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Metrics: Giving Per Person
Most ministries measure total giving. I am shocked at how few measure giving-per-person.
To find this number, simply take your average weekly offering and divide it by your average weekly attendance.
This number should grow over time.
If it is not growing, it might indicate:
- You are not teaching people to become givers.
- You have a high turn over rate.
- People are upset and withholding their giving
It is hard to measure spiritual growth in the lives of people. This is certainly not the only indication of spiritual growth (nor is it a guaranteed sign of growth), but it does tell you some about what God is doing in peoples’ lives.
Do you measure this? What are your thoughts on the subject?
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I think this is important as well. We have another standard that we look at that helps. We take total attendance and multiply it by $30. This means every living breathing body that comes through the door multiply by $30. I read it once that a good giving church should be around this mark.
We have been tracking giving units since we planted as a church 3 years ago. While I agree with the statement, “If it is not growing…” I do have questions. Do you take into account the economic climate right now? So, if your giving per unit is going down or you are growing and it is staying the same, could it be that people are strapped more than they used to be? And once it gets up into the $30 range, is it going to grow anymore? What about the Law of Diminishing returns?
We have been growing as a church but our giving per person has stayed the same and we have attributed it to 2 things: 1) the economy here in a very dependent upon real estate community has tanked. 2) we have really begun to achieve our goal of reaching non-churched people and they have not “gotten it” yet.
Am I off or are these viable considerations?
Eric, I agree the economy can impact giving. Another factor (which you alluded to) could be that a church is growing so fast (with new believers) that the growth rate is outgrowing the giving rate. Great problem!
Both you and Troy mentioned the $30 number. I haven’t heard that number tossed around before. Personally, I would never impose an imaginary ceiling on giving. If our whole church was giving 10%, I’d challenge them to give 15%, then 20% and so on.
From a “giver’s perspective,” here are a few other factors to consider:
When it comes to campaigns of offering beyond the tithe, clearly defining the campaign is important. Consider setting parameters that help direct your givers such as a clear purpose, a start date, an end date, and a target fund-raising goal.
Clear purpose: I like to know specifically what my offering is going towards so that I can measure and enjoy witnessing the impact of the results. It allows me to “feel” as though I was a part of a specific outcome. It also builds in some accountability on the use of the funds raised when there is a specified outcome presented. Many business people think this way and are used to expecting a measurable outcome on their investment. Giving is an investment in the Kingdom and a clear return is important to those who think this way.
Start & End Points: I know that when I give to a campaign that didn’t have a clear “end point,” it causes me to struggle through the desire (or need) taking a breather on giving, and that led to feelings of guilt about short-changing God. It makes it more difficult for me to give cheerfully. It also makes me feel like I need to “up the ante” if another campaign is launched and the previous one didn’t ever seem to clearly end.
Goals: Again, business types (who will often carry a significant portion of the campaign) need goals. Having a defined amount, or at least some milestone (may not be a number, but a definable achievement), will help in lowering resistance thresholds that might otherwise hold givers back.
When it comes to new believers or new givers (there is often a difference), it may be beneficial to have some of your more seasoned givers to give testimony about why they give and what outcomes they’ve experienced from having done so. This will also alleviate some of the tension ministers often feel about being perceived as “always asking for money.” Those in full-time ministry often view money from a different perspective than those in the business world. Having someone speaking from the business perspective with a ministry mind-set (rather than the other way around) might reap greater results.
In regard to the difficulty of asking people to give, consider that by not doing so, you may be denying your church partners the opportunity to both bless and be blessed. It amazes me how many people I know whose faith has grown significantly as a result of giving. Money has the power to destroy lives and marriages. Why deny your church the opportunity for the opposite to happen?
Lastly, consider providing some sort of additional incentive to givers. This may be a slippery slope, and I’m not suggesting enticing givers in worldly ways, necessarily. However, offering a special “vision event” or “inside track” on information about the campaign, or even something as simple as going to your givers for advice or input from time to time can go a long way.
