The Pastor’s Collection of Effective, Biblical (and Short) Offering Messages
"Now we come to my favorite part of the service... I'm going to ask you for money!" said no pastor, ever. We all know that money is a crucial part of church operations and without it, your ministry wouldn’t get very far. We also know that asking for money can be a touchy subject.
An effective offering message, combined with the right choice in church giving software will set you up for success in this crucial part of your church service.
This article will hook you up with:
- Ten short, effective messages to share with your congregation at offering time
- Four (all-too-common) pitfalls tempting every pastor
Every church runs primarily on the donations of its members, and for that matter, being able to give a short offering message is necessary in order to encourage faithful and regular giving.
What Is an Offering Message?
An offering message is designed to encourage people to donate money to the church. It usually includes a Bible verse about giving, shares why it's important to support the church, and explains how giving helps others. Giving in the church is not a new subject, but the beliefs and expectations around it have changed over the years and will vary from church to church. You may be surprised to learn that only 40% of practicing christians tithe in today’s church.
If you have been a pastor, or even in a church for any length of time, chances are you have heard your fair share of offering messages. The challenge for any pastor is keeping the request for donations fresh and inspiring for your church community.
I have heard countless offering messages in my lifetime:
- Some repetitive
- Some awkward or cringy
- Some inaccurate or untrue to Scripture
Some messages go so far as to teach or manipulate scripture in order to guilt or shame people into giving. This is a huge red flag and erodes our credibility. And, unfortunately, it's a fairly common approach to encouraging giving. Not here, though.
What Makes an Offering Message Effective?
In my experience, the best offering message encourages the giver to look to Jesus for guidance on what to give.
And that is a scary prospect because it requires you, as the pastor, to trust Christ in each of your church members. Encourage them to do it out of love for and obedience to Jesus, not because of a law or a command. It starts with understanding the love of God. It’s because He first loved us that we now have hearts that respond out of that love to give.
It’s not a formula, it’s a relationship.
Ross Gilbert, Lead Pastor at New Life Fellowship in Ontario, Canada says that gifts and offerings in church should be approached as an opportunity to trust God in how much, or how little, to give.
“Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:7
The emphasis here is not on how much you give, but on giving what you have on your heart to give, not out of guilt, shame, or compulsion, but out of gratitude for what God has provided.
God might tell you to give nothing, or He might tell you to give far more than ten percent. The effectiveness of an offering message should not depend on how much money was raised. Some questions to ask are:
- Is this true to scripture?
- Does it affirm the believer’s identity in Christ?
- Does the message direct them to ask Jesus what to give?
- Is it encouraging them to trust His provision and leading?
It’s about the heart of the giver who is looking to and trusting Jesus to lead them in this aspect of their walk.
In the long run, this is going to be a more effective methods for increasing giving among church members. As a pastor, I know this can be a terrifying prospect.
If I tell my church members that they dont have to give, they might stop giving altogether, and then we will be in real trouble.
But the payout here is huge. It may mean people will give less money, but it also means that I have a congregation that is learning and growing in their relationship and identity in Christ. They aren’t giving out of obligation or duty, but it becomes an act of worship, out of love for Jesus and their obedience and gratitude to Him.
Are we as pastors trusting in OUR true source (Jesus) to provide for His church?
Joshua Gordon
Best 10 Effective (and Short) Offering Messages
By focusing on these themes, we can inspire our church community to see giving not just as a duty, but as a joyful expression of faith and partnership in God's work. There are countless passages about ‘giving in the bible’. Starting with some verses from the New Testament, here are some examples to get you started.
1. God Loves a Cheerful Giver:
Use 2 Corinthians 9:7 to emphasize that our attitude in giving matters. Encourage the church to give joyfully and willingly with a cheerful heart, not out of obligation.
Points:
- Giving is an expression of our gratitude and love for God that flows out of a relationship with Him.
- Jesus is more interested in the heart behind your giving than the actual amount you give. Encourage the church to seek the Lord for how and what to give, not by following a formula, but through prayer and by faith in Jesus.
- Cheerful giving brings joy to both the giver and God.
2. Generosity Reflects God’s Character:
In James 1:17, we read about how God is the source of all good things, and He never changes. God is the ultimate example of generosity, having given us His Son, Jesus Christ. When we give, we reflect God's character and His love for us, His children.
