How to Increase Church Giving Without Another Stewardship Sermon
Discover practical ways to increase church giving without relying on more stewardship sermons. Learn how financial discipleship, recurring giving, and a better giving experience help churches cultivate lasting generosity.

You've probably wondered why giving numbers don't reflect the generosity you see in your congregation. People show up faithfully. They serve. They care deeply about the mission of your church. But when the giving report comes in, something doesn't add up.
George Kamel of Ramsey Solutions put it plainly in a recent webinar with Tithely: "They're not stingy. They're just stuck. And there's a huge difference."
That distinction matters more than most church leaders realize, because it completely changes how you approach the problem.
The real reason people don't give
The instinct in most churches is to frame low giving as a generosity problem. If people just understood the biblical call to give, they'd give more. If the sermon on giving landed better, tithes and offerings would increase.
But the numbers tell a different story.
George shared that fifty-two percent of Americans worry about money every single day. Thirty-four percent describe themselves as currently in a financial crisis or struggling. And a third of people making six figures are still living paycheck to paycheck. On any given Sunday, one in three people in your service is quietly drowning in financial stress, and you'd never know it from the parking lot. (For more data on the financial realities facing American families, see the Ramsey Solutions State of Personal