Giving to religious causes went up last year.
Did your church giving go up last year?
Did it go up more than 2.7 percent?
(If it did, you beat the average!)
Or, do you need help with generosity and stewardship?

Religious giving was up in 2015. For more details, see my new podcast, Cheerful Giving.

Here’s the transcript:

Thank you for tuning in to Cheerful Giving, I hope the next two minutes will inspire you to increase generosity in your own life and in the lives of people you serve.

The latest news about charitable giving last year is out. The annual Giving USA report details how much Americans gave in the previous year, and what they gave their money to.

It turns out, Americans gave more to charity in 2015 than they have ever given before: $373 Billion dollars, with a B. And the biggest category of giving was religion.

Giving to religion has always outpaced any other cause, from education to healthcare to social and human services. Last year was no different, with religion garnering more than twice what the next highest category gave.

Did you experience an increase in giving in your congregation last year?

Overall, Americans gave just slightly more in 2015 than 2014, 2.7% more.

But the news is not all good. Religious giving is growing at a slower rate than other categories. That means, more and more people are choosing other charities instead of their faith communities.

Meanwhile, costs like healthcare for employees and building maintenance are rising, which serves to crowd out spending on important good work that faith communities aspire to do.

There is hope. Congregations that incorporate generosity into the culture of their spiritual and community life are able to fund the ministries that God has put before them. They are discovering once again that giving to their church is not only about paying the bills, but also about their faithful response to our generous God.

For help inspiring a culture of cheerful generosity and giving in your church, send me an email. I’m always ready to help.

Thank you for tuning in, and may God bless your ministry.