initiatives
Generous Community Initiative
Area: Biblical Financial Stewardship
Description: Crown Financial Ministries, Generous Giving, Kingdom Advisors, and The Twin Cities Christian Foundation, have developed a process for serving Minnesota churches for the purpose of creating a culture of generosity in local churches and the community.
The average Christian gives 2 – 2 ½% of income, in large part simply because Biblical perspectives on giving and practical ways to structure giving are not understood. Biblical financial stewardship is a difficult issue for pastors to address. This partnership takes this pressure off the pastor and provides a winsome, yet compelling approach to create cultures of generosity within churches.
Moreover, the U.S. is in the midst of the greatest intergenerational wealth transfer (est. $41 trillion over the next forty years) in the history of the world. These monies will be allocated either to taxes, to family, or to charitable purposes. The local church can play a crucial role in facilitating this unique transfer of resources.
Approach/Solution: This partnership initiates conversation around the topic of generosity through extending an invitation to pastors to attend specially designed events (e.g. national conferences at churches such as Saddleback or North Point). Such events are designed to provide inspiration and transformation through worship, biblical teaching by nationally known Christian leaders, and peer-to-peer stories of generosity. Following the event, church leaders are encouraged to participate in a Crown Study locally, and begin, or expand, stewardship ministries in their local church. Local events, such as luncheons, help pastors build generosity teams of like-minded individuals. The teams are challenged to create cultures of financial faithfulness and generosity in their local churches through preaching, teaching, celebrating, and modeling. The Twin Cities Christian Foundation and Crown Financial Ministries provide ongoing consultation on a customized basis. Kingdom Advisors and Generous Giving provide specialized events and expertise to these churches as they disciple their people.
Partners:
Participating Entities
The Twin Cities Christian Foundation
Crown Financial Ministries
Kingdom Advisors
Generous Giving
Projected Outcomes:
- Sustained cultures of generosity in key “leading” churches in the Twin Cities.
- Increased awareness and teaching on biblical financial stewardship by local church leaders.
- Increased giving (current and testamentary) in partnering local churches by an average of 20% per year through 2015 or until the “tithe” is consistently met.
- 130,000 people “trained” on how to make money and manage money in order to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives.
- 200 “qualified” Kingdom Advisors in partnering local churches by 2015.
Staff:
Sharron Steen - Partnership Director
Executive Committee:
Leif Anderson - Crown Financial
Andy Bennett - Twin Cities Christian Foundation
David Laurion - Kingdom Advisors
Brad Formsma - Generous Giving
Patrick Johnson - NCF
Ways You Can Participate:
Treasure Focus
• Help underwrite the local branch of Crown Financial Ministries
• Help underwrite the local branch o f Kingdom Advisors
• Help underwrite the GCI-related events and overhead
Time Focus
• Become a Crown life group leader
• Become a qualified Kingdom Advisor if you are vocationally inclined
• Consider attending one or more of the local GCI events
• Attend the Generous Giving conferences and bring a friend
Talent Focus
• Consider talking to your pastor and/or church leadership about this initiative
• Consider convening other like-minded stewards to create awareness around GCI
• Encourage and/or disciple those with the spiritual gift of giving
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