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Becoming a generous peopleDownload Becoming a generous people (PDF)Generosity begins and ends with GodPeople give sacrificially and generously to the things they value; when they understand how much God has given to them; and when they make the link between faith and finance. Congregations respond to a culture of generosity. On the other hand, without a vision, without a shared theology of giving and without any sense of how faith impacts finances, parishes get into financial difficulty.There are many resources available to help parishes address these issues, but we felt a need to draw them together in one place. Our aim is to provide you with easy to use resources – helping to lighten the load rather than adding to it. We have provided a step change approach, realising that parishes are at different stages – for some it is a question of survival, for others a desire to grow.We are providing a menu of options and each year your church is encouraged to select one option and to devote some time to exploring it during that year. As there are four options, you may find it helpful to do this over four years. For some of the options, as well as the full method, there is a lighter approach.To enable you to tailor your approach to match the needs and aspirations of your church, we have used materials from various sources and hope that whatever your church’s style, you will find something that will work for you.We hope the benefits of this will be:Resourcing individuals/church members/disciples.Resourcing the church’s collective generosity.Committing to doing one thing per year for the next four years will mean that:Levels of giving will rise.Cash flow will improve.Relief from financial pressures should enable your church to focus on mission and ministry both inside and outside the church building.Your church will have articulated a clear vision for the short and medium term.This vision will be based on a realistic assessment of the resources available.A culture of generosity will develop within your congregation.Your church will demonstrate generosity in its financial management.Your church will have a policy for making best use of legacy gifts.Legacy gifts will become more commonplace.And if that isn’t enough, all the recommended stewardship resources are free.The most important thing is to do something, and to do it well.