How to Increase Your Generosity IQ

I am usually reading one or two books on the topic of generosity. I am thrilled that so many resources exist today that stretch church leaders both practically and theologically. If you feel a little behind the curve on the topic and want to catch up, here are five good reads. You may not agree with them all, but you can learn from them all.

If you need to sharpen yourself practically, read How To Be Rich by Andy Stanley. It will turn generosity inside out and give you a very simple, yet powerful program to follow.

If you need to inspire yourself to live boldly, read The Blessed Life by Robert Morris. He will challenge you to live it yourself first. You will not be asked to dabble in generosity, but to give boldly and watch God work.

If you need to strengthen your biblical perspective, read Christians in an Age of Wealth by Craig Blomberg. It will thoroughly deepen your understanding of the biblical teachings on the poor, generosity, and wealth from the Old to the New Testament.

If you need to learn more about growing generous disciples, read Revolution in Generosity edited by Wesley Willmer. This compilation of 21 noted leaders exposes how modern secular fund raising techniques will rob church leaders from developing the spiritual trait of generosity.

If you are looking for a practical tool for you and your staff, please consider my book, Leading a Generous Church, which was just released last month.

So you know, the number one trait of a generous church is that it is led by a generous pastor. I find this to be true everywhere I go. Step up and lead the way.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Todd McMichen

Todd McMichen

Todd serves at the Director of Generosity by LifeWay. His generosity roots arise from leading multiple capital campaigns for local churches that together raised over $35,000,000 for their visionary projects. Since 2000, Todd has been a well-established stewardship coach, generosity leader, author, and conference speaker.

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comment_post_ID); ?> Thank you Ed for sharing your insights into the Church Growth Movement. I have my reservations with Church Growth models because it has done more damage than good in the Body of Christ. Over the years, western churches are more focused on results, formulas and processes with little or no emphasis on membership and church discipline. Pastors and vocational leaders are burnt out because they're overworked. I do believe that the Church Growth model is a catalyst to two destructive groups: The New Apostolic Reformation and the Emerging Church. Both groups overlap and have a very loose definition. They're both focus on contemporary worship, expansion of church brand (franchising), and mobilizing volunteering members as 'leaders' to grow their ministry. Little focus on biblical study, apologetics and genuine missional work with no agenda besides preaching of the gospel.
 
— Dave
 
comment_post_ID); ?> Thank you for sharing such a good article. It is a great lesson I learned from this article. I am one of the leaders in Emmanuel united church of Ethiopia (A denomination with more-than 780 local churches through out the country). I am preparing a presentation on succession planning for local church leaders. It will help me for preparation If you send me more resources and recommend me books to read on the topic. I hope we may collaborate in advancing leadership capacity of our church. God Bless You and Your Ministry.
 
— Argaw Alemu
 
comment_post_ID); ?> Amen!!
 
— Scott Michael Whitley
 

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