn: What is a Christmas Offering and how it will grow your people during Christmas The complete ‘nuts and bolts’ of a successful Christmas Offering The specific timeline for an effective Christmas Offering How to conduct a Christmas Offering especially in a down economy How to gain the support of your staff and key leaders How to implement a Christmas Offering so as not to detract from your General Budget How to identify the causes that will motivate your people to give sacrificially 5 simple steps that will increase your Christmas Offering How to set the ‘right goals’ for your Christmas Offering How to determine the right dollar amount A specific process for celebrating your Christmas Offering Specific examples of graphics, letters, etc used at The Journey Church Plus much more! These Webinars are FREE! Don’t miss it – Register now Tuesday, October 27, 2009 1:30PM – 3:00PM Eastern 12:30PM – 2:00PM Central 11:30AM – 1:00PM Mountain 10:30AM – 12:00PM Pacific Wednesday, October 28, 2009 3:00PM – 4:30PM Eastern 2:00PM – 3:30PM Central 1:00PM – 2:30PM Mountain 12:00PM – 1:30PM Pacific Wednesday, October 28, 2009 7:00PM – 8:30PM Eastern 6:00PM – 7:30PM Central 5:00PM – 6:30PM Mountain 4:00PM – 5:30PM Pacific Thursday, October 29, 2009 4:00PM – 5:30PM Eastern 3:00PM – 4:30PM Central 2:00PM – 3:30PM Mountain 1:00PM – 2:30PM Pacific

P.S. If you haven’t already gotten my Free, freshly revised “How to Plan and Conduct a Christmas Offering” E-Book, you can download it here.

What if you could greatly expand your church’s ministry potential and encourage spiritual growth within your church by adding one thing to your annual schedule?  Now is the time to start planning your church’s Christmas Offering.

I just revised and updated my How to Plan & Conduct a Christmas Offering E-Book and I’m giving it away FREE.  It’s designed to teach you the step-by-step process of planning and conducting a Christmas Offering at your church.

To download your copy, CLICK HERE.

ALSO — Along with the new report, I’m doing 4 FREE WEBINARS next week, where I’ll walk you through the planning process and help you get everything together to launch and conduct your Christmas Offering just in time.

When you download your report, be sure to sign up for the webinar that best fits your schedule next week!

http://www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/christmas