Developing the discipline of giving is part of the journey of being a Christ follower. There are more scriptures dealing with how Christ followers should handle their financial resources than any other topic, so obviously God's thoughts on our finances are important.
A key theme to know is that being a generous giver is not about what the church wants from you, but rather what the church wants for you. All throughout the scriptures, a key principle is that blessing comes after obedience. To help each of us identify where we are on our journey of becoming a Generous Giver at The MET, we have articulated four phases on the journey of becoming a Generous Giver.
Emerging Giver
I am emerging as a regular giver to The MET.
Proverbs 3:9-10 — “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”
- Start my journey to become a generous giver by giving each time I receive income.
- Discipline my giving by utilizing The MET’s online giving, ACHD or by scheduling a regular bill pay payment online with my bank.
- Use offering envelopes to teach younger family members.
- Denote my giving to the general budget as it generally represents my tithe.
Consistent Giver
I am becoming a consistent giver by prioritizing a percentage of my household income to The MET.
I Corinthians 16:2 — “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”
- Be consistent with my giving by prioritizing my gift to the church.
- Set a percentage benchmark on my gross income on which to give.
- Start where God is leading me. Scripture teaches that a tithe begins at 10%. For some of us, it may be higher, and for others, it may be lower.
- Make my percentage giving a non-negotiable -- each time I am paid.
- Denote my giving to the general budget as it generally represents my tithe.
Expanding Giver
I am expanding the percentage of my giving to The MET.
2 Corinthians 8:7 — “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
- Periodically review my “giving increase” -- the amount I am giving to God through The MET.
- Increase my percentage on an annual basis or as the Lord leads.
- A good rule of thumb is to increase my percentage giving to my tithe by 1/2% each year.
- Denote my giving to the general budget as it generally represents my tithe.
Prompted Giver
I respond to God’s prompting by going above and beyond my regular giving to The MET.
Exodus 25:2 — "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give.”
- Respond to the Holy Spirit’s nudging to give above my tithe.
- The MET has a vision that exceeds the budget’s capacity to fund. Prompted giving helps that vision become a reality.
- Classify my prompted giving to The MET’s mission endeavors.