The offering talk is one of the most critical moments of your Sunday service.

Why? Because it is the time when people in your church make the decision to put God first in their money – the number one competitor for their hearts.

This is a portion of your service that cannot be taken lightly because it has massive implications for the church from a ministry level (i.e. being able to pay the bills, meeting ministry needs in the community, providing a safe place for children to learn about Jesus, etc.), but it also reflects the hearts of your people.

Unfortunately, communicating this invitation to give back to God a portion of what He’s already given us fills many pastors and ministry leaders with timidity, confusion, and fear.

If this is you, it is OK to feel these things!

The good news is you can begin to learn how to approach this time in a healthy, effective way, and we want to teach you how.

Here are 6 tips you can apply to begin to, confidently and effectively, communicate to your congregation during the offering talk:

1. Understand the spiritual implications of people’s giving.

• When someone makes a decision to give money to your church, they are making a profoundly spiritual decision.

• Ultimately, the Church is in the business of seeing God’s Kingdom come on Earth, as it is in Heaven.

• That is exactly what happens when someone gives financially to your church.

• People give tithes and offerings when they see who the Lord is, and surrender to His will for their life.

• True generosity is joyful surrender in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Recognize the weight of what this moment could mean for every person in your congregation.

2. Create a moment.

• In light of the spiritual implications of of this time, what would be an appropriate way to engage people?

• John Maxwell said, “Our level of preparation shows our level of expectation.”

• Does your preparation show you are expecting God to set people free in their personal finances each week?

• While it can look different on a week-to-week basis, don’t forget to emphasize this section of the service as an invitation to worship.

• Here are a few good ideas to implement:

  • Use Scripture to illuminate who God is and what He says about resources, surrender, tithing and offerings.

  • Tell stories about why giving is important and the difference it makes.

  • Provide a time for prayerful and silent reflection on how good The Lord has been to each person.

3. Switch it up.

• The reality is, a lot of seasoned church-goers can anticipate exactly what will be communicated during this time, because they have seen it so much.

• Instead of following your usual format, take a different approach from what is normal.

• You don’t always have to read the same scripture or reiterate the same core value of your church about generosity.

• Remember, generosity is a spiritual decision; so make this a time where people can hear from God and do what He says.

4. Get creative.

• You don’t always have to have someone stand up in the service each week and speak on this from stage.

• While this method is standard and very helpful, there are so many different ways to connect with your congregation on giving.

• Utilize pre-service sliders, social media, video stories, blogs and the church website to encourage and educate people on giving.

Increase Generosity Ebook

5. Recognize the different levels of givers.

• Not everyone in your church is in the same financial situation.

• You don’t want to disenfranchise people by only speaking to a certain level of giver.

• For example, there may be new Christians in the congregation who don’t tithe.

• Don’t communicate in a way that ostracizes them for not giving 10%.

• Help them along in their personal journey of generosity by pointing them to a next step.

• Others may need to be encouraged to live more generously and give offerings above the tithe.

• In these cases, it is important to communicate your heart clearly, and not sound pushy, or make it a spiritual imperative to give more.

• Remember, as you help your people see more of who Jesus is, He will encourage them to obey the next steps He’s calling them to take.

6. Don’t allow this to be the only time your church talks about money.

• If the only time your congregation hears you speak about money is during a weekly offering talk, they will begin to think you really are just after their money!

• Instead, incorporate biblical teaching on finances and stewardship into the church calendar.

• Preach on it from stage, provide free financial coaching for your people, launch a small group study to help them understand how to steward the resources God has given them according to His Word and will, or create a daily devotional.

• These are all great ways  to disciple people on a deeper level, naturally leading to more generous people.

The weekly bringing of tithes and offerings is immensely important, because it is incredibly spiritual.

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Do not overlook your offering talk.

Rather, recognize the spiritual implications it carries, and intentionally prepare for it every single week.

After all, our level of PREPARATION reveals our level of EXPECTATION.

So how high are our expectations for our churches when it comes to giving?

We don’t want your church to just go through the motions in this area, we want your church to excel in this area, because the implications are massive.

In fact, to help you capitalize on the full potential of your weekly offering talk, we want to give you 4, done-for-you, GIVING SCRIPTS for FREE.

You can download them by clicking the button below.

4 Giving Scripts

So take advantage of this resource and use them to help you raise your level of expectation when it comes to giving!

Don’t miss them!