Customer Reviews

A Revolution in Generosity: Transforming Stewards to Be Rich Toward God

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a recent Wall Street Journal column by Peggy Noonan, she excoriates the current Republican leaders (she worked in the Reagan White House), with this insight, "...they speak that language [the language of marketing] because they are marketers, not thinkers. Not serious about policy. Not serious about ideas. And not serious about leadership, only followership."

Today, the state of Christian fundraising and giving has similar sins. Fundraisers and pastors often focus on the money-raising transaction--not the giver's spiritual transformation into a genuinely generous giver (as Christ demonstrates generosity). Much of fundraising today is about marketing because leaders have neglected the big biblical idea: transforming stewards to be rich toward God.

There's help! Substantial help. Three cheers for Wes Willmer, general editor, and his labor of love by inspiring 20 thinkers to contribute chapters to this important book. Willmer writes, "A basic premise of this book is that believers are on the wrong road when it comes to giving and are therefore not generous." He describes the biblical way, the transformational way, to biblical generosity. He's supported by 20 articulate experts, including R. Scott Rodin, Dick Towner, Howard Dayton, Brian Kluth, Lauren Libby, Todd Harper, Rebekah Basinger, John Frank, Ron Blue, Paul D. Nelson, Daryl Heald and others.

Daryl Heald, president of Generous Giving, describes a bold step by a member of his accountability small group who played "the money card"--the one area in which no one wanted to be held accountable. One morning, one of the guys put his net worth and giving records on the breakfast table at his small group gathering. "That was the beginning of true transparency," said Heald.

The Donor Bucket is one of 20 chapters in my book, Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit. Willmer includes my Donor Bucket core competency in his introduction. But don't settle for the "Cliffs Notes" in my book--read and study Willmer's remarkably deep, but practical treatise on transforming tippers into generous givers.

Fabulous book on developing a healthy mindset for generosity. It moves us from the transactional approach of giving to get to transformational and giving because we are generous. The work we do in the ministry of development must focus on the spiritual lives of those we serve and in developing stewardship of all of God's resources. The introduction sets the tone and the other authors supplement, build upon and bring fresh content to a needed topic. No need to fear fundraising or avoid fundraisers when the focus is on what God is doing and challenging one another to get on board with how He is moving. The chapters bring benchmarks for spiritual maturity and I highly recommend it to pastors, denom execs, church board, parachurch leaders and people who simply want to grow in this area.

Revolution in generosity is a series of essays on how faith-based fundraising should be done. I think the book is essential reading for anyone who seeks to work in this area. My compliments to the writers for their excellent work.

This is a must read for everyone who wishes to study stewardship, generosity, development, and even fundraising. The comprehensive structure allows the reader to begin with the study of the scriptural basis of stewardship, and as time and situations permit, delve into other areas of focus in the book.

Each chapter and section give a different viewpoint. That is the strength of the book with 23 contributors. This is an important book for this time in our churches, parachurch ministries, and nonprofit organizations.

It should be in the library of every development office as well as churches and higher education.

Wes Wilmer's call for a revolution in generosity brilliantly engages twenty two thought-leaders as contributing authors who successfully challenge readers to re-think every aspect of stewardship. Their contributions can be grouped into three core areas: 1.) the role of individual Christians as stewards of all that is God's ; 2.) the role of the church in teaching Christians to be generous stewards; and 3.) the role of Christian nonprofit organizations that solicit charitable donations. All three groups of readers are challenged to raise the bar in regard to their Biblical responsibilities.
There are many thought-provoking gems tucked away in this work, not obvious based on the chapter titles. But each of these nuggets could be the basis for complete books, and are sure to challenge your thinking. A thorough reader will:
* Ponder the profound impact of the mind shift from stewardship to philanthropy driven by Andrew Carnegie.
* Learn about the personal path to generosity, and consider where your journey has taken you on that path.
* Consider the implications of today's pastors as "reluctant stewards" of the church's human, physical and financial resources,"
* Focus on "generous compassionate, loving concern for those in greater need than ourselves," as the benchmark more challenging than legalistic mandates to give away certain percentages of income.
* Understand the challenges of discipling the wealthy who often find it necessary to discern the motives of those who seek relationships.
* Recognize the destructive outcomes of manipulation in fundraising appeals.
* Find the appropriate role of governance balanced by faith as a break-through strategy.
Revolution in Generosity: the title implies a promise of things to come. The content certainly deserves consideration and creates great opportunities for small group studies, of donors, church staff, and Christian nonprofit staff and boards. Hats off to Wes Wilmer and all of the contributing authors and sponsors for the Herculean effort to assemble this comprehensive reference.

