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Participation in a church can take place in many different ways, but a key way in which we participate is through faithfully giving to the ministry and mission of our faith community. Below is a brief discussion on the biblical perspective on giving, with a focus on some real practicalities:

Planned Giving is for the purpose of encouraging intentional planned commitment. This means that the church's income will be reasonably consistent and not dependent on whether we remember to bring enough money in our purse or wallet to a given worship service. It also helps us to understand our monthly contribution should form part of our regular monthly expenses and need to be budgeted for on purpose.

Moving from the earthly realities - planned giving must also be seen as a spiritual event, in that we give of our substance to God in response to His faithfulness. If we only give on the basis of how we experience church life and life in general - then we will find it difficult to enjoy the call to generosity in giving.

Stewardship

Our goal is to encourage faithful, consistent living for Christ. We want to provide a stable community of faith for our people so that they can be nourished and equipped for service in the world and in the church. This stability is realized in many ways, not least of which is the healthy financial position. To talk about finances is not unspiritual, especially when we confess that God is our Creator and the giver of all good and perfect gifts (James 1:17). If all we have and are, is ascribed to God's grace towards us, then to be a good steward means to put my whole life at God's disposal. This is a response of gratitude, faith and obedience, which forms part of our call to worship (Rom.12:1-3). Thus...

• We give because we are grateful. God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son for us (John 3:16).
• We give in faith because we believe we are storing up riches for ourselves in heaven (Matt.6:19-21).
• We give in obedience. As stewards of God's resources given to us, we will give an account of ourselves (1 Peter 4:10).

At the same time we do not exercise the stewardship of giving based on the legalistic perspective of Old Testament Law, but as a free and personal response to Christ. As we do so, we provide God with a yardstick by which our eternal and present-time rewards are to be measured back to us:
"Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving. God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out. This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God." (2 Corinthians 9:6-11 ~ The Message)

From the above, we understand the following:

• These and other passages show that the concept of giving was not foreign in the early church.
• The fact that God loves a cheerful giver means that He has an expectation that we will give...generously and joyfully.
• It is helpful to use the Old Testament 10% as a guide and target. If we are able to go beyond that, we should.
• Jesus illustrates God's response to our generosity: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38 ~ NIV)
• Conversely, some might be reluctant to give because they feel that the little they have is hardly worth giving. This is not so. God sees our hearts. What is important is to develop a giving attitude.