The Generous Church: A Guide for Pastors (Defying Gravity)

Our possessions can create unbearable weight and affect our ability
to serve and thrive. How do we defy gravity and find freedom? In this
4-week small group study and stewardship campaign, pastor and author Tom
Berlin explores what is required to sustain a vibrant life, what we
need versus what we want, and what we can do to avoid being pulled into
the orbit of materialism.

The Generous Church helps the pastor and leadership team think
strategically about financial planning and giving beyond the annual
campaign vision. Tom Berlin believes and teaches that the church, in
order to inspire generosity in individuals, needs to be seen and
understood as generous. People will embrace giving if they see the ways
their gifts are used in the community and the world. Generous church…
generous people.
Sermon helps and fresh illustrations will be included, broken down into
four segments:


Think About It – How do I think through the key aspects of our church’s financial reality and plan?

Communicate It – How do we tell our story so the whole
congregation shares a vision who we are, what we do, and what changes we
can make in the world with our people and resources.
Plan It –
What’s the short-term campaign plan, the annual plan, and our long-term
plan for the financial and spiritual life of our congregation?
Manage It - How do we set up processes, reports, goals, and metrics to stay true to our plan?

Tom Berlin serves as Bishop of the Florida Conference of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. Prior to being elected bishop, he served as lead pastor of Floris United Methodist Church in suburban Washington, DC. Tom is a graduate of Virginia Tech and Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He is the author of numerous books, including Reckless Love, Courage, Restored, Defying Gravity, The Generous Church, and the coauthor (with Lovett Weems) of Bearing Fruit, Overflow, and High Yield.