The Giving Toolbox

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Recognising that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to encouraging Christian Giving, we have developed a new approach and accompanying resources called The Giving Toolbox.

Just like a real toolbox, we hope that within its mysterious interior you will always find exactly the right tool for the job!

But how do you know which tool to choose?

The Tools

Each of the following Tools has been developed to mirror the six Steps of Giving and to encourage church members to consider taking the next step.

You will need to think about where you believe your Parish or Benefice might be on that pathway in order to decide what is the best approach.

Introductory Resources

The Introductory resources include a simple (and light-hearted) quiz to stimulate discussion around the place of Christian Giving.

In addition there are some resources to help introduce the concept of Christian Giving and the six Steps to Giving plus a brief Introduction to help ‘sell’ the idea of using the Giving Toolbox.

There are then three sets of resources for people at different stages of the Discipleship journey

Stage One – Encouraging ‘Regular’ giving

This a possible two-stage tool with an element for reaching out to the local community to encourage support for the church as well as some basic Christian teaching for the local congregation to encourage both groups to consider regular giving.

For those in the early steps of their journey (Survival or Supermarket) this is a good place to start.

The resources for this stage include a full guide to running a programme, templates for invitation letters etc., plus a Presentation and Script for reaching out to the local community and teaching materials (sermon etc.) for use in church.

All these bits of the toolbox can be adapted for local context.

Stage Two – Encouraging ‘Realistic’ giving

This set of tools is to help Parishes begin a discussion on giving as part of Christian life and introduce this concept to those further along the pathway of Discipleship (Support or Subscription).

They will introduce the idea of Christian Giving as part of our walk with God with an early drip-feed of teaching over a period of weeks (obviously not continuous!) leading to a gentle invitation to support the life of the church by not only giving regularly, but also realistically.

There is a suite of resources including PCC guide-book and Sermons etc. to give a complete programme to talk about Christian Giving as a first time introduction to the concept. Plus there are templates to produce all the materials needed to make this programme work.

Once again, these tools are adaptable for local situations.

Stage Three – Encouraging ‘Proportionate’ Giving

This final set of resources offers a traditional ‘three Sunday programme’ aimed at those already on the path of Discipleship or at a stage of Christian Development where they are more open to the idea of proportionate Christian Giving being part of their commitment to God (Submission or Sacrifice).

These resources include a range of materials for local production as well as a handbook for those leading the programme, a Presentation to the PCC, templates for the PCC to use to set their vision and budget, sermons and PowerPoints for use in worship and other supporting materials.

Each of these tools has a specific purpose, but elements can be combined to build a bespoke programme best suited to your local situation after discussion together.

Sermons

The final link is for all the Sermons included in each stage as well as some introductory sermons on Christian giving. These can be adapted for local use as seems appropriate.

How to access the Toolbox?

Below are links to all the resources for each stage. The best place to start is to take a look at the Resources Master list which details everything contained in each Zip file below. Then simply choose the resources you need and download the zip file and extract the tools contained within it. You can run each stage exactly as it stands or mix and match to design the perfect set of resources for your Parish situation.

If you need any guidance or help, please contact Judith Knight at the Diocese of Gloucester on 01452 508216 or ku.gr1714150076o.coi1714150076dsolg1714150076@thgi1714150076nkj1714150076 for an initial conversation.