I can't express my great excitement and encouragement with the book. I've been involved in ministry and money for over 35 years and read extensively about all the attending issues. I think the book gives one of the best overall treatments of stewardship and generosity of any book out there. I would like to see one in the hands of every pastor. I love the different perspectives and focus of the multiple authors.

Unfortunately, to our own detriment, money is often the last compartment of our lives that we let the Lord visit, let alone take over. The book
is full of Biblical and practical advice to set Christians on the road to
becoming the stewards we were meant to be and enjoying the blessings God
desires to give.

Pastors and pew sitters alike will find help whether they be raising or
giving money. The fear, shame and neglect of dealing with the subject of
money are overcome with advice on transforming Christians from dysfunctional disciples to practicing stewards enjoying the blessings of
being generous in spirit and in deed.

Jerry Opp, CFP
President
Ministry Advance Foundation
Portland, Oregon

The book leads off with the volume's editor, Wesley K. Willmer, addressing historic fund raising methods, however much more time is spent on the theology of generosity and giving within the church and among believers in subsequent chapters.

The long term problem of the lack of generous giving by the modern Western church is heavily emphasized. There are certainly good biblical principles given in general and much to be reminded about. It is indeed a concern for the Church. However, I found Willmer's opening comments on current methodologies for fund raising highly simplistic and narrow in understanding how Christians have always appropriated sound methods to do mission and ministry (which includes funding it) and that wisdom, whether communicated through scientific modernism, sound business practice, or the Bible, is still wisdom from God.

His comments on early to mid century philanthropy are distorted as many philanthropists were believers who cared about the common good of others and lived it out. His asserts that the motivation for giving, based on current practices, is purely transactional, hence he taints fund raising terms as mostly worldly and unbiblical. I'm amazed over how Willmer can pose such a sharp dichotomy over current fund raising methods, i.e. all current methods are worldly because supposedly worldly modernist rationalist business people developed them. Other authors deride the church for the way it has borrowed secular methods to raise funds and entice people to give. While many of their concerns are certainly valid, such a strong dichotomy fails to take into consideration how wisdom may appear in different forms, even if it does not use the language of theologians.

The authors, esp. Willmer, don't appear to ask the question, what do the givers value in projects they want to give to. Often the things they value are things that are indeed biblical concerns, even if not put in theological terms. Willmer is too quick to dismiss how God may indeed be working through a new generation of givers to bring about his mission in new social and cultural contexts.

The concept of stewardship, a key concept in the book, mostly has to do with giving amounts (being more generous) and not so much on wise giving, strategic giving, how giving influences the work of mission and ministries, and how the givers are part of a covenant community. It reveals the historic propensity for the ministry to marginalize the laity when it comes to how the giver's funds are spent and indeed the injudicious use of the givers' funds on the part of the ministry. Could this have contributed to lower giving levels?

Although the book reminds us that the givers are not to be treated simply as a source of funds, somehow I still got the feeling that they were portrayed only as a source of funds in the greater scheme of mission and ministry. This is because it fails to talk about how God raises up givers to accomplish his mission through wise and thoughtful giving. It doesn't discuss how the fund raiser or "asker" may need to learn from the giver before assuming their heart needs transformation in this area. Are we to think that giving is reduced to purely an act of worship and obedience without any connection to the glory the act will bring to God in this life through wise giving?

Much time is spent on the theology of generosity and giving, but the systematics of the various contributor's theology leave us with only half or an understanding of the role of giving in the church and parachurch. Addressing the role would have given the book more balance and it could have inspired more people to give generously and wisely in fulfillment of their Romans 12:8 role in God's local and Global mission. This is the practical application of the theology of generous giving that the book lacks.