Not Your Parents' Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship [Paperback]

J. Clif Christopher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2008

Hearing a young attorney speak of the faith-based reasons for which he had just made a substantial monetary gift to a community youth center, Clif Christopher asked the speaker if he would consider making a similar contribution to the congregation of which he was an active member. "Lord no, they wouldn't know what to do with it" was the answer.

That, in a nutshell, describes the problem churches are facing in their stewardship efforts, says Christopher. Unlike leading nonprofit agencies and institutions, we too often fail to convince potential givers that their gifts will have impact and significance. In this book, Christopher lays out the main reasons for this failure to capture the imagination of potential givers, including our frequent failure simply to ask. 

Written with the needs of pastors and stewardship teams in mind, Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate provides immediate, practical guidance to all who seek to help God’s people be better stewards of their resources.

Also available: The engaging follow up book - Whose Offering Plate is It?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In the last twenty years, Dr. Clif Christopher has led over 400 churches through all phasesof building, finance, and church growth with his company, Horizons Stewardship.Dr. Christopher is a certified church growth consultant and has earned thecoveted title CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive). Over the last 10 years, hehas secured over 500 million dollars for his clients. He has personally workedin over 29 states and is a frequent speaker at stewardship seminars around thecountry. He is the author of three books including the bestseller Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate(Abingdon, 2007). Dr. Bill Easum, noted consultant and author, said, “No oneknows more about local church stewardship than Clif Christopher.” Clif has beenan ordained minister of the United Methodist Church since 1975. In 1995 he wasgiven the National Circuit Rider Award for outstanding leadership in developingvital congregations. As a pastor, he led numerous major building and capitalcampaigns in churches ranging in size from 350 to 2,000 members. He is marriedand shares four children with his wife. He is a graduate of Hendrix College inConway, Arkansas and Emory University. He was awarded a doctorate degree in2001 by Philander Smith College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 123 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (August 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068764853X
• ISBN-13: 978-0687648535
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,583 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Church Leadership > Church Administration
  • #22 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Church Leadership > Ministry

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE are you telling your Congregation?, March 14, 2009

By 

Jay Stevenson (New Franklin, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Not Your Parents' Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship (Paperback)

Every coin has two sides, but the church seems stuck on one side.

This book is not about the traditional biblical stewardship message of tithing (i.e., one side of the Stewardship coin). Of course, all church folks should be responding to the grace of God by returning a tenth (In case you need a reminder, go read the OT prophet book of Malachi, Chapter 3).

This book focuses on the other side of the Stewardship coin, HOW DO WE PROMOTE GIVING in the church when we COMPETE against all the thousands of other non-profit organizations asking for that same dollar traditionally given to the church.

What I like about this book is the new perspective on how to challenge people to give to the church using the good marketing techniques used by the competition. Yes, we (the leadership of the church) need to tell our people of the good things we do with the gifts (tithes and offerings) the church receives. We need to give the poeple of our congregations a reason to give their charity dollars to the church.

The book provides excellent examples of good and bad from the author's real life experiences. It also highlites what the pastor and Stewardship Committee (or Trustees) should be doing to accomplish this new marketing perspective.

I thought so highly of this book that I personally bought five additional copies for our church's Stewardship Committee and Pastor. After reading the book, you might want to consider doing the same for your leaders...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye Opener, August 11, 2009

By 

Mint2b "IceAge1906" (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not Your Parents' Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship (Paperback)

This was an awesome read. Very practical solutions to understanding the dynamics of church giving and to rethink the ways of fund raising. A must read for church leaders because it makes us take a good look at ourselves regarding our ministerial responsibilities. The book was a very easy read. I flew from Michigan to Atlanta, GA. I was done with the book before the plane landed and I retained almost 90% of what I read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stepping into the present, April 12, 2011

By 

ACharlesR - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Not Your Parents' Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship (Paperback)

I am the pastor of a small ELCA congregation in central Texas. This congregation is in a chronic state of financial distress. The title caught my eye while I was at a pastor's conference. I purchased a copy, read it and decided to share a copy with each member of our Leadership Team (aka Church Council). I will be making some changes in my everyday ministry due to what I've read. I have already met with resistance from a couple of the members of the Leadership Team

and I suspect their discomfort is due to the truth of what the text says about money management within a congregation. I am convinced that old ways of doing money in congregations are not working. NYPOP strongly suggests that we in congregational leadership open our eyes to the new realities we face, change our behaviors along with our attitudes and bring about the changes needed to take congregations, like the one I serve, from chronic financial anemia to financial health and vitality. I highly recommend this easily read volumn for pastors. Expect push-back upon implementation.