But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-9
When I was in the Kansas City Symphony Chorus a few years ago, the leadership of the organization decided to change the way they asked members of the choir to participate. Instead of charging at $50 membership fee to participate in the organization, they simply asked each member to contribute a donation to the choir to help defray the costs and meet the needs (like purchasing new music, paying the conductor and accompanist, etc.). The only stipulation they set was that they asked each musician to give any amount (even as little as $1!) so that they could claim that 100% of the choir members contributed to the organization for grant applications. (Apparently, it says a lot to financiers that an organization’s membership believes in their cause so much they are willing to be financial backers themselves.)
The leadership took a huge risk by telling choir members they could donate any amount; after all, if everyone decided to just give the $1 minimum, they very well could have shot themselves in the foot trying to have enough money to operate. Instead, what they found is that there was an increase in funds to the tune of around 4000%!! It turns out, instead of asking every member to pay a set fee, they asked each person to give what was in their heart. I don’t know if every donor gave above the original $50, but when asked what this organization’s value was to each member they resoundingly replied with, “We love this organization, we believe in the cause, and are willing to support those passions with our finances!” We never had so much money to support the organization, to purchase supplies, and to sing our little hearts out without fear of lack.
As disciples of Jesus Christ—who purposed the church to be His hands and feet in this world— how do we measure up in generous giving to the local church?
When I read this scripture, I can’t help but remember this story. In our Echo Group we learned that the traditional 10% tithe is a traditional minimum benchmark in financial giving to the local church, but is by no means the ceiling to generous giving! Paul is saying to purpose in your heart and to give both generously and cheerfully.
Next week, I have some thoughts about how we apply what we learned from this scripture!