You might remember Perry Noble, the divorced, alcoholic pastor who was booted from Newspring, the megachurch he founded, a few years ago. After his dismissal, he entered a 30-day rehab program, claiming he was cured of his alcoholism and vowed to return to ministry. While relentlessly threatening Pulpit & Pen with legal action for exposing his psychotic behavior to the world, he also started a new business offering to help churches “grow,” insinuating that churches are businesses, and should place its bottom line in the highest priority.
Noble has not disappointed on his offer. In a new article titled How to Significantly Impact Giving in Your Church, he explains how churches should use Jesus as bait to lure low income or “cash-strapped” visitors and members into giving more money. He says,
So – how do we build a team of givers (who are doing so because they are growing in their walk with Jesus – and not because we guilted them into it?)
Simple – when it comes to giving – we ask them to start somewhere.
I used to believe in asking for people for the tithe right off the top – 10%, no exceptions.
Let me be very clear – I still believe in the tithe; however, if someone is brand new to your church, maybe even brand new to faith – asking them for 10% of their income (especially when most of them are cash strapped) will usually drive them away rather than drawing them in.
However, asking them to start somewhere – that’s something anyone can do.
What would that look like practically?
Simple – after a message on giving (or during an offering prep) you might say, “I understand that giving 10% might seem extreme to some in the room. Heck, it seemed extreme to me at one time. So, if that’s you – I understand. However, I also want you to learn you can trust Jesus in every area of your life – including your finances. So – today – start somewhere. Maybe you can commit to $10 a week, or maybe $20 – doesn’t matter, I just want for you to try it and see if it works.”
Essentially, what Perry Noble is saying is that in order to get more money from your members, you have to appeal to their conscience and bait them with Jesus. If you can convince them that Jesus wants them to give more, you can grow your church revenue significantly. He continues,
Issue this challenge for 3-4 weeks in a row…and…understand the KEY to this approach is follow up!
Two or three weeks later ask the people in the room how many of them have tried giving – whether it’s $10 or $20 – ask them, “Did you miss that money? Do you feel you’ve been blessed over the past few weeks? If so – then what is your next step when it comes to giving, what’s the next level for you? And, if it doesn’t work for you – no worries, I am so thankful you gave it a shot.”
He then ends with a personal guarantee that this methodology will work. In other words, instead of your church functioning like a New Testament church, and placing the Gospel, the ordinances, and the Great Commission as priorities while teaching biblical principles about all things, including New Testament giving, let’s give this cheap method a shot and see how many goats we can lure into giving more with promises of blessings.
I can promise you this will absolutely engage more people when it comes to giving in your church. You won’t see an immediate spike; however, over time if you will commit to the process you will see a significant increase in more and more people trusting Jesus with their finances – and your church being funded so you can accomplish the vision God has placed in your heart.
How do I know this approach works? it’s the one I am using now – with a digital campus (Second Chance doesn’t even meet at a physical location yet!) If it works online I know it will work at a live location.
Give it a shot – and let us know how it goes.