Never underestimate the power of a good vision with a clearly defined purpose and measurable outcome(s). It will often do the “selling” for you and inspire big giving. I can think of one campaign in the recent past when my wife and I had committed a certain percentage above and beyond our tithe to go towards a specific vision. However, as the campaign kicked off and we became compelled by the Spirt and by the excitement of what could be, it motivated me to consider how we could give even more. As a result, I reevaluated a particular business goal, which if achieved, would enable us to essentially double our giving towards that campaign. I dedicated that effort to God (Prov. 16:3) and he blessed it so abundantly that we were able to give and have excess left over as a result!
Jeff, Thanks so much for your insight! Very good stuff.
I remember being a very young Christian and, even though I was poor, respecting anyone within a church who mentioned money. We are all aware of the assumption that “pastors are only after your money”. Dodging the difficult issue is always bad. I firmly agree with Jeff that givers need to see the vision, and be shown the results afterward.
Also, Jeff you are right in saying “money has the power to destroy lives and marriages”, and I think by dodging the topic we allow that to continue happening within the church.
Hi Craig
This is probably a bit off topic, but we are church plant targeting unchurched young adults and we have tried to think through how to increase generosity in and amongst our people.
We are still learning
Here are some things that we have done that seems to work for us…
> As missionaries, we are not called to give 10% to the local church. Rather we are called to surrender 100% to God.
> God wants all of us to be generous more than he wants us to meet budget. Therefore, if for some reason attenders don’t trust our church, we encourage them not to give to us. Rather they should find a cause that they can believe in and give to that.
> From day one, we have allocated 10% of our budget to outside causes. We do this because…
>>>>>> It models generosity
>>>>>> It is a good thing to do
>>>>>> It makes giving to the church more exciting
>>>>>> Unbelievers are excited about what our church does with money
> Last year we gave every small group $100 to find a way to make a difference in the world.
This is just a sample of what happened…
>>>>>> $1000 raised to get prostitutes off the street
>>>>>> Money given to Operation Christmas Child
>>>>>> Hospital Visitation and gifts given
>>>>>> Prison Hampers made up for men leaving prison
>>>>>> Big Chaplaincy Outreach Night run
>>>>>> Blankets distributed to homeless people
>>>>>> etc.
> Lastly, we encourage everybody to be generous with their whole lives. Not just formally, but informally.
More here: http://www.neoleader.org/node/607
Craig, thanks for addressing how growth will impact the giving/person. We have been tracking this every year of our church’s existence and we actually begin to get concerned if there is a season where that number seems to be rising steeper than in other seasons. It most likely means that we are not engaging enough people who are not following Christ.
We started doing this a while ago, and you’re right, it is a great measure of where the church is spiritually. Thanks for being strategic!
Craig,
I believe you are correct in your assessment here. Having been on both ends of this debate I know that once I was growing in Christ, my desire was to tithe more so I believe the correlation has merit.
We’ve found on average here in Colorado that most churches are seeing giving at about $15 per head per Sunday. We run a little less as a new startup but it’s sad to think that folks aren’t giving like they did even 20 years ago.
[...] Groeschel over at LifeChurch.tv’s Swerve has been talking about church metrics. A good read for any church [...]
Dear Craig,
How do you watch the numbers for everything (seat turns, giving per person, etc.), and not take any of it personal? Or do you?
Thanks for your honesty, and for sharing.
Nick,
I used to take those numbers more personally than I do now.
Over the years, I think my trust in God has grown considerably. I’m more focused on trying to be obedient to God than I am trying to get the numbers to point in the right direction.
I’ve told pastors before that if we blame ourselves for the declines we might take credit for the increases. (I’m trying to stay away from those temptations.)
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is it ever possible that people are just selfish? i mean, is there room for recognizing that even long-time christians may be denying God what He prompts them to give?
it seemed like you were saying that if the church is doing everything right, then everyone will give more and more and more…
what about when people are like the israelites in the book of haggai, who wanted to build their own houses while God’s lay in ruins? is that only a failure of leadership?