Theology and Practices of Giving at FCC

FCC Money Matters – FAQs  

Talking about money in church makes us nervous.  Why do we need to talk about something so personal?
The anxiety is understandable and, on the one hand our financial decisions are personal and private as are all of our faith commitments.  Yet, every arena of life is an expression of our Christian faith and needs to be guided by Scripture’s teaching.  Our culture talks forthrightly about money 24 hours a day, seven days a week in hopes of shaping our primary identity into that of consumer – by our culture’s standard, the one with the biggest, the best and the most wins.  The Scriptures seek to form our primary identity as steward – by God’s standard, our mission is the work of caring and compassion, of loving God and neighbor – not accumulation and consumption.  We need to wrestle carefully with which standard we will live by – the world’s or the gospel’s?  Particularly in affluent America, the conversion of our wallets is probably, for most, the last great soul conversion, the ultimate test of whether or not God has “all of me.”  Thus, as people of faith, we must talk about money regularly and often if we are to grow spiritually and be the most faithful community of faith we can.

Why do we give?
Giving is one of the great privileges of the Christian life – we don’t “have to” give, we “get to” give!  It is true that God does expect us to give and so at the most basic level we give because God says to.  But as we grow in Christ we also grow into the kind of “cheerful giver” that the Scriptures say make God smile.  Thus, we strive to give as an expression of our gratitude for God’s generosity and because we are committed to the mission of the church.  By God’s design the church is the hope of the world, and we are privileged to give to the most important cause in the universe – the cause of Christ!

How do we decide how much to give?
At its heart, the decision about our financial commitment to the church is a spiritual matter, not a pragmatic one.  Our starting point for this important decision is not, “What is everyone else giving?” or, “Just raise my last year’s figure by $50,” or even, “What does the church budget need?”  The starting point for faithful stewards is a prayerful, “What is God asking me to give?”  We ask every FCC member and friend to commit to two things… growing a generous spirit and percentage giving.  The first commitment is the most important – “Is generosity my goal?”  If that cannot be answered with a hearty “yes,” then there is some spiritual work needing to be done before moving to the second question – “What percentage of my income is God asking me to give this year?”  Our giving ought to reflect our desire to step forward in our faith as well as our intention to stand with our church in fulfilling our God-given mission. 

What is percentage giving?
Percentage giving [as differentiated from the strict tithe (10%), which is too ambitious for some and not ambitious enough for others] is the most biblically faithful interpretation of God’s expectations of our generosity.  Thus, we ask our members to deliberately choose a specific percentage of their income to commit to God’s work in and through our church.  While the Scriptures are clear that proportionate giving is the norm, the actual percentage expectation in the Bible ranged from 10 to 23.3% of personal income.  In a community of our socio-economic level, 10% should be the beginning goal but we realize that for those just getting started in their “faithful stewarding,” 10% is both a huge leap and a sure set-up for failure.  Thus start somewhere, 1%, 5%, 7%, or 14% and commit yourself to a lifetime of growing a generous heart.  An annual 1% increase is then a great way to gradually move toward your giving goal.

Why is percentage giving so important?
As a matter of faithfulness, the Bible advocates deliberate, planned giving in proportion to what we have.  The Apostle Paul says, “It doesn't matter how much you have.  What matters is how much you are willing to give from what you have.”  As a matter of pragmatics, percentage giving removes any sense of failure should our income decrease… the percentage stays the same while the dollar amount decreases.  Likewise, it allows us to increase our giving in celebration of God’s abundance when our income increases. 

Why is making a financial commitment to the church so important?
First, making a commitment helps the giver.  We can only become generous when we commit to living generous lives.  Setting a specific percentage amount helps us achieve that goal and returning our commitment card makes our commitment tangible.  Rarely will “what’s left at the end of the month,” or “what’s in the wallet today” giving produce true generosity… it is just too limiting.  A commitment isn’t a legal contract; it is a statement of intent.  If we don’t make our goals, we have the opportunity to prayerfully examine our lifestyle and make adjustments, when possible, to make our goals the next time.  Making a commitment also helps us with personal financial planning.  Knowing what goes to God, the mortgage, the grocery store, etc. helps us create a workable financial plan for the coming year.   Second, making a financial commitment helps the church in its planning.  Based on the commitments received in the month of May, the church can decide how much of what we believe to be God’s vision can be achieved.

What about just volunteering some time?
All we have – time, talent and treasure – is a gift from God and we are simply stewards of that gift.  We have to give some part of that “all” back to God.  We are not like a country club where you just write a check and receive services… we are the people of God using time and talent to achieve our vision.  Rolling up our sleeves, showing up and ministering to others is important, but our treasure is also essential.  We can’t accomplish God’s work without dollars.  As stewards, we don’t get to pick and choose.

Where does the money go?
Simply, everything that we do within and beyond the walls of our church is made possible because of the sacrificial gifts of FCC members and friends.  Many have made a faith commitment to generosity and percentage giving and the fruit of deepened generosity is evident everywhere you step in this wonderful place.  God is up to great things and our financial commitments are what allow us to write the next chapter of this remarkable story.  We are a church of deep privilege, and therefore God’s expectations are high.  As we say “yes” to God’s vision we must recognize that what God asks us to accomplish will be costly – just as most good things are.  It will take time, talent AND our checkbooks.  We must wrestle with our commitment... do we really believe that God can use FCC to make our community and world better places?  May our answer be a resounding “YES!”

What if my financial picture changes sometime during the year?
A quick note or phone call to our Financial Manager, Judy Jensen, 708.798.2800, informing her of the adjustment in your financial commitment is all that is necessary.