Focus on the Giver, Not the Gift: Ten Strategies for Building a Generous Church Culture

By Travis Moody

What if you could increase the money given to your church between 15 percent and 20 percent? Well, it can be done. In fact, we have done it at my home church for the last eight years in a row! Over the last eight years, The Life Church has been my experimental laboratory to test different stewardship strategies. My experiments over the years have yielded ten successful strategies and just as many (maybe even more) to avoid. These ten strategies have helped several other churches that I have consulted with over the last eight years. Regardless of the size of your church, the ten financial strategies unpacked in this book will help you create a culture of generosity in your church.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781532081798

Travis Moody

Travis regularly speaks on the subject of finances and serves as a consultant to help churches build a culture of generosity. To get more help on beginning Vision Partners at your church, to receive generous church tools, or to book Travis as a speaker, contact him at [e-mail]. You can also subscribe to his blog at travismoody.com or connect with him on social media.

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Copyright © 2019 Travis Moody.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-8178-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-8179-8 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 08/30/2019

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CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1 Four Ingredients of a Contagious, Generous Church Culture

Chapter 2 Discipleship Process—Like Riding a Bike

Chapter 3 Typical Church Profile

Chapter 4 Tactics for Developing Generous Givers from Each Giver Type

Chapter 5 Communicate a Compelling Vision

Chapter 6 Have an Effective Offering Moment During Weekend Services

Chapter 7 Preach on Finances

Chapter 8 Invite Tithers to Become Generous Givers (Vision Partners)

Chapter 9 Provide Giver Appreciation and Follow-Up

Chapter 10 Have Intentional Vision Partner Meetings

Chapter 11 Hold Leaders Accountable to a Giving Standard

Chapter 12 Offer Regular Stewardship Education and Coaching

Chapter 13 Teach Generous Giving in New Members’ Class

Chapter 14 Assign a Generous Church Champion/Leader

Chapter 15 Generosity Metrics

Conclusion

Notes

FOREWORD

Travis Moody and I first met in 2006 at a Crown Financial Ministries Annual Retreat. At the time, I served as CEO of Crown, an organization I cofounded with the late Larry Burkett. Travis shared how our ministry had drastically impacted his life and was a catalyst for his first published book, Financial Breakthrough—God’s Plan for Getting out of Debt.

Travis had always dreamed of living a successful life. He played college football at Georgia Tech and graduated with an industrial engineering degree. Later he earned his MBA at Duke University. After a successful career with Fortune 500 companies, he made unwise decisions that led to a financial crisis for his family. He had no money, no income, and more than $100,000 in debt. On top of that, he had a huge mortgage on a home that he could not afford to live in, maintain, or even sell.

He and Carol had been married ten years, but this was the first time he had seen her cry because of something he had done. He felt like he had failed his wife, and he felt that God had failed him because his had always tithed. He could not understand why he wasn’t prospering.

Carol suggested that they participate in a Crown small group study to learn what God says about money. As a result, Travis and Carol paid off more than $100,000 in debt in only three years. The last fifteen years, they have shared their story with thousands of others.

In 2008, Travis left a well-paid corporate executive career to serve full-time helping people learn biblical financial principles. He has worked successfully with dozens of churches and pastors. In 2011, he joined the Life Church as stewardship pastor with responsibility for growing generous givers called Vision Partners. In 2015, he formed the Lomah Consulting Group to help churches and individuals achieve their God-given purpose.

In this book, Travis shares ten proven strategies to help churches build a contagious culture of generosity. What I appreciate most is that this book encourages church leaders to focus on the giver and not the gift. As we help people become more like Christ, we create churches that will make an impact for God in generations to come. I am confident that this book will be a blessing to church leaders and will help your church achieve its God-given vision.

Howard Dayton

Founder Compass—Finances God’s Way

PREFACE

What if you could increase the money given to your church between 15 percent and 20 percent? For a church that has a budget of $1 million, that could mean receiving an additional $200,000 a year. And what if you could receive that increase not just one year but every year for the rest of the life of your church? Imagine how you could impact your church and community with an additional $1 million every five years! How many lives could be transformed? How many ministries could be birthed? How many stories could be rewritten? The possibilities are staggering—although generating such a large sum of money may sound impossible. Well, it can be done. In fact, we have done it at my home church for