Most churches have one or two designated platform gurus who focus on data analysis and reporting. The best decisions are made with the best information, so these roles are so important in a church. Those in a financial, giving, or stewardship role work hard to produce excellent reports that are faithfully submitted to decision-makers as matters of information! 

The problem is – the reporting that most churches are pulling tells us about yesterday and today. But what about tomorrow? Who is responsible for interpreting the information and creating strategies for church growth? It would make sense that those immersed in the data also advise on best practices and strategic steps, especially if they’re seeing it with a ‘boots on the ground’ perspective. What can those tasked with stewardship and generosity do to lead from the second chair?

Let’s talk about how to talk to leadership about the importance of generosity in the church, as well as how to move the needle in the C-Suite.

1. Think Differently About Your Role In The Church

One of my responsibilities at MortarStone is thought leadership, so I take the best information today and create tools, tactics, and techniques for tomorrow’s church. 1 Chronicles 12:32 describes the men of Issachar as men who “understood the times and knew what to do”. Generating reports for leadership from MortarStone insights is part of understanding the times, but if that’s all we do, we have failed to complete the mission. Thought leadership requires you to become immersed and invested in the data; we are empowered to notice trends and nuances, and in turn, chart a new course. When the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost, the people observing asked two questions: “What does this mean?” and “What must we do?”. As a thought leader in the area of stewardship and generosity, we need to work toward answering these questions from the data. Print the reports, but then understand them and offer a strategy for what to do next.

2. Keep The Conversation Focused On Discipleship 

Everyone must be made aware of the gulf between our discipleship strategies and the probability that it excludes stewardship and generosity. Granted, you may include it as a part of your membership class, but does it stop there? You may even offer classes to help attendees learn how to responsibly manage money and find debt relief, but are the objectives and outcomes the same? If a person walked into your office and asked for help with a particular vice or addiction, you likely have a prescriptive response for what they should do.

If a person walked into your church office and wanted to be discipled to greater fruitfulness in generosity, what would you say? The point here is – stewardship and generosity should be the concern of everyone in the office suite, as well as in the conference room where governance meetings are held; it is ultimately a part of discipleship and spiritual formation. I’ve never been a worship leader, but as a former pastor, I cared and supported the act of corporate worship and sang with gusto (to the embarrassment of my children). I didn’t pick the songs or singers, but I cared and encouraged everyone else to care because worship should matter to everyone. This is how we all should feel about stewardship and generosity in the church.

3. Get In The Trenches

It’s really important to get to know your givers and learn their stories of how they learned to give, why they give, and how they have been blessed through their giving. With their permission, you can take those stories to the C-Suite. You could share the stories of how difficult it was for them to acknowledge God’s ownership of all things. You could convey the challenges they faced about being content and how hard it is to trust God to be their security. You can then celebrate the victories and blessings they have received because they have been found faithful!

My friend Bryan Rose once told me, “Vision transfers through people, not paper.” As you consider how to lead up, it’s important that you are armed with insights and thought leadership on how to understand the times and know what to do, but also carry a few stories with you to make it real.

4. Lead By Example

Before you can lead anyone, you have to first lead yourself. Are you embracing stewardship and generosity personally? It will be difficult for you to lead either up or down until you have first resolved this concept in your own heart. Your personal participation not only provides credibility to your leadership, but it will also provide a tangible example that will encourage and inspire others.

 

Using the information, stories, and data at your disposal, you can truly impact the way your church leadership thinks about generosity. We always encourage those in the church to be bold and pitch big ideas, but it’s also great to have tangible insights to take with you. The MortarStone platform provides the most comprehensive data analytics for churches who sincerely desire to disciple and mature their congregants in stewardship and generosity. The platform serves the dual purposes of providing comprehensive metrics of corporate giving, as well as clarity regarding the unique givers that compose the whole! MortarStone removes the guesswork of intuition and provides the opportunity for you to lead with the insight of empirical data. Not only do we have the data, but we have the people to help you think through it all.

At MortarStone, we are committed to partnering with churches to make this vision a reality, ensuring that resources are effectively utilized to expand God’s Kingdom. If we can help you in any way, please let us know! Our team would love to partner with you to help you create a generous church – and we’d love for you to start with our free 30-minute consultations for church leaders.

 

Tim Deatrick, D.Min., CAP

Director of Giver Engagement

Tim Deatrick, D.Min., CAP, is the Director of Giver Engagement for MortarStone. If you’d like to schedule a free consultation about the content of this article or to learn more about how MortarStone can help, reach out to him. For the latest information about MortarStone blog posts, webinars, and teaching events, follow MortarStone on LinkedIn.