The first step to getting people in your church to give is to communicate with them. 

Churches over estimate how much their attendees actually know. They often assume their people know how to give. And, they often assume attendees know why they should give. But, most of the time your congregation doesn’t have all the information they need. 

If the people in your church don’t know how to give, it’s unlikely they will give.

Likewise, if your church doesn’t know why they should give, odds are they aren’t going to feel an urgency to do it or understand the calling the Lord has placed on all of us to give.  

And if they don’t give, your giving will remain stagnant and your ministry will be limited.

This is our rule of thumb: When you feel like you are “over communicating” about giving, you probably are communicating “just enough.”

So let’s look at some practical ways you can communicate the “why” and “how” of giving to your church. 

As a church leader, the Lord places a special responsibility on you. He calls you to shepherd the flock and to lead them in His direction. And tithing is no exception to this. 

To start, share with your church the biblical foundations of why giving is important to the Lord. 

Giving is biblical. You know this and we know this, but make sure you’re constantly reminding your church as well. Teach your congregation the biblical principles behind giving by sharing scripture about tithing in a sermon or before offering. Here are some bible verses you can use to emphasize the importance of giving to your church:

2 Corinthians 9:7 – Philippians 4:19 – Luke 6:30 – Proverbs 21:26
 Malachi 3:10 – Acts 20:35 – Proverbs 11:25 – 2 Corinthians 9:11
 1 Chronicles 29:14 – Proverbs 18:16 – Proverbs 3:9 – Matthew 19:21
Matthew 6:2 – Matthew 6:21 – 2 Corinthians 8:1-7- Matthew 5:14-16
Matthew 28:16-20- Ephesians 4:12-16

While giving is biblical, it is also practical. Your church is meeting needs in the community and world around you. When we tie in practical differences giving makes, we reinforce the biblical principles of giving. There are several things to point to when practically talking about giving:

  • Communicate the vision of the church and connect giving to how you accomplish it.
  • Update people on where money is going,  how it is being used, and why it’s being used in specific ways.
  • Share budget allocations (dollar amounts or percentages to different categories).
  • Share statistics and stories of what money is accomplishing and how God is moving in your church.
  • Connect giving to stories of food pantries being filled, missionaries being supported, or other ways your church is meeting needs.

Once you’ve talked about the why behind the importance of giving, share how your church can give. Try these different ways to clearly articulate to your church how they can give:

  • During services, tell your attendees every way they can give. If they can give online, from an app, by text message, or by mailing a check, tell them! To further help, put it on screen while you talk about it to increase the likelihood of retention for at least 60 seconds. This will create enough time for people to write it down so they can act on it later.
  • Make giving easy and obvious on your website. And, on your giving page, clearly list out every way someone can give to your church.
  • In Church emails and/or e-newsletters, have a clearly marked “How You Can Give to Our Church” section.
  • Leverage social media platforms. Create posts to highlight the way your church is meeting needs and invite your followers to join in by giving. You can even drop a link in the post directly to your giving web page.

By communicating how and why your church should give, you will empower and educate your donors to give. This is the starting point for creating a culture of generosity. This will not only increase your giving today but it will also promote sustained giving over time.