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FINANCIAL CONSULTATIONS
2015
Welcome
Life - Giving• Any understanding of Christian
giving must start with God – recognising it is the heart of His character.
• “God gives what God is – his life. The gift is not a substitute for God. It is God, God in motion, God in action.” Rowan Williams
“For God so loved the world that he gave…….”John 3:16a
His giving is what should provoke our thanks-giving• ‘All that we have, and all that we
are’… …originates in God’s generosity
• And so our giving is the natural response to this…
‘Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.’ Psalm 118:1
A Biblical framework for Christian giving…• Prayerful – an act of worship and
thanksgiving. (1 Chron 29.10-14)• Priority – not the ‘spare change’ after all
other needs have been satisfied (2 Cor 8)• Proportionate – assessed in relation to all
we have (Deut 26.2-3, 1 Cor 16.2, 2 Cor 8.5)• Planned – but not prescriptive and always
allowing for spontaneity! (2 Cor 9.7)
How: simple ingredients…
One - Praying, preaching and teaching about giving, sharing and discipleship
Two - Linking giving with vision
Three - Regularly thanking people
Four - Structured approaches to annual renewal
New Christian Giving Resource…
• Support for senior leaders in developing and sharing a diocesan wide vision for generous Christian giving
• Oversight and professional skill to develop good and accessible resources to support parishes – Grants, Friend, Legacies etc and oversee the introduction of the Church of England’s ‘Parish Giving Scheme’
• A resource to work with Area Teams to identify and focus on support for specific deanery/parish priorities and initiatives.
“If this scheme becomes the principal funding method for your Church, you will have inflation-proofed your giving, maximized your cash-flow and minimised your administration.”
Parish Giving Scheme
• A quality launch• Automated
administration• Regular review• Opportunity to index
link (60% of donations…)