An effective financial discipleship ministry requires a strategy with many moving parts. A crucial part is being able to understand the generosity of your congregation and ensure your people’s ability to give is made as simple as possible. In this episode, we’re talking with Taylor Brooks, the founder and CEO of Simple (formerly known as Simple Donation), to find out how he and his team submit to and support the mission of the Church through software and personal service.

When building a robust and effective Stewardship and Generosity Ministry at your church, you must take into consideration the ministri’s ability to scale and grow into the future. In this episode, we’re talking with Chris Goulard, the Pastor of Strategic Advancement at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, about building a volunteer leadership team to ensure the long-term growth and health of the ministry. You will learn when is the right time to build your team, how to recruit, some of the roles and responsibilities on the team, the benefits and challenges of having a leadership team, and much more.

During economic uncertainty, people start adjusting their financial choices, including their generosity. The reality for most church members is that they are working with fewer resources than before due to inflation. At the same time, given their limited resources, they're trying to achieve what they believe is the greatest good possible through their giving. And, according to giving data a significant number are choosing to give to religious causes other than their church. In this episode, we're talking with Carl Tierney from Vision 2 to understand how churches can improve both their communication around giving and the financial discipleship of their members.

Tithing is a Biblical principle and practice that began as early as the Garden of Eden. It is the practice of returning the first portion (a tenth) to God as an act of worship and obedience. Unfortunately, this topic can be contentious and divisive even in some faith communities. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we discuss this topic with Donna Nicholson Stief, the Director of Stewardship at LCBC Church, and learn the what, the why, and the how of their 90-Day Tithe Challenge.

Faithful stewardship is what each believer and every church is striving toward, and it’s important to have the Biblical knowledge, as well as the practical tools and resources to achieve it. For more than 40 years, Christian Financial Resources (CFR) has been meeting the needs of churches and individuals to better steward their resources. In this episode, we’re talking with Darren Key, the CEO of CFR, about the many ways their ministry serves churches and individuals to save, give, and manage their money wisely.

Discipleship takes time and effort from both the one that does the discipling and the one that’s being discipled. When it comes to financial discipleship, it is no different. Helping people to understand and apply the Biblical principles of managing money and teaching them the tools to live it out can be long and challenging. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we’re talking with Steve Carter from Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, about stewardship and generosity content and how it has evolved and changed, in part because of the changes in how people learn and apply information today. We also dive into some of the most popular content that’s available to churches and additional content that you may need to create yourself, to use in discipling your people.

Generosity is a core principle of Christianity, and yet it seems to be one of the most difficult areas for believers to understand and regularly engage in. Just about every week, churches all over the world have some kind of giving or offering moment to encourage giving, and still, what we know is that a significant, perhaps as much as 50% of churchgoers, give very little, if anything at all. In this episode, we’re talking with Rodney Ross from Life Church to discuss ways to invite people to take their next step in generosity and trust God in their finances through the offering moment and beyond.

Pastors are responsible for teaching God's word to their congregation every week. It's an important task and, at times, challenging, especially when the topic is on money and giving. It is no wonder most pastors avoid teaching on the subject. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we're talking with David Ashcraft, the founding pastor of LCBC Church (Lives Changed by Christ) in Manheim, PA, about his perspective on stewardship and generosity to learn how he taught his congregation for nearly 32 years how to be good stewards and faithful givers.

Whether a pastor should know the giving of his congregation is a hotly debated topic. Though most do not want to know what people give individually, knowing some metrics is vital for at least two crucial reasons. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we’re discussing the why, the who, and the what of giving data and why it matters to your church ministry. Joining us is Ken Schafer, Stewardship Minister at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, TN, and campaign and generosity consultant with Generis.

Legacy is what we leave behind to our kids. It may include material possessions or a financial inheritance, but of greater worth are the values and lessons we pass on to them. When it comes to money, kids need guidance and wisdom, something every parent wants to provide but feels inadequate to teach their kids. In this episode, we’re talking with Matt Bell, the author of Trusted: Preparing Your Kids for a Lifetime of God-Honoring Money Management, to learn the why, what, and how of teaching our kids godly financial principles.

