Generosity is a discipleship issue.

The biblical basis

Here is where I start. Two things are true at once: Scripture sets a standard, and God cares deeply about the heart behind the gift.

The heart: 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Paul says whoever sows sparingly reaps sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully reaps bountifully. Then he says God loves a cheerful giver. God isn't after reluctant money. He wants a glad heart that has decided to trust Him.

The standard: the tithe

Abram gave a tenth to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20), before the Law was ever given. The Law called the tithe holy to the Lord (Leviticus 27:30). God challenged Israel to bring the full tithe and test Him (Malachi 3:10). Jesus told the Pharisees they should have practiced justice and mercy "without neglecting" the tithe (Matthew 23:23).

Where Valor stands

We hold to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Article XIII on stewardship says Christians are under obligation to serve God with their time, talents, and material possessions, and should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth. The article doesn't use the word tithe, but it lists Malachi 3:8-12 among its supporting Scriptures.

God's people gave more than their time

All through Scripture, God's people served with their hands and gave with their wallets. Here are a few places I'd love for you to read.

The tabernacle. Everyone whose heart stirred him brought gold, fabric, and materials, along with their skill (Exodus 35:21-29). They gave so much that Moses had to tell them to stop (Exodus 36:5-7).

Jesus' ministry. Women who followed Jesus provided for Him and the disciples out of their own means (Luke 8:1-3). Jesus pointed to a poor widow who gave two small coins, all she had to live on (Mark 12:41-44).

The early church. Believers sold possessions and shared with anyone in need (Acts 2:44-45). Barnabas sold a field and laid the money at the apostles' feet (Acts 4:36-37).

Paul's churches. The Macedonians, in deep poverty, begged to give, and first gave themselves to the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). The Philippians sent Paul gifts again and again, and he called it a fragrant offering pleasing to God (Philippians 4:15-18).

Notice the order with the Macedonians. They gave themselves first, then their money. That's the heart I want for Valor: people who serve, and people who give, because they belong to Jesus.

10% is a starting point, not a ceiling

The New Testament never restates 10% as a fixed command for believers. What it gives us is a heart standard: give as you have decided in your heart (2 Corinthians 9:7), and give according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have (2 Corinthians 8:12).

That cuts both ways. If the Lord is the one compelling the gift, He may ask you for more than 10%. And for a season, He may ask for less. Either way, it should still cost you something. David refused to offer God what cost him nothing (2 Samuel 24:24).

We are not asking anyone to neglect their bills or their household. Scripture says a man who does not provide for his own household has denied the faith (1 Timothy 5:8), and Paul says his ask is not meant to ease others while burdening you (2 Corinthians 8:13). That situation is rare. When it happens, we sit down together and walk through it with grace.

Something I want you to know: Christians disagree on whether the tithe binds New Testament believers as a law. Our position, that the tithe is a healthy baseline and generosity is led by the Lord beyond it, is an interpretation drawn from the texts above and BF&M 2000 Article XIII. It is not a single verse command in the New Testament.

Why preaching alone isn't enough

Teaching matters, and I will always preach on giving. But I've learned that people also need to be asked, personally and warmly.

Look at what 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 actually are. They are Paul asking. He tells the Corinthians how the Macedonians gave beyond their means (8:1-5). He sends Titus ahead to collect the gift they promised (8:6, 9:5). The same chapter that says "not under compulsion" is a direct ask. Asking isn't pressure. It's one of the ways a pastor loves his people.

We are not in the Bible Belt. Most people here have never been taught what the Bible says about generosity. I can't assume giving is a value, that it's understood, or that it gets applied from a sermon. I've seen that firsthand, and it's not a knock on anyone. Most of us were simply never shown.

Generosity is built the way any culture is built: through relationships. In a culture where people drift, one-on-one asks and discipleship are a must. I've been doing this long enough, and said enough from the stage, to know the real growth happens over coffee and in living rooms.

So I challenge people spiritually. Not from compulsion, but because I love them too much to let them miss a life of generosity.

You cannot out-give God. Paul says whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully, and that God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:6, 8). We cannot afford not to give.

Six kinds of givers

Every person is at a different place, so we meet them where they are. One sermon won't reach all of them.

Why we offer different ways to give

People are stirred by different things. That's just how God made us. Some light up for the weekly work of the church, some for missions, some for a building or a once-in-a-generation moment. At the tabernacle, it was everyone whose heart stirred him who brought an offering (Exodus 35:21).

So we give people more than one door: the general fund, missions, special projects, capital campaigns, and a year-end offering. Different opportunities aren't a gimmick, and they're not repackaged asks to shake people down again. They meet people where God is already moving them. Our job is to keep inviting them all toward a whole-life generosity that includes the weekly work of the church.

Why a year-end offering

December is when a lot of giving happens. Some people fall behind during the year and want to catch up. Some are thinking about taxes before the year closes. And some simply do their giving once a year. A year-end offering gives each of them a clear moment to respond.

