The Stewardship department of the Ontario Conference has a Quick-Start Guide on Stewardship that shares an article about five groups of givers in the body of Christ. First, you have the non-givers, that give virtually nothing to support the mission of their church, sometimes due to little or no understanding of stewardship responsibility. Second, the occasional givers: they are irregular in attendance and thus their giving is confined to token amounts. Third, selective givers: this is a growing group who support only those projects that appeal to them. The fourth group is the impulsive givers: this group may be reasonable in their attendance but are occasional givers. They may give an impressive amount, but they don’t remain excited about giving. Then there are the committed givers: this group of systematic givers make up approximately 25 percent of the church’s givers. They are active in the services, they attend regularly, and they support the mission of the church. Committed givers show that there is joy in giving.
Let’s be systematic givers. It is a joy to give because it helps others, fulfills the requirements of God, and helps the church and its mission. Giving for these and other reasons bring deep satisfaction.
Today, let us return our tithes and offering willingly and generously to our local budget “for God loves a cheerful giver” and He “is able to bless you abundantly” (1 Corinthians 9: 6-8, NIV).