How Generosity Can Grow Your Ministry

by Art Rainer June 27, 2017

God designed us, not to be hoarders, but conduits through which His generosity flows. When we live with open hands, we reflect the generosity of our God.

But our generosity is frequently hindered. The Money Challenge: 30 Days of Discovering God’s Design for You and Your Money unpacks four hindrances to our generosity—Keeping up with the Joneses, debt, disorganization, and a financially separate marriage. These are “Generosity Killers.” 

Ministry leaders are not immune to Generosity Killers. Often unintentionally, Generosity Killers erode their ability to live with open hands. The financial strain affects their family, marriage, and ministry.

The fight for financial health is a worthy fight. It is a worthy fight because financial health is a means to a greater end—Kingdom-advancing generosity. 

What happens to a leader’s ministry when they begin to live with open hands? What happens to a leader’s ministry when their life reflects the generosity of our God? 

Their ability to minister well grows.

Here is how your generosity can grow your ministry:

1. Your open-handedness challenges their tight grip. You lead by example. The life of a ministry leader is a highly influential life. For better or worse, how closely you align yourself with God’s design for you will impact how closely others chase God’s design for themselves. Run hard after generosity, and you will see others charge forward as well.

2. You teach and talk more about generosity. God wove throughout Scripture over 2,000 verses about money and stewardship. When you are aligned with God’s design for your money, teaching and talking about these verses comes easily. You are living it. You are excited about it. And you have the desire for others to experience what God has in store for those who align themselves with God’s design for their money.

3. You feel more connected to the ministry. You feel more connected because you are financially invested. There is skin in the game. Money management reveals heart management. Your expenditures provide a glimpse of your real priorities. When you are giving to your ministry, it demonstrates that you have made it a priority. You can feel this, and others can see it.

4. You can become more materially content but more missionally discontent. When you align yourself with God’s design for your money, you become more concerned with generosity and less concerned with material goods. The more needs you meet, the more needs you see. Your eyes become open to the massive mission in front of you. Your passion becomes the advancement of God’s Kingdom. You may be more materially content, but you will be more missionally discontent. And your passion for this mission will invade your ministry to others.

Generous ministries are often lead by generous ministers. Their open-handedness challenges those in their ministry to live generously as well. Pursue financial health for the sake of Kingdom advancement. Get rid of Generosity Killers. And let generosity grow your ministry to others.

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