Want to strengthen your church’s culture of generosity? Hint: It really is about the right people in the right place.
It is about getting the right people in the place where their gifts match the resources required to enable the church to live its vision and accomplish its ongoing mission. This is especially true in the area of stewardship.
Most congregations function with a single team responsible for all financial leadership—conversations, implementation, and oversight. This is not effective.
Three Teams, Not One
The complexity of financial ministry is best served by three distinct teams:
- Finance Team
- Stewardship Team
- Planned/Legacy Gifts Team
Across all three teams, certain qualities are essential. Those involved in financial leadership should be:
- Leaders in the practice of generosity
- Committed to the congregation’s vision and mission
- Open to new ideas and ways of thinking
- Able to train and equip others
- Recognized as trustworthy people of integrity
Finance Team: Managing the Numbers with Integrity
You need a team that focuses on the numbers—a Finance Team.
This team is responsible for:
- Monitoring income and expenses
- Generating financial reports
- Tracking spending in relation to the budget
- Communicating the church’s financial position clearly and honestly
They also oversee key policies and practices, including:
- Internal controls and financial transparency
- How gifts are received (including electronic giving) and acknowledged
- Audit processes
- Expense prioritization
This work is done in consultation with the board or governing body.
Ideal team members are:
- Skilled with numbers
- Strong managers
- Committed to the church
- Willing to take appropriate risks
- Known for integrity and trustworthiness
Having members with business experience can be especially helpful. However, avoid placing individuals in this role who are overly fearful, negative, or alarmist.
Stewardship Team: Connecting Generosity to Mission
Alongside finance, you need a Stewardship Team focused on cultivating generosity.
This team is responsible for:
- Stewardship education
- Creating meaningful experiences that connect faith and financial practice
- Leading the annual stewardship campaign
- Sharing personal testimonies of generosity
- Interpreting the connection between money and mission
- Encouraging generosity across the congregation
Effective team members:
- Practice generosity in their own lives
- Communicate clearly and compellingly
- Are creative and spiritually grounded
- Follow through on commitments
- Fully embrace the congregation’s vision
Planned/Legacy Gifts Team: Stewarding the Final Gift
The third essential group is a Planned or Legacy Gifts Team.
This team focuses on:
- Educating the congregation about legacy giving
- Encouraging, receiving, and expressing gratitude for end-of-life gifts
- Celebrating these gifts as expressions of faith
Their work extends beyond estate planning to include:
- Final healthcare directives
- Funeral or memorial preferences
- Organ donation
- Broader end-of-life stewardship conversations
Our “final benediction” becomes a powerful opportunity to proclaim faith, practice generosity, and bear witness to what we value.
This team also ensures:
- Policies support legacy giving
- Gifts are stewarded according to donor intent
Those called to this work should:
- Be faithful stewards
- Have their own estate plan (including the church)
- Understand investing
- Be comfortable discussing money
- Be passionate about legacy giving
- Be trusted and above reproach
Bringing It All Together
Success in resourcing mission and ministry requires:
- Clarity of vision and purpose
- Sound fiscal policies
- Stewardship taught as a spiritual discipline
- Honest conversations about money and values
- A firm commitment to never separate money from mission
It goes without saying: The minister and congregational leaders must model generosity. Without that, none of this will make a lasting difference.
Remember
The right people in the right place of service = the right stuff to strengthen and sustain your congregation’s culture of generosity.