Generosity is declining.

Can I get an amen?

This isn’t just a church issue—it’s an everywhere issue. And it’s not just a sense or feeling. The data supports it. Non-profit and church aggregate giving metrics clearly show a downturn.

I recently came across an article discussing the “Generosity Crisis” facing non-profit organizations, including churches. According to Giving USA, fewer Americans are donating to nonprofits than before, and when adjusted for inflation, the total amount of giving is also on the decline.

Today, fewer than half of American households give to charity. To put this into perspective, twenty million fewer households donated in 2016 than in 2000.

Why People Are Giving Less to Your Church

The reasons behind this crisis in generosity are varied—some backed by data, others more speculative. I’ll dive deeper into the controllable issues in future posts, but for now, let’s consider the broader list:

1. The General State of the Economy: The sharp decline in donors began around the tail end of the Great Recession in 2010. Households that stopped donating between 2000 and 2016 mostly earned less than $50,000 per year.
2. Age and Giving: Young people are less likely to donate to registered charities compared to older generations. Many face significant financial pressures from educational and consumer debts. However, like previous generations, their discretionary income is likely to grow over time, age, and life stage.
3. Church Decline: The decline in organized religion might be the biggest factor in the drop in charitable giving. As fewer people attend and engage with a local church, their generosity diminishes.
4. Institutional Trust: Beyond religion, people seem to be losing faith in institutions—government, media, and NGOs like nonprofits. Trust in institutions has been declining for decades, and churches, seen as institutions, have not been spared.
5. Politics: Political polarization may also play a role. Organizations colored by partisan values, like religious groups, are less trusted than nonprofits focused on more bipartisan issues like wildlife conservation.
6. “Others” Should Do More: A survey of over 2,100 U.S. adults found that 47 percent of those who stopped giving to charity over the past five years did so because they believed wealthier households should bear more of the burden. Call it an excuse or rationalization, but it’s real and affecting generosity.

While we have influence over some of these issues, there’s one more reason for declining generosity that we, as church leaders, must acknowledge and face head-on.

A Zillennial Redefining of Generosity

The author of the article I mentioned earlier shared this:

“Personally, I don’t currently donate a portion of my income to registered nonprofits, highly effective or otherwise. I’m still earning back the savings I drained as a freelance journalist (after spending six years on a grad student stipend). With tens of thousands of dollars in undergraduate student loan debt hanging over my head, I laugh every time I receive, and promptly delete, a fundraising text from my alma mater.”

But it’s the next part that should catch our attention, especially in the church context:

“But I do give. I regularly support Kickstarter campaigns, gift household items to my neighbors, and donate to a mutual aid fund supporting sex workers in my community. That makes me like other ‘zillennials’ in my cohort, who tend to direct their money toward more informal charities than traditional nonprofits. That may not necessarily count in the IRS’s statistics, but I don’t think it’s fair to call us ungenerous.”

Think about that. She considers herself generous—just not in the way generosity has traditionally been defined.

Understanding how people in our congregations define generosity is crucial for pastors and church leaders. Perhaps it should reshape how we discuss generosity and tithing.

It’s not enough to simply teach or say, “Christians should be generous.” While true, many people hearing that message already believe they are generous.

Have You Ever Met a Greedy Church Member?

Let me rephrase that: Have you ever met a person in your church who admitted their greed?

I haven’t. Everyone I know considers themselves generous—or at least they see themselves that way.

When I served as the lead pastor at Woodstock City Church for over 13 years, we measured multiple giving categories, including the percentage of our active database who were non-givers. When we occasionally surveyed our attendees, we asked if they gave to the church. If I remember correctly, over 70 percent of respondents answered “Yes.”

Surveys often tell us what people think they do, not what they actually do. While 70 percent claimed to give, in reality, only 30-40 percent of people were actual givers. Were they lying? Doubtful—the survey was anonymous.

Do they think they give to the church? Absolutely. By “give” can mean many things. They might:

• Tip some occasional cash
• Bring food to a food drive
• Donate items they no longer need to a fellow church member in need
• Give their time, talent, or—just kidding—their opinion!

The Point: Generosity comes in many forms and with various definitions.

Giving Moments Versus Generous Living

For the article’s author, generosity is something you do, not something you are.

It seems that many people consider generosity as an unplanned activity that meets a direct need when requested.

Basically, giving is seen as a moment, not a lifestyle. Biblically, however, generosity is more about lifestyle than opportunistic moments.

This is where we, as church leaders, must lean in.

I believe this is why teaching the tithe is an important concept. “Tithing” is planned, percentage-based, and prioritized generosity. While 10 percent has been a long-held number, the specific percentage might matter less than the lifestyle created when followers of Jesus start tithing.

Tithing matters because it fosters a lifestyle of biblical stewardship.

If you’re not currently leading your church to understand the power of financial discipleship, I urge you to reconsider your strategy. This applies to anything biblical. Discipleship is the key, and pastors are uniquely positioned to encourage and equip people to take steps on their faith journey.

Start Doing This to Help People Understand Biblical Generosity

Here are some quick tips to help you lead your church toward discipleship in giving:

1. Recommit to Growing Disciples, Not Raising Money: This is our mission. Churches thrive when people grow closer to God. If you want to see giving increase, encourage and equip people to grow closer to Jesus.
2. Teach the Tithe: Not through shame or guilt, but through the lens of opportunity and discipleship. Teach from the stage/pulpit, in small groups, financial classes, and through mentorship.
3. Create Onramps and Incremental Steps: Non-givers won’t start tithing after your generosity sermon, no matter how “fire” it is. Non-givers need to take a first step that opens their head and heart to another step. Moving people from where they are to where God wants them to be is a journey of steps.
4. Systematize Your Process: Your discipleship pathway, including your generosity journey, must be systematized to thrive. “Let’s try this or that” isn’t a system. Hope isn’t a strategy, but a strategy provides hope.

Wrapping Up (For Now)…

Generous people adopt selflessness as a lifestyle. As churches, it’s time to recommit to discipleship on all fronts, including giving. If you’re a Church Accelerator Partner, you know I believe in leveraging moments to create momentum. That’s the basis of our Funding Funnel framework. But we cannot allow moments of need to drive our approach to giving.

If you’re struggling to grow disciples and develop generous givers, check out the Funding Funnel Course, available to all Accelerator Community Partners.

Not a partner yet? You can join today for only $149 per month. The course alone is worth $249, and you’ll get access to a dozen courses, six Custom AI Tools (like my sermon outline generator, sermon evaluator, small group question writer, and more), dozens of systems and frameworks, and lots of supporting documents.

If you’d like personalized coaching for yourself, a staff member, or your church, explore the Strategic Partner and Community Partner options. I limit these options to maximize my investment in each church and pastor. Let me know if you’re interested.

Leading WITH You,