In many churches today, the “offering talk” has become routine—predictable, familiar, and often overlooked. But what if this moment wasn’t just about funding ministry? What if it became one of the most strategic discipleship opportunities in your entire service?
Generosity isn’t merely about funding ministry— it’s also about spiritual formation. And the words we use in the giving moment play a critical role in shaping that formation.
Let’s rethink this sacred moment in our worship services using the mini-video series 10 Things I Wish We Would Stop Saying Before the Offering (click for the free download), created by David Whiting, Partner at GenerosityOS. It’s a great resource for aligning messaging across generosity-related communications, especially those focused on receiving the offering.
Familiar Words and Unintended Consequences
Most churches don’t struggle with whether to talk about giving—they struggle with how to do it effectively. Too often, we use words and phrases that have unintended and unhelpful consequences, or that are so predictable that our listeners tune us out. Here are four examples-
- “We’ll now take the offering…”
- “This is such a generous church…”
- “We’re behind budget—can you help?”
- “Time, talents, and treasure…”
These statements aren’t inherently wrong—but they can unintentionally create confusion, reinforce poor theology, reduce engagement, and limit generosity and spiritual growth.
Keep reading or watch the free video series and download the booklet, 10 Things I Wish We Would Stop Saying Before the Offering, to learn why these phrases may be harming both discipleship and ministry funding at your church.
Transactions to Transformation
The offering moment shouldn’t feel like a financial interruption—it should feel like worship. A simple language shift can completely change what you are inviting people to participate in.
- Instead of “taking” the offering → “We give our offerings.”
- Instead of “giving to the church,” → “Giving to the Lord through the church.”
This isn’t semantics—it’s theology.
When people believe they’re giving to an institution, generosity becomes conditional.
When they understand they’re giving to God, generosity becomes an act of worship.
Clarity Creates Growth
One of the biggest barriers to generosity is confusion. Take the word “tithe.” While its biblical, many people don’t actually understand what it means. If a church uses it inconsistently—or assumes a universal understanding—it can alienate people rather than disciple them.
According to Barna Research, only a minority of your attenders understand that it refers to 10% of household income. The same is true for terms like:
- Giving (what we do)
- Stewardship (what we believe about what we have)
- Generosity (who we are becoming)
Clarity isn’t optional—it’s essential for spiritual growth.
Stop Focusing on Needs and Start Casting Vision
“We are behind on our giving” is one of the most common—and least effective—statements used in churches. Why? Because people don’t respond to needs-focused requests the same way they do to vision-centered requests. They certainly don’t like investing in sinking ships or paying our bills, which is usually the message people hear.
Scarcity language creates hesitation; it breeds fear and insecurity. Vision creates inspiration.
What does a vision-centered invitation to give look like? At its core, it is inviting people to join in what God is doing through your church by focusing on the impact of accomplishing the vision- a picture of your preferred future you believe God is calling you toward.
Stop focusing on need- “We need more giving to make a budget so we can fund things like our school backpack ministry.”
Start casting Vision- “Let me tell you about Andrew, who takes home a backpack filled with food for the weekend to give him the nutrition he needs to perform well in school and end the cycle of poverty he was born into. His teacher says he is a straight-A student who also wants to be a teacher when he grows up. When Andrew graduates from high school, he will be the first in his family to have done so. All of you who give faithfully through Hilltop Church make dreams like Andrew’s possible and, in doing so, help us achieve our Vision of ending the cycle of poverty, one life at a time.” Thursday, Hilltop Church volunteers will fill 148 backpacks for kids just like Andrew through our partnership with Sanderson Elementary School.
Stop focusing on what is lacking. Start telling the story of a single life that was changed and invite people to join with God through your church in creating more stories of impact. Here are a few helpful guiding principles.
- Always put a face on transformation by sharing the story of a single life that was changed.
- After sharing the story of a single person, zoom out to how and illustrate in a measurable way how many stories like this one you are creating. Use data points to support your story, not as a substitute.
- Connect your story and your data points to the impact of achieving your larger vision.
Rethink Who You’re Talking To
Many churches try to be sensitive to guests by saying, “If you’re new, please don’t feel obligated to give.” While well-intentioned, this can unintentionally exclude people from participating in something spiritually meaningful. It is not our place to answer for them. Consider using a better approach:
- Honor first-time guests- “If this is your first time at Hilltop Church, we invite you to let this service be our gift to you.”
- Invite everyone else to participate in worshiping God through the act of giving.
- Clearly connect the act of giving to spiritual growth.
Giving isn’t just for insiders—it’s part of discipleship.
Avoid Mixed Messaging
Phrases like “time, talents, and treasure” may sound helpful, but in a giving moment, they can dilute the focus. People often interpret this as Time, Talent, or Money and conclude, “If I serve, I don’t need to give.”
Consider how confusing it would be if you asked for increased giving as a regular part of recruiting volunteers.
Serving and giving are both essential in an effective discipleship pathway, and each deserves its own space and clear messaging.
Break the Cycle of Repetition
If your church can predict every word of your offering talk, you’ve lost their attention. It becomes like the safety briefings on airplanes or a commercial we have heard over and over. We simply tune out and let our minds drift to something else.
Consistency matters, but so does creativity. One of the most effective strategies is to build a 52-week Offering Talk Plan that assigns dates, responsibilities, and desired outcomes. This is an important part of the worship service, and it both requires and deserves careful advance planning. With good preparation, an effective offering talk will focus on one of these essential elements and use one or more to support.
- What your church believes the bible teaches about giving, stewardship, and our relationship with money and possessions.
- A story of how a single life was changed, ideally with an accompanying picture
- Vision Casting
- Financial transparency
- Practical guidance (like recurring giving)
Variety keeps the moment fresh. Intentionality keeps it effective.
The Bigger Vision: A Discipleship Moment
What if the offering talk wasn’t primarily about meeting budget needs? What if it were about forming hearts, building trust, growing faith, and developing generosity as a spiritual discipline?
Shifting our perspective and clarifying our purpose everything changes:
- From obligation to opportunity
- From the church’s needs to the believer’s spiritual growth
Final Thought: Words Shape Worship
Every phrase you use is forming someone’s understanding of God, generosity, and the Church.
The question isn’t: “What should we say before the offering?”
The better question is: “What kind of disciples are we forming with the words we choose?”
Words don’t just communicate. They disciple.
Getting Started
First Step
A great first step in creating a culture of generosity in your church is clarifying and aligning your messaging around giving. You can begin by downloading 10 Things I Wish We Would Stop Saying Before the Offering and sharing them with your worship, communications, and discipleship teams to agree on the language you will use in your offering moment and communications related to generosity.
Next Steps
With your team recognizing the importance of your word choices on discipleship and giving, make it a permanent part of your church’s DNA.
Clarify your Theology of Generosity- What you believe the bible teaches about money, giving, stewardship, and generosity. Internally, it becomes a style guide for communications. Externally, it makes a helpful resource on your give page with a title like “What We Believe the Bible Teaches About Giving at Hilltop Church.”
- Include Generosity/Giving in your discipleship pathway- There is a reason Jesus talked about our relationship with money more than anything except the Kingdom of God. Including it as part of your discipleship path authentically represents its importance in growing to be more like Christ.
If you’d like to talk, see examples, or get coaching, we are just a click away. Contact us.