Points:
- Our giving reflects the generosity of our unchanging God.
- God is the source of every good gift we receive.
- Highlight John 3:16, where God’s love and generosity are shown through the giving of His only Son in order that we might share in His eternal life.
3. The Widow's Mite:
Reflect on Mark 12:41-44 and discuss how even the smallest gifts, such as the one given by the poor widow, given with a willing heart, are precious to God. Be careful in your approach with this verse. It could be misunderstood as saying we need to ‘give until it hurts’ or give all that we have. I don’t think that was what Jesus was trying to say here. He’s not telling us that we need to give away everything, but rather that our giving is an expression of our faith and trust in God.
Points:
- God values the heart behind the gift, not the amount.
- Giving is a powerful act of faith and shows our willingness to trust and honor God with our resources.
- Every contribution matters to God’s work.
4. Generosity as a Blessing:
Check out Acts 20:35, where Jesus says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Highlight the joy and blessing that come from generous giving. The blessing does not mean a financial one. Think of the joy you have in giving a gift to a loved one. The blessing comes from seeing the pleasure they have in the gift. We can have that same joy in giving to the church, knowing that our gifts are going to be used to bring joy and blessings to our church family and ministries.
Points:
- Jesus taught that true blessing comes from giving.
- Helping others reflects Christ’s love and compassion.
- Giving comes from an outflowing of the love and life we have already received from Jesus.
5. The Joy of Partnership:
Read Philippians 1:3-5, where Paul thanks the Philippians for their partnership in the gospel. Here is one example of ‘stewardship in the bible’. Every gift we have from God is a resource that we can offer back to God to partner with Him in spreading His kingdom. Discuss how our giving supports the work of the church and spreads the gospel.
Points:
- Our giving supports the ongoing work of spreading the gospel through outreach and church initiatives.
- Partnership in giving brings joy and gratitude.
- Each contribution strengthens the community of believers.
6. Storing Treasures in Heaven:
Point out to Matthew 6:19-21, where Jesus teaches about storing treasures in heaven. This is another example of ‘church stewardship’. Encourage the congregation to invest in eternal things through their giving towards the kingdom of God.
Points:
- Our true treasure is found in heaven, not on earth.
- Giving helps us focus on eternal values.
- Our generosity reflects the location of our heart. You can tell what people really care about by what they spend their resources on. This one can hurt a little if we reflect on our own lives. Where do I spend the majority of my time? How do I spend my money? Ask if Jesus is inviting them to reallocate some of their resources.
7. Sowing and Reaping:
Refer to Galatians 6:7-9, where Paul talks about sowing to the flesh vs. sowing to the spirit. What we give today plants seeds for the future. Keep being generous, and in time, you'll see the rewards of your good work.
Points:
- Our giving is like planting seeds for a future harvest.
- We should give with eternity in mind.
- Persevere in generosity, trusting in God's timing.
8. Tithing as Worship:
If you are looking for something from the Old Testament, check out Malachi 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”
This is a familiar passage when it comes to ‘tithe and offering messages’. Explain how tithing is an act of worship and obedience. Share testimonies of God's faithfulness to those who tithe.
Points:
- Tithing is an act of obedience to God.
- Generosity is a powerful witness of God’s grace at work.
- Our giving supports the work of the church.
9. First Fruits:
Explore Proverbs 3:9-10 and the concept of honoring God with your financial resources. Talk about how all the good gifts we have come from God and we can honor Him by giving through tithes and offerings.
Points:
- Giving is a way to worship and honor the Lord.
- It is a blessing to give and comes from gratitude for what we have been given.
- Our generosity reflects our trust in God's provision.
10. The Blessing of Giving:
Jesus' teaching in Luke 6:38 emphasizes the importance of generosity, the promise of abundant blessings, and the joy and fulfillment that come from giving. By giving freely, we not only reflect God's character but also trust in His provision. It is important to remember that this does not mean God will give us back more money than what we gave. This kind of teaching is misleading and can lead to a prosperity gospel, which is a pitfall I’ll address in the next section.
Points:
- God promises to bless those who give generously.
- When we give generously, we demonstrate our trust in God’s provision. We show that we believe God will take care of our needs even as we give to others.
- Generosity will be rewarded in ways that exceed their expectations.
