Generosity Changes Everything
Rev. Lee Ann Bryce
Community Christian Church
October 16, 2011
Galatians 5:1, 22-23
If you’ve been paying attention at all, then by now you’ve probably wised up that we are talking about generosity – or according to our scripture, “the spiritual gift” of generosity. I can recall many sermons that I’ve preached about the spiritual gifts of love or joy or peace or patience. But I’m not sure I’ve ever preached a sermon on generosity as a spiritual practice.
Like many churches, we don’t really talk a lot about money. We give a fair amount of attention to how we spend the money we have. On the committee level and the board level we carefully prepare our budget each year and we take responsibility to give thoughtful attention to being good stewards of the money we have to work with. But I notice sort of an unspoken agreement that we shouldn’t talk too much about the very question the young woman on the video posed to Suze Orman – how much should we give?
I think there are a variety of reasons why we tend to be silent about this. We don’t want to be one of those churches that talks about it all the time. We don’t want people to feel any pressure to give. Some of us have had unpleasant experiences in the past with church leaders using high pressure techniques carefully designed to manipulate or coerce people. The result of our discomfort with that is that we almost completely ignore the topic that Jesus spent much of his time talking about – money; specifically how we relate to our money. And by ignoring the topic of generous giving, we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to come to know the transformational power that giving can have in our lives.
I’ll give you a specific way that we’ve show our discomfort with talking about giving. Our church is somewhat unique in that we steadily have added new members. I’ve been your pastor for almost 10 years now. (Raise your hand if I am the only pastor you’ve known at this church?) I always talk personally with folks who express an interest in joining. There’s one question that I am most often asked at these meetings – I really like this church and I want to support it, but how much am I expected to give to the church? And this is what I have always said, “That is entirely up to you and God. In our church no one knows how much you pledge or if you give at all. So prayerfully consider what you think you can give.” I have come to consider that answer to be completely inadequate.
We talk a lot about practices that can bring you closer to God, things like prayer, Bible study, service. Likewise, stewardship is a personal spiritual practice that transforms us into more god-like people. Generosity changes everything in our lives. Churches are in the business of changing lives. We are invested in forming particular kinds of people with particular values and behaviors. Surely generosity in spirit and with money are at the very heart of that endeavor. Stewardship is about inviting each and every person to grow in the spiritual practice of generosity, of giving, of sharing. It is about creating a culture of giving in the midst of an often anxious and fearful world. One of the core ways that church can change the lives of its members for the better is to help people become more trusting, generous, and giving. These are spiritual practices that express our sense of who we are as individuals and how we exist in the world. Our giving reflects who each of us thinks God is, whether we can trust God and whether we are able to give and commit ourselves to purposes and meanings larger than ourselves.
And so stewardship is not something peripheral to be gotten through as quickly as possible. Stewardship is not about meeting the budget as if it were a necessary evil. Stewardship, how we relate to money, is right at the heart of changing lives. I truly believe that there is not a single other aspect of our spiritual life that is more pivotal in our relationship with God and each other than this area of stewardship.
I say this from personal experience. When I was growing up, church was a very important part of my family’s life. We always attended worship. We were active in Sunday School and fellowship groups. Church mattered to us. Something else about my family – I don’t recall a single conversation about financial giving to the church. We never discussed how much or even if we should do it at all. And so, I never thought about it. I grew up, always going to church and I honestly don’t recall a single time I ever gave a penny to any church I was involved in. It wasn’t a conscious decision not to give on my part. It’s just that I never had much money and so when the stewardship drive rolled around, I thought they were talking to all the other people, not me. Any amount I could give wouldn’t have made much difference. In other words, I missed the point that cultivating a spiritual practice of generosity would change my life.
As I look back on it now, the result of this attitude about giving was that I viewed the church with a heavy emphasis on what it could do for me. I was there to enjoy the people, to be inspired by the music, to feel closer to God. There’s nothing wrong with any of these things, but some things were missing.
The years went on like this even through seminary. The church that sponsored me for ordained ministry did so much to support me – scholarships, prayer, nurturing me – and I never even thought about the spiritual practice for me, of designating a portion of my income (as meager as it was at the time, springing from my four part time jobs) to the church.
And then, ten years ago, I came here as your pastor. At first, I continued my past practice of giving (which meant I gave no money to our church). I thought, I give through my ministry, through all the hours I spend. In other words, I was still missing the point. I was neglecting my own spiritual practice of cultivating generosity.
