In yesterday’s ACA post, we talked about better categorizing givers in your church, moving beyond the old “givers vs. non-givers” mindset.
If you missed it, here’s a quick recap:
Post Recap:
As pastors, we tend to simplify our congregation into just two groups:
Involved.
Not Involved.
How often do we do this? Members and non-members. Contributors and consumers. Volunteers and non-volunteers.
Sure, it’s easy to track, but this approach falls short when it comes to inspiring and equipping people to take meaningful next steps in their discipleship journey.
This same binary thinking happens with giving.
Bad Giving Categories
We often think of our church members as either Givers or Non-Givers. But giving isn’t a binary behavior. People give in different ways and for different reasons.
Here’s a more nuanced breakdown:
Tipping: Giving sporadically to specific needs.
Giving: Regular contributions, but without a plan.
Investing: Mission-oriented givers who plan their giving.
Generosity: A lifestyle of stewardship.
These aren’t just categories—they’re part of a generosity journey that we should help people navigate.
The Church Mission and Generosity
Our mission is simple: to make disciples (evangelism) and grow disciples (spiritual formation).
Generosity should be part of that discipleship journey. Labeling people as “givers” and “non-givers” doesn’t help us see where they are in their growth process. We need to be more specific if we want to move people forward.
If discipleship is about spiritual and sequential steps, then generosity should be treated the same way. Our goal is to:
Understand who is actually in our church.
Inspire people to move from their current giving category to the next.
The Five Categories of Givers in Your Church (Expanded)
Yesterday's post outlined five categories of givers that every church should identify and track. But here, let’s examine why people exist in each category and how we can move them forward.
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