Let Generosity be Your Calling Card
What is your church’s reputation in your community? For a church, I believe that generosity should be your calling card. What do I mean by ‘calling card’? Here is a definition:
A calling card is a small card with personal information about you on it, such as your name and address, which you can give to people when you go to visit them.
A calling card would be a representation of how you want to be known. In the community your church is called to, of all the ways you might be known, you want to focus your effort into being generous. Your generosity will also help you being known as a loving and caring church. Your generosity will go a long way in breaking down any negative or old stereotypes that might be how people think of your church.
Generosity is always important, but it is probably even more impactful when life is difficult. After hurricane Irma caused massive destruction in our area, we looked for ways to be generous. There was a inclination to turn our focus inward and just deal with our own problems, but we decided it was best to focus our efforts outward and look for ways to bless our community. We opened our facility to be a warehouse for goods and supplies that were coming into the area so there was a central place for people to find what they needed. We also were providing food and coffee throughout the day. We matched peoples needs to volunteers who came into the area.
When Covid first hit, we decided to figure out how we could make in impact in our community. For those first six months we had twice a week drive through giveaways where we provided food and paper goods. Instead of getting an inward focus and just trying to survive, we turned outward and looked for ways to make a difference.
What can your church do in this season? As people are dealing with inflation and record high gas prices, what are some ways that you could reach out to your community to make a difference?
Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also provides church consulting and coaching for pastors.