Pastor, Be Sure to Avoid These Common Pitfalls:
Mistake #1: Using Guilt or Shame to Entice People to Give
Guilt and shame can be powerful motivators (remember the SPCA commercial asking for money for abandoned and abused pets, with Sarah McLachlan singing in the background? I get teary just think of it), but the short-term payout is not worth the damage it can do to your church members' trust in you.
When sermons on giving focus primarily on financial contributions, it can make congregants feel pressured or guilted into giving. This approach can make it seem like the church is more interested in their money than it is in affirming their identity in Christ. It makes church feel more like a business than it is the family of God.
As Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” we want to stay away from any form of teaching that uses guilt or shame to persuade people to give. It’s putting people under law and we know that we are not under law, but under grace (Romans 6:14).
When we use the law to bring about a desired behavior, we revert back to a formula for living. The Christian life is NOT a formula: it's a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Author and speaker Frank Friendmann, shares with us the truth of how we are to live as Christians and what our purpose is as believers. When we know our purpose and are walking in relationship with Jesus Christ, He will prompt us to give out of a love for Him, not out of guilt or obligation. We can’t have intimacy with Him when our actions are motivated by guilt and shame.
Mistake #2: Teaching the Prosperity Gospel — The more you give, the more you get
Prosperity theology emphasizes that the more you give the more God will bless you and give you riches in return: be it physical, material, or financial prosperity. This teaching is false and has its roots in preachers who used this form of teaching to generate wealth and power for themselves through the manipulation of scripture.
So, what is the truth? As Christians, we have the calling and the privilege of sowing into God’s kingdom. Nowhere in scripture does it tell us to give in order to get treasures in this life. The inheritance we are promised is an eternal one, just as we read about in Matthew 6:19-21,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Teaching any form of prosperity theology is damaging and, as Francis Chan says in this video, it goes against what Jesus and the apostles preached about the life of the believer.
Mistake #3: Talking too much, or too little, about giving
Constantly focusing on giving can lead to giving fatigue and make it seem like the church is always asking for money. If this is your fear, then you might go the other way and avoid the topic like the plague. I get it, it’s awkward and uncomfortable for everyone. The problem is, with important topics like giving, if you never talk about it then the church doesn’t know where you stand on the subject.
When pastors avoid discussing giving, the church may not see the importance of generosity in their faith journey, resulting in lower financial support for the church’s mission. Not only that, but I believe that your church members will miss out on the blessing it is to walk by faith and in fellowship with Jesus in this area of their lives.
I have found that the best approach is to incorporate generosity into the culture of the church, presenting it as a vital part of the believer’s walk with Jesus. You may start by sharing your heart and motivation with your church leaders so they can be on the same mission with you. It may be helpful to point out that God isn’t after your wallet, He is after your heart. And giving money is not the only way to give to the church. You’ve likely heard of the Three T’s when it comes to giving?
How can we build a church culture of giving time, talents, and treasures?
Maybe someone doesn’t have money to give, but they can give of their time by volunteering on one of the ministry teams within the church. Perhaps they have a skill that you can put to good use. Have you got a handy man or woman in your midst? Or maybe someone who can sew costumes for the church play? Perhaps you’ve got a webpage designer just itching for you to ask them to try their hand at that out-of-date church website.
Incorporating giving into the church culture happens on many levels, not just from the front on a Sunday morning. Here are some ideas for implementing this in your church:
- Biblical Teaching and Practical Help: Regularly include biblical teachings on generosity, and giving of time, talents, and treasures. This is done from the front, but also at bible studies, and small group discussions. Provide practical advice on how to give, manage finances, and understand tithing.
- Live it out: When you and your church leaders model generosity in your own life, you build trust, inspire, and show real-life benefits. It will have a ripple effect throughout the church and it’s how a culture is formed.
- Celebrating Impact: Share testimonies and stories from church members about how giving has impacted their lives and faith. Show how contributions are being used to further God’s work and make a difference.
- Encouragement: Encourage a culture of generosity by recognizing and appreciating the contributions of the congregation. Celebrate milestones and successes made possible by their giving.
Some Key Takeaways?
- Short offering messages are an important part of a Sunday service.
- It’s important to emphasize the heart behind giving to the church.
- Giving should be motivated by love that comes from God, out of an intimate relationship with Jesus.
- Using guilt or shame is never a good tactic.
- Cultivating an environment of generosity is a healthy way to encourage faithful giving within your church.
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