In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we have another leader in the stewardship spotlight. We’re talking with Rodney Ross from Life Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Rodney is the Central Team Leader of Giving and Generosity and oversees the stewardship and generosity ministry at Life Church. His start in the ministry and the role he’s currently serving started with an act of tithing. While on the church website giving his tithe, he became aware of an opportunity to serve at his church. Now, many years later, Rodney says he is in his dream job, serving his church in the area of his passion and equipping staff and members as they take the next step in their stewardship and generosity journey.

In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we have another leader in the stewardship spotlight. We’re talking with Jeff Ward, a seasoned stewardship leader and the COO of Simple Donation. Jeff is passionate about helping churches learn how to disciple their people in Biblical stewardship. Through his organization, Simple Donation, he encourages churches to use technology and tools to meet people’s needs and encourage their spiritual growth.

We’ve witnessed considerable changes in church attendance, demographics, and giving since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though these changes have been challenging, we also believe there are great opportunities ahead if the right steps are taken. CSN, in collaboration with Vision 2, has initiated a Stewardship Survey to understand what churches are dealing with and to develop recommendations and resources to help churches navigate this new normal. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we discuss our findings and provide recommendations in 8 specific areas for stewardship and generosity ministries.

Jesus’ commandment to his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, what we know as the Great Commission, was to share the gospel and make disciples. These instructions were not just for the 12 that Jesus chose but for all disciples past, present, and future, and central to our roles as disciples is faithful stewardship. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we’ll look at one of the most compelling sections of Scripture that reveal God’s plan and purpose for us as disciples and faithful stewards.

Most pastors lack the understanding of planned giving, resulting in missed opportunities to help and care for people and fund the ministry of the church. In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we are speaking with Dave Hess, the Vice President of Consultant Development at Financial Planning Ministry (FPM), to share the tremendous value estate planning and planned giving is to God’s people and the Church. For the past 40 years, FPM has been serving churches, Christian colleges, and para-church ministries by helping their families create and maintain their estate plans to ensure an efficient and cost-effective transfer of their estate to their loved ones and the ministries they wish to support.

In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we have another leader in the stewardship spotlight. We’re talking with Vinnie Hu, the Director of Financial Health and Stewardship at Hoboken Grace Community Church in Hoboken, NJ. Vinnie’s stewardship journey and his calling into the ministry is a story of surrender and of putting God first. As Vinnie says it, “throughout my life, whenever God has called me to do something, it’s not because he wants something from me, it's because he wants something for me, and usually, that prize is God himself.”

In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we have another leader in the stewardship spotlight. We’re talking with Brenda Leisinger, the Director of the Generous Life Ministry at Cuyahoga Valley Community Church in Broadview Heights, Ohio. Brenda’s entry into stewardship and generosity ministry though unexpected, demonstrates that when we submit to God’s plan and faithfully do our part, He will always guide us to a greater purpose.

Financial coaching is an area of ministry that takes a lot of effort, time, and manpower. To do it well, you have to have good volunteers and a great system to ensure the best opportunity for each client to succeed. In this episode, we’re talking with James Lenhoff from Good Sense Movement about their Coaches Training, a comprehensive online program that provides the features and benefits to prepare coaches to guide their clients from financial bondage to financial freedom successfully.

In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we’re featuring another leader in the stewardship spotlight. We’re talking with John Jones, the Director of Engagement and Generosity at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, in Fort Lauderdale, FL, about his journey from serving as an executive pastor for 20 years to leading in stewardship ministry. You will find his stewardship and generosity story encouraging and insightful!

In this episode of Stewardship Leader, we’re featuring another leader in the stewardship spotlight. We’re talking with Donna Nicholson Stief, the Director of Stewardship at LCBC (Lives Changed By Christ) in Anaheim, PA, about her journey from an executive working in the professional credit and collection industry to leading in stewardship ministry. You will find her stewardship and generosity story encouraging and her wisdom invaluable!