I gave my life to Jesus in October of 1985; I was 21. That December, I attended something called a cantata at the church I was attending. Their annual Christmas cantata was a musical production filled with traditional Christmas Carols to usher in the spirit of the season – to celebrate the birth of Jesus – even if he wasn’t actually born on December 25. The cantata always opened with the choir standing at the back of the worship center holding candles, and as they slowly walked toward the front, their voices filled the room with, “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” It was so powerful; just thinking about it still puts a lump in my throat.
Opportunities for Outreach
For many Christian churches, celebrating Christmas is a big deal. It’s the time set aside each year to remember that God loves us so much that he came humbly, in human flesh, and dwelt among us. That’s why churches invest in programs like kids choirs, cantatas, multiple services on Christmas Eve, and other creative ways to achieve the church’s mission to share the gospel – the good news of Jesus. So much planning needs to take place well before December ever rolls around. But December is more than a time to reach others; it’s also a time to call upon the faithful to financially support what God is doing in and through your church.
Opportunities to Increase Generosity
While the ministry team is busy planning all of the events designed to make disciples, which happens before and after someone crosses the line of faith, the operations teams should also be planning. December often makes up between 17% and 31% of a church’s annual donations – that can be almost a third of the year’s income. Since the mission is important, supporting the mission is equally important; that means taking advantage of every opportunity to encourage generosity to support the church financially. Strategic churches should start planning in October to take advantage of opportunities like GivingTuesday in November. In addition, here are two simple opportunities to increase year-end donations:
- Digital Giving: Removing hindrances to giving is one simple way to increase year-end donations. Data shows churches that offer digital giving options have higher overall donations than churches without. Churches still dragging their feet to set up digital giving are putting up barriers, especially for younger generations. An October 2023 Donorbox blog post shows that 40% of Millennials enroll in monthly giving programs. With so many excellent digital giving options for churches available, set up digital giving now.
- Donation Statement and Reminders: This may surprise some in the church world, but there is no law that requires churches to send out donation statements. A recent study shows only 56% of donors find the tax deduction for charitable contributions as a motivator to give, but 97% cite the impact of their gift as a motivator. Armed with this information, make early to mid-December a time to send a donation statement reminder to all financial supporters. The reminder should include a year-end recap that clearly shows how the church accomplished its mission. Celebrate the number of baptisms, the impact of outreach events like Vacation Bible School, the different ways the church impacted the local community, and global outreach efforts. Clearly describe the positive impact of their gift. Then, remind them how many Sunday services remain in the year and the donation cut-offs. And remember to thank them for their sacrificial and generous donation.
December is a big deal for churches in terms of outreach opportunities and ways to encourage generosity within the church. While the ministry teams are busy preparing for all of the Christmas shows, events, and services, the operations teams need to get to work on applying some simple strategies to increase giving to fund the mission.
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