No, not THAT talk but one that is almost as scary, the giving talk. It is time for a big league discussion – whether it is your church deacon board, council, leadership team, task force, elder board, or whatever it’s called in your neck of the denominational woods. Imagine if church leaders would invite a conversation into the life of their congregation that could make a big splash in the hearts of the people AND make a big impact on the financial dreams for the church?

You may say, “I don’t think we could do that work at our church.”

It depends.

It depends on how honest we are willing to be, how bad we want to change, and how willing we are to take giving seriously. Even more importantly, it requires that the people who God has placed in leadership be practitioners of generosity. Without this, you’ll be pushing boulders up hill.

The things you have to embrace/buy-in-to for this conversation to work:
1. That financial giving is highly important part of both personal and organizational health
2. That, ultimately, giving is barometer of our spiritual health, not about increasing revenue for the church
3, That the integrity of all church leaders in this area is critical to the outcome
4. That talking about this without acting on it is a waste of time

If your in ministry God has called you to do BIG things. Big things call for big risk. Are you willing to begin THE TALK?

This post was written by Greg Gibbs, Director of Strategic Planning at Kensington Church in Metro Detroit. Greg and I have teamed up to do some consulting and writing together at www.givinggrowth.org.

Mark Dillon has spent his career interacting with hundreds of thoughtful Christian stewards and re-framing the discussion on giving. In his latest book Giving & Getting In The Kingdom mark provides field guide for fundraisers, pastors, non-profits leaders, and even donors. I’ve already given a few copies of the book away and will be sure to give many more. Why? Because it’s the most easy to read, yet thorough, guide to Biblical fundraising and giving I’ve come across.

Dr. Dillon breaks his book into three parts:

Part 1: Giving in the Kingdom: A Way Of Thinking is rooted in lots of scripture and builds the case for giving and getting. The most interesting part of this section was the dichotomy Dillon set up between the fundraising methodologies of George Mueller and D.L Moody. Mueller was adamant  about NOT asking for money but depending solely on God, while Moody was the  consummate salesman for the causes God put on his heart. Who was right? You’ll have to read the book for that answer.

Part 2: The Messenger Matters  is specifically for those on the front lines of fundraising. Dillon provides great guardrails for the fundraisers heart and lessons from decades of experience. I was often convicted during this section about the jealousy I can sometimes feel toward donors or other fundraisers, about how much I really love the causes I champion, about how I’m to be an example of sacrificial giving by how I live and give. I was also encouraged by the value he gives to the role of a fundraiser and the essential role the fundraiser has to call others to find the joy in giving.

In Part 3: Fundraising: A Way Of Doing Dr. Dillon explores the ins and outs of fundraising. As a “professional” fundraiser I caught myself more than a few times saying “amen” and “yes, that’s it.” Mark explains  fundraising methods and practices in very simple terms that everyone can understand. For someone new to fundraising this section is a great primer. For the seasoned fundraiser this section will remind you how simple fundraising can be when done right. For pastors there is a whole chapter specifically dedicate to the unique nature of fundraising in the church.

This book is exactly what the subtitle claims, a field guide. I have and will continue to ask any new employee, volunteer, or non profit leader I work with to read this book. You’ll be challenged and encouraged and you’ll look at Giving and Getting in a whole new light.

If you want to get this for a non profit leader, fundraiser, or pastor this Christmas. Here are the link for Amazon. You can also view the table of contents at Dillon’s Website.

Disclaimer: I received no request or payment for writing this review. I met Mark Dillon once and he seemed like a nice guy, that’s about the extent of it.

I’ve collected a list of fundraising words and phrases I use but wish I didn’t. And then came up with some different, better terms we could deploy.

Old                                                     New

Nondonors                                    Future Donor

Solicit                                               Invite

Solicitor                                          Relationship Builder

Getting the gift                             Accepting generosity

Philanthropist                              Investor

To appeal                                        To inspire

Do you agree? Disagree? Have any words or phrases to add?