EquipCast 14: Church Money – Raising Givers

As a young associate, Fr. Lorig asked Fr. (now Bishop) Hanefeldt, “As a priest, am I supposed to tithe?” Fr. Hanefeldt responded, “You know? The more I give, the more I receive.” While he didn’t directly answer the question, he got to the heart of the issue. Money influences our relationship with God, and it’s in a competition with Him for our hearts.

Most of us in ministry hate to touch the topic of money, but if we want to raise disciples, we have to also start raising givers.

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Hosts

Fr. Jeff Lorig – Director of Pastoral Services

Jim Jansen – Director of the Office Evangelization and Catechesis

Stewardship and Development Office

Call them with your fundraising questions.

Take some time to reflect on what the Word of God has to say about giving.

Resources

Unleashing Catholic Generosity: Explaining the Catholic Giving Gap in the United State

A Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen – “Fundraising is proclaiming what we believe in such a way that we offer other people an opportunity to participate with us in our vision and mission.”

Rejection Therapy – Jia Jiang desensitized himself to the pain and shame that rejection often brings and, in the process, discovered that simply asking for what you want can open up possibilities where you expect to find dead ends.

St. Robert Bellarmine’s Drive by Tithing – An example of a local campaign that really worked.

ChurchMoney: Rebuilding the Way We Fund Our Mission by Fr. Michael White and Tom Cochran

Top 5 Things I’ll Do Differently After Reading this Book

  1. I’m going to preach about money.
  2. I’m going to develop relationships with those who can financially impact the mission of the parish.
  3. I’m going to have a Stewardship Sunday wherein which we’ll ask for a commitment to financial giving.
  4. I will ruthlessly attempt to eliminate all fundraisers.
  5. I will never have a 2nd Collection again.

Top 5 Ways I’m Thinking Differently After Reading this Book

  1. Ministry needs money.
  2. Money means growth.
  3. Money is a discipleship thing.
  4. People don’t give to neediness.
  5. Manipulation and guilt is a short-term strategy that doesn’t accomplish the Great Commission.

2 Responses to “EquipCast 14: Church Money – Raising Givers”

Thanks for the post!

You are most welcome! We’ve enjoyed connecting with our leaders in the parishes and schools!

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