Tax deductibility depends on each person's situation. We point people to their own tax advisor rather than giving tax advice.

To the person who already gives

If you're already giving faithfully and you hear yet another ask, I get it. It can feel like a lot. Thank you for your patience, and thank you for your faithfulness.

Here's why we do it. We don't live in a culture where one kind of ask reaches everyone. People here are individuals with their own stories, rhythms, and triggers for generosity. Different asks are how we reach the whole church, not a sign that we're overlooking you.

Capital campaigns

The general budget pays for ministry this year. A capital campaign pays for something that lasts beyond this year: a building, land, a launch, a major equipment need.

Here's why they matter. They are usually funded by a different pool of money than weekly giving, often accumulated assets and multi-year pledges. They give asset givers and one-time givers something concrete to give to. And they help a church say its vision out loud, in plain terms, with a number attached.

This is an old pattern

When Nehemiah saw Jerusalem's walls in ruins, he told the people what God had done and said, "Let us rise up and build" (Nehemiah 2:17-18). He made a clear, personal ask, and the people had a mind to work (Nehemiah 4:6). The wall was finished in fifty-two days (Nehemiah 6:15).

Before Solomon built the temple, David gave from his own treasure and invited the leaders to give. They did, and the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, with a whole heart (1 Chronicles 29:2-9). Solomon then spent seven years building it (1 Kings 6:38). A clear vision, a personal ask, and a joyful response. That is still how God builds.

Designated funds: the Opportunity Fund

We created the Opportunity Fund for general opportunities God puts in front of us. At the time, a full capital campaign wasn't the right move. A campaign needs a long lead-up, lots and lots of conversations, and a clear direction. So we rolled out the Opportunity Fund to capture the excitement of the story revealed on Vision Night.

I got counsel from Steve Stroope, who knows capital campaigns as well as anyone. He looked at the age of our church, the timing of the ask, and the church calendar. His advice was to launch when we did so we could keep the momentum going without making another big ask.

The thinking was simple. If we can earn a place in a family's monthly budget, we can raise a significant amount without needing big one-time gifts. We don't need the money by the end of this year. We need it years from now. A small monthly increase, kept up over time, adds up.

The numbers back this up. Valor's average household gives about $3,097 a year. A 1% step on the area median is $1,205 a year, so over three years that's about $3,615, a little more than one average year of giving.

Looking back, the timing could have been better. That's a lesson learned, and I'd rather name it than hide it. Like a lot of what's on this page, it lives in the psychology of money. How and when you ask shapes how people respond. You know that better than most.

For a finance mind, think of the operating budget as recurring revenue and the campaign as a capital raise. Different investors, different pitch, different time horizon.

This is my framework summarized in plain language. Contagious Generosity treats campaigns and a culture of generosity in more depth; read it for the full case.

The numbers

Here's where Valor stands today, checked line by line. Every figure below reconciles to Planning Center or a published source.

Giving as a share of income

Valor: 80 members average $3,701; 107 non-members average $2,645. Valor is measured against the pre-tax area median. National figures from empty tomb are measured against after-tax income, so Valor's comparable rate is higher than shown. The 2022 figure is derived (3.02% reduced by the reported 43% decline), not published.

Valor already gives above the national rate. That's a credit to our people. The 1% step isn't about catching up. It's about growing further toward what Scripture calls us to.

The national trend

Share of after-tax income US church members gave, per empty tomb's State of Church Giving series as reported by Religion News Service (2022, 2025).

What the 1% step does in 2027

Assumes 10% household growth. Each stepping household adds $1,205 a year, counted for 11 months in 2027.

Growth shows up in 2028, not 2027

New people usually start giving about six months after they arrive. If they arrive evenly through 2027, the average new household gives for only 1.5 months of the year. So 2027 depends almost entirely on the people already here taking the step.

The six-month lag is a rule of thumb from Kent Shaw, not a published figure.

Who gives

214 Planning Center donors, Oct 25, 2025 to Oct 24, 2026, including institutional and one-time donors. This is a different group from the 187 households above, so the two should not be combined.

What could make these numbers wrong

Chris, this is where your eye will help us most. These are the places a careful reviewer would push. The $579K base includes designated giving; the General Fund pace is $541.7K, which is the better base if the campaign funds operations. The $1,205 step assumes every household earns the area median, and Valor's real incomes are unknown. The model assumes no attrition, and Valor lost families in 2026; 5 to 10% attrition would offset most of the growth. New households likely give less than $3,097 in their first year. And 2028 holds the step flat, though CBO projects CPI at 2.4% for 2027 and 2.3% for 2028.

Sources

Books to read

Articles worth your time

Shorter reads from pastors and Baptist sources who think the way I do about this.

Start with Contagious Generosity. Then let's grab coffee. I want to hear what you'd change in the model, and how God is working in you through all of this.