“It’s that time of year again…” the congregation groans, “the church wants more of our money”.
It’s a reaction a lot of us can identify with, and it’s tempting to be cynical about the way the church dresses up the topic with talk of mission. It’s not an easy subject to talk about, but it is an essential one to the growth of the Church.
When we give to one another and to our churches, we are – in Paul’s words – ‘administering grace’ (2 Cor 8.20). All our giving, and therefore our asking, must point in that direction – not simply asking for money for the sake of it, but communicating what that giving supports, pointing towards the glory of God. It may feel like ‘dressing up’ the subject, but it is key to the message of why our churches are here, and to our responsibility as disciples to resource and finance that ministry and mission to our communities. Our communities can be a great source of support at church, parish and deanery levels – as we resource one another, we strengthen ourselves as the body of Christ in the world, and our relationships as deanery families.
Together, we can offer our communities an image of the generosity of God.
I preached recently about giving in the context of enabling mission, and was asked afterwards what mission actually is. It’s so important to get the language right, to deliver messages that are understood and not too broad or vague. Our message must be clear and relevant to our communities, so the link is visible between ‘my giving’ and ‘our weekly coffee morning’, ‘our pastoral care’, or ‘our children’s group’. It’s equally important to share those stories, plans, strategies, ideas and insights within our deaneries so that in turn we share our graces, blessings and challenges.
As the Generous Giving Team visits Deanery Synods in the coming months, do come and speak with us – along with DFAs, we are your resource, and we look forward to supporting you.
Sammi Tooze
Generous Giving Adviser