C4 Church – 599 Bayly Street E – Ajax, On L1Z 1L4 – www.c4church.com

C4’s Generosity Strategy

generosity

GENEROSITY DEFINED

gen·er·os·i·ty [jen-uh-ros-i-tee]noun, plural -ties.1. readiness or liberality in giving2. freedom from meanness or smallness of mind or character3. a generous act

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he

became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” 2 Cor 8:9

God has shown his generosity to us in and through the life and ministry of Jesus.

We get to see how much God has given for humanity because he gave his one and

only Son. In the verse above, Paul’s appeal to the Corinthian church to be

generous is not because of the needs of the Jerusalem church. Paul is appealing

for generosity based upon God’s compassionate grace for the Corinthians. We are

called to be generous because God has modeled generosity for us.

God’s glory is our ultimate goal as disciples of Jesus. Our acts of generosity are

acts of obedience towards a God who has shown us how to live. A life of

generosity testifies that we are created in the image of a magnificently generous

God. The gratitude generated as we practice generosity brings God glory, as do

the enriched relationships between the giver, the receiver and God.

“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us

your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying

the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”

2 Cor 9:11-12

BY WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY:

BY SCRIPTURE:

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GENEROSITY AS A DISCIPLE

The goal of a generosity strategy is not the development of donors but the

development of disciples. Every follower of Jesus must learn to embrace principles

of sowing and reaping, intentionality, cheerfulness, service, and giving.

Generosity must be taught and modeled in the church so that everyone can

“...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ...” 2 Peter

3:18. Understanding that if we don’t learn to have a Biblically informed view of

everything we have, we can never fully become mature in our faith as God

intended. In order to live a joyous, victorious Christian life, the followers of Jesus

need to have a proper perspective on everything we have, all we are and all we

have must come under the Lordship of Jesus. As Martin Luther once said;

“People go through three conversions: their head, their heart and their pocketbook. Unfortunately,

not all at the same time.”

One of the greatest enemies of generosity in our church today is the question of

ownership. Most people at C4, if they were to be transparently honest would say

that what they have is theirs, they earned it. Meditating on Psalm 24:1 is sobering

and insightful;

“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,

   the world, and all who live in it.”

Everything that we see, all that we have, our

ability to earn wealth, our looks, our charm, our

intelligence, are all from God. Everything belongs

to God. He created it. He owns it. Understanding

and coming to terms with this important Biblical

truth moves us from the position of owner to the

position of manager or steward. Once we make

this shift in our thinking, we are in a better place

to begin to practice true generosity. When we loosen the grip of ownership so

that we can become more faithful stewards of all of life, we begin to glorify God in

a new way.

“One of the greatest

missing teachings in the

American church today is

the reminder to men and

women that nothing that

we have belongs to us.”

Gordon MacDonald

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TRENDS AND STATS

• Only 5% of Americans give 10% or more of their income to church/charity.1

• Church stewardship has primarily focused on meeting budget and not on helping

people move forward in their discipleship journey.

• Most Canadians have more month left over at the end of their money!2

• Debt load of the average Canadian household increased to $26,000 in 2011, a

4.5% increase over the previous year (excludes mortgages).3

• According to Stats Can the average age of Canadian donors is 53.4

• 67% of donors to C4 gave $1000 or less last year.

• The average household income in Durham Region is $75,397.5

• 60% of people in Canadian churches are concerned about their church’s financial

health.6

1 George Barna2 Tyler Trute, Financial Horizons, Burlington, ON3 Dana Flavelle, Toronto Star, Jun 1, 20114 Paul Waldie, Globe & Mail, Jan 20, 20115 Town of Ajax website6 Crown Financial Ministries Canada, 2009 Stewardship Survey, Feb 2010, page 23

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MONEY FOLLOWS VISION

The Mission, Vision & Values of C4 have never been clearer. We believe that God has

called us to a grand vision for Durham Region and the world. Below is a reminder of

what God has called us to be and accomplish together. The fulfillment of this

mandate will require the generous support of the people of God to see it

accomplished.“No church ever has a money problem, only a

faithfulness problem.” Dr. Brian Kluth

MISSION: the reason we exist

To glorify God by enabling people of all ages to become fully devoted followers of

Jesus Christ.

CORE VALUES: these serve to unify our efforts and communicate what’s important.

• We value God’s Word

• We value shared responsibility

• We value welcoming everyone

• We value authentic relationships

• We value Christian community

• We value shared ministry

• We value holistic ministry

VISION: our picture of a preferred future; what God is calling us to do.

To become a regional church of 10,000 meeting the emotional, physical, and

spiritual needs of people in Jesus’ name.

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GENEROSITY MODEL

• 0-9.9%

• start giving to C4

• give to God first, not last

• commit to grow in understanding of generosity

• choose one consistent way of giving

• 10%

• consistent giving through PAG

• tithe on increase not just income

• see the tithe as a floor not a ceiling

• 10+%

• regular review of giving pattern

• go beyond the OT Law, kingdom mindset

• seek ways to influence others

• open and responsive to the Holy Spirit’s prompting

• seek ways to expand C4’s vision

• champion generosity at C4

• gain exposure to local and global issues

EMERGING:

ENGAGING:

EXPANDING:

EXTRAVAGANT:

“Remember this: Whoever sows

sparingly will also reap sparingly, and

whoever sows generously will also

reap generously. Each of you should

give what you have decided in your

heart to give, not reluctantly or under

compulsion, for God loves a cheerful

giver.” 2 Cor 9:6-7

“Bring the whole tithe into the

storehouse...” Mal 3:10

“But since you excel in everything - in faith, in

speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness

and in your love for us - see that you also excel

in this grace of giving.” 2 Cor 8:7

“Money is a great treasure

that only increases as you

give it away.”

Lord Francis Bacon

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ANNUAL RHYTHM

The rhythm is the repetitive cycle that is essential to creating and cultivating a

generous culture at C4. There is a rhythm of initiatives that should happen on an

annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly, seasonal and continual basis. Many churches

lose their traction and are unable to create a culture of generosity because they

are not able to find their rhythm of implementation. C4’s ability and

commitment to find it’s rhythm and operate in it will be key in changing and

sustaining the desired cultural shift and must become a high priority of

leadership. Examples of the types of things that will need to be built into this

rhythm are:

• An annual sermon series around generosity topics

• Quarterly giving statements to all donors with an update and note of

thanks

• Practical seminars on how-to’s of generosity & financial management

• First time and new pattern givers communication from C4 staff

In order to accomplish what needs to be done to shift our culture towards

generosity, a number of existing systems will need to be reworked and some

new systems will need to be implemented. The essential “back office” functions

will need to be reviewed so that the proper information and support is there

when needed. Increased efforts in communication between leadership and

donors will play a major role in the rhythm of implementation that will ensure

the success of moving C4 to The New Normal.

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