“Generosity doesn’t necessarily come down through genes. Generosity and sharing have to be taught.”
These words were spoken by Thomas H. Lake, namesake of the Lake Institute for Faith and Giving at the Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University.
The Institute also points out that the landscape of charitable giving is changing, leaving religious communities financially vulnerable and individual donors confused and uninformed.
For these reasons, the Community Foundation of Grundy County is excited to host a 3-session workshop taught by the Lake Institute entitled “Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity”. This series open to all congregations in Grundy County.
The focus of the series is not about congregations’ support of other non-profits. Rather its focus is to help congregations, both pastors and laity, to connect the taboo subject of money with the mission and service of the church.
This series helps Grundy County churches explore the fact that, if religious institutions hope to survive and thrive in a changing giving climate, then congregations must:
- learn how to address the cultural taboo of money and talk about giving with spiritual integrity and intent;
- incorporate the best practices into their financial and administrative structures; and
- extend congregational, pastoral care to include stewardship practices and the care of individual donors who are blessed with an extraordinary capacity or commitment to giving.
Regarding donor confusion, the Institute explains that, if individual donors are to resolve the confusion and apathy reflected in their giving history, and experience the joy of generosity, they must:
- discover the sacred story of their personal and giving autobiography; and
- engage in a series of discernment exercises which identify the inspiring connections where their personal passions and the world’s deep needs come together in personally rewarding and focused ways.
The first of the 3-part series was held on Saturday, October 16th and was taught by Mr. Richard Klopp of the Lake Institute. Three local congregations were in attendance: First Christian Church, First Presbyterian Church, and Immaculate Conception, all of Morris. However, the series isn’t only for Morris churches – all congregations in Grundy County are invited to attend, even if they missed the first workshop.
The first session used national statistics and surveys to show 1) the relative level of Christian generosity, 2) the fact that few people are comfortable discussing religion’s ultimate taboo topic of money, 3) a comparison of “pay the bills” congregations vs. “share the vision” congregations, and 4) identifying the congregational Giving Pyramid and its implications.
Although those who attend church regularly are the country’s most generous donors, analysis of total giving as a percentage of income by religious affiliation tells a different story. For example, religion gifts by Catholics are only 0.8% of income and Protestant congregations are only slightly higher. In addition, the percentage of gifting in relation to income is declining.
The generational differences in religious giving are surprising. Seventy-two percent (72.0%) of the Great and Silent Generation (those born before 1945) give to religious purposes compared to 46.7% of Generation X (born between 1964-1981). This is also reflected in weekly church attendance where 57.7% of the Great and Silent Generation attend weekly, but only 30.8% of Generation X does.
Father Ed Howe, Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, said, “I was surprised and pleased to learn about the resources available through the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The statistical data and analysis which they have assembled from many sources created a clear picture of the important relevance of this seminar.”
After examining reasons why money talk is taboo in church, Mr. Klopp noted the apparent ongoing movement of congregations focused on meeting budget toward congregations where the role and use of money is incorporated into a sharing of the vision approach.
By example, he discussed the book, Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Do Not Give Away More Money in which sociologists Christian Smith and Michael Emerson argue that most American Christians are less than generous in their charitable giving and cite six reasons for this lack of generosity:
- The most formidable rival to generous voluntary financial giving is America’s institutionalized mass consumerism;
- Many Christian church pastors appear to be quite uncomfortable with the issue of money in their churches;
- American Christians seem to be somewhat uninformed or confused about the meanings, expectations and purposes of faithful Christian financial stewardship and lack a common vocabulary for faith and giving;
- Some American Christians harbor mistrust for some of the organizations to which they would give money;
- Money and income are sacred in America; hence, the topic as a form of public conversation is nearly taboo;
- Americans appear to give from impulse, avoiding systematic, routinized methods of carrying out their financial giving.
The final focus of the first session was the examination of the “pyramid of giving”. In general, studies indicate 10% of donors give 60% of the total gifts, 20% give 20%, and 70% give 20%. Mr. Klopp recommended congregations analyze the demographic profile of their major donors as the initial step to understanding the gifting culture of their congregation and to provide a basis for the development of a climate encouraging giving with theological integrity.
Rev. Chuck Richardson, Pastor of First Christian Church, said, “The session was a humbling experience. Initially, I thought the First Christian Church congregation’s ongoing generosity and support of the Church and its social missions made participation unnecessary except for a need to cultivate legacy gifts. The Workshop expanded horizons in my thinking and made me realize there is much more that can be done to nurture generosity in my congregation.”
The second workshop is scheduled for Thursday, November 18th, from 4:00-8:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church. Any congregation interested in participating is urged to contact Julie Buck at 941-0852 to RSVP and get materials. The topic is to help congregations begin thinking about the theology of money within their respective congregations and religious traditions.
The goal of the Community Foundation of Grundy County is to raise the tide of philanthropy for all through workshops and other assistance to fellow non-profits, donors, and professional advisors.
In addition to the Lake Institute series for congregations, the Foundation also hosted a live webcast of the Salvation Army’s “18th Annual Estate and Charitable Planning Institute” in September for the area’s professional advisors. Also, the Foundation’s annual Philanthropy Conference, co-hosted by the United Way of Grundy County and the Southwest Suburban Philanthropic Network, will be Tuesday, November 16th, from 8 am to noon at First Christian Church, Morris.