As a campus missionary for almost ten years, I was largely responsible for raising the funds for my personal and family support. It was one of the best things I ever did in life, but also one of the hardest.
I clearly remember sitting down to dinner around the table with my family on the day we learned we had reached 100% of our support need. I said the familiar words I had grown up praying, “God is great; God is good, and we thank Him for this food…” and it struck me. In a very real sense, God had provided that food through the generous and sacrificial giving of His people. Dinner never tasted so good.
In the process of support raising, I learned several things which will help the regulars in your ministry, as well as your guests, to feel welcome to give.
First, never apologize. If you believe strongly in the mission of your church or organization, as well as in God’s instructions about giving, then you should make no apologies for asking people to give.
Second, don’t deny any person the opportunity to give. Our giving is part of our worship, not merely the means to support it.
Just as you would never say to the congregation, “If this is your first time visiting our church, please don’t sing. Just let the rest of us sing and enjoy the music,” you should also never say, “If this is your first time visiting our church, please don’t give. Just let the rest of us do it.”
And finally, create an atmosphere of joy surrounding the time of giving. Avoid long, slow, improvised instrumental music (or silence), which may make the time to collect offerings seem more like something to endure than a time to give cheerfully.
This is the second in a three-part post addressing how to help guests feel welcome in your church or ministry.