At some point, fairly early on I began to make a modest pledge, so much per week. It wasn’t a lot, but I remember being excited about the novelty of it; the little box of envelopes. I remember immediately feeling more deeply connected to this church and the work it was doing. No longer was the budget something to view simply from a professional distance. This was my church, not just the church where I worked. This was my church and part of my money that in very small part contributed to this particular remarkable and unique community of faith that I love.
But the most important change I recall, however, was how I felt about myself. It’s a lot like Suze Orman described. That first pledge wasn’t much, but it scared me a little bit. I wondered what it would be like not to have that money that I had been used to. Though it was scary, I never remember a single time of not having what I needed or even wanted. So I increased a little bit every year.
I noticed some changes in my life. First, giving became a regular part of who I am. This continues to grow. It would be unthinkable for me not to make a pledge to this church. Second, I have become much better at managing my money overall. I keep better track of how I spend my money because it’s become so important to me to be able to give. And my life is better for that. And third, I feel more confident personally to bear witness about the power of giving.
I have come to be very intentional about my giving to this church and I’m going to do something today that I have never done before. I’m going to share openly with you my process for determining the amount I give. I am in a unique position in that my compensation is public. Anyone here who wants to know what I make can simply pick up an annual report and take a look. The amount that everyone gives is completely confidential in this church, however, I am free to disclose what I give and I’m going to do that.
My purpose is not to brag, I know others give far more than I do. My purpose is to communicate the principles behind why I give what I give and to share my process for determining how much I give. And I share this with you because I am completely convinced of the transformational power of growing in generosity.
I give according to what is called a “modern tithe.” I give at least 5% to our church’s operating budget and then I give an additional 5% to other causes that do God’s work in the world. Here’s what that looks like for me: my net compensation is $48,143. For simplicity sake today, let’s round that to $48,000 a year. A “modern tithe” says that 5% goes to the church. I consider that specifically to be the church’s annual operating budget, the baseline salaries, utilities, property needs, etc. We have a very “no frills” budget that pretty much just keeps the doors open. So, for me that means I contribute $65 a week ($3380 annually) toward our church’s operating budget or about 7% of my income. (Remember the modern tithe says a minimum of 5% and since I increase a bit every year, I’ve gotten higher than 5%.)
Next, according to the “modern tithe,” I designate another 5% to other causes that do God’s work in the world. So, I give to odds and ends of organizations who I feel fit this category. But the biggest piece of this for me, is an additional annual contribution to our capital campaign. Having solid ground under our feet means that we need a roof over our heads and so I designate another 2% (about $1,000 a year) to our capital campaign.
To summarize, my annual giving is based, not on what the budget increase might be for any given year. The amount I give starts and ends with how much money I make. Since I have made a commitment to myself and to God that I will share at least 10% of my income this is the breakdown, for me: $48,000 annual income; 7% to church operating budget = $3,380 annually; 2% to church capital campaign $1,000; 2% to other charitable agencies.
This approach to giving has changed my life. I am completely convinced that adopting a modern tithe has made me a better, more loving, stronger person. For that reason, from now on, whenever people ask me, “What should I give to the church?” this will be my answer.
First, start with what you earn. (I won’t ask them to tell me, of course. This will be my input as their pasto on how they can determine what to give.) Second, calculate what 5% would be. Third, determine if you can give that amount. We all are in different situations and, depending on your situation, that 5% may be completely unrealistic. You may be tempted to say, “There’s no way I can do this,” and throw up your hands and do nothing. It is my strong conviction that you will be better off if you choose a different response. Set a generosity goal for yourself to work toward a modern tithe. Calculate what 2% of your income would be and start there. Then next year, move to 3%. Then the next year, increase to 4% until you reach that 5% goal.
And, of course, is something unforeseen happens in your life and your income drops, then your giving drops proportionately. And in that situation, if things change for you it’s important to communicate the change to the financial secretary. I am fully aware that these are anxious times. There’s a lot of uncertainty about our economy, from global markets to right here in Rochester and what the future of Kodak might mean for its current employees as well as retired employees and their families. When you think about giving in direct proportion to what you have, then it takes some of the pressure off. If your situation changes and you make less, then you in turn give less.
Am I preaching this sermon because Community Christian Church needs more money? No. It’s because I am convinced of the transformational power of developing a spirit of generosity. When you are more generous, you are more trusting. And you are connected more deeply to the things you consider important.
This approach to giving may be new to a lot of you and some of you may have something you’d like to say in response. The conversation will continue in our upcoming neighborhood meetings that you’ve been hearing about. Please come and be a part of those conversations. Lend your voice. Know the importance of your input.
Generous financial giving is a vital part of life and faith. Being good stewards of all that is entrusted to us, like other spiritual practices, has the potential to change us, to heal us, and to deepen our faith and our lives.
Amen.
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