I have been visiting and consulting with churches and church leaders for over 25 years. Do you know what that means? Mostly, it means that I’m old. But it also means I have seen a lot of what takes place in congregations in a variety of settings.
Because of the number of times I have been in different churches, I can come pretty close to determining how healthy the financial stewardship of a congregation is just by listening and watching the time of offertory in a worship service. In most churches, that time has little meaning. Some people come to the front with offering plates, and someone prays. About half the time the prayer includes a request to “bless the gift and the giver.” It’s mostly tradition and ritual.
But in churches with very healthy giving relative to their demographics, something different takes place in the offertory. It is meaningful. It is engaging. And it makes a difference. Here are five ways I have seen it done well in a number of churches. Read more
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