Once someone understands the importance of being generous, sees the impact of giving through your church, and, ideally, is engaged in a life-changing small group or hands-on serving ministry, the next step is to shape an invitation or call to action effectively.
For most people who call your church home, using a call to action of "just pray about how much to give to our church" likely does not produce a great outpouring of generosity.
Prayer is often the conduit and framework where the giver and the Holy Spirit have a life-changing encounter that results in increased giving. But, most people will benefit from a specific set of action steps I will refer to as a call to action or invitation to take action.
No single ask is effective for every giver or prospective giver in your church. Everyone is in a different starting place and needs to be able to visualize a step toward generosity that stretches them beyond their comfort level. However, that is not so far from their starting place that they become discouraged and give up before truly seeking God's guidance.
At Horizons, we have found using a Giving Pathway where each person is asked to find where they are in their current giving patterns and take one or more steps along the giving path is the most helpful visualization. Each step must be clear and measurable. Being clear includes explaining not only what you are asking but also how they go about taking this step.
For instance, after prayerful consideration, a first step for someone who has never been a consistent giver to your church might be to identify the amount they feel led to give in the coming year and set up automatically recurring giving.
The invitation includes a clear call to action to discern how much to give prayerfully and the additional step of ensuring success by automatically recurring giving. In support of this call to action, you must ensure setting up recurring giving as easily as possible, providing easy-to-follow instructions, and who to contact for help if they have a question or difficulty.
Another critical practice under Making the Ask is using one clear and simple method to describe the gift amount. Rather than focus on the dollar amount given, use only the percent of income as your unit of measure.
For instance, the next step for someone who identifies as a consistent giver is a call to action to determine what percentage of their income they will commit to your church. This is much more effective than asking for a percentage increase in their previous years' giving.
In the American church, most households give less than one percent of their household income through their church. You can probably imagine the response to standing up during worship and asking everyone to "pray about doubling your previous year's giving".
However, when you ask your givers to "identify the current percent of your income given to God's work through our church and to prayerfully consider increasing that amount by one or more percent of your income," you ask most households to more than double their giving. The two similar requests are received very differently.
You provide a tangible and measurable goal for your givers by framing the call to action regarding the percentage increase. It allows them to visualize the necessary steps and encourages them to stretch their generosity beyond their comfort level.
Individuals must provide clear and actionable steps as they progress along the Giving Pathway. Encourage givers to take incremental steps, whether increasing their income percentage or exploring other avenues of giving, such as planned giving or participating in specific ministries.
Remember that each person's journey towards generosity is unique, so it's important to be flexible and provide options that align with their individual circumstances.
An effective ask is essential in encouraging generosity within your church community. By using a Giving Pathway and providing clear, measurable steps, you can help individuals understand where they are on their generosity journey and inspire them to take meaningful action.
Customize your approach to meet each individual's starting point and guide them towards stretching their generosity without overwhelming them. By utilizing the power of prayer, visualization, and clear instructions, you can create a culture of generosity that transforms lives and strengthens your church community.