Churches should stop begging, start telling their story

Rev. Clif Christopher (center), author of “Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate,” believes most churches ask for money in completely the wrong way.

Instead of showing the value of donating to the church’s ministry, they give a “doom and gloom” picture of the budget and even how close the church is to closing the doors for good.


That’s all wrong, according to Christopher.

“If you expect success, you must answer the question, ‘Why do you deserve the support you’re asking people to give you?’”

He said non-profits—not churches—have identified the correct way to elicit donations.

“People want to see evidence. Where are the lives that are being changed? Non-profits communicate how they’re changing lives over and over again,” Christopher said.

Non-profits are dependent on people choosing to give money, so the non-profits can do their missions.

“They craft everything around why people choose to give,” he said.

The cover stories in their newsletters are usually about how a specific person’s life was changed.

“They’re telling you a story that, when you read it, makes you feel, ‘By golly, I gave my money, and something was done.’”

Christopher said the number one reason people give is that they believe in the institution. They believe it is a place that’s changing lives. It’s a place where they want to give. If they don’t believe in it, they don’t give anymore. They’re choosing to give where they see an impact being made, where they’re changing lives.

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--by Susan Cooper, Kansas communications associate director

God Is Still In Control!

Miss Lladale Carey
Web Content Producer
www.umcgiving.org
lcarey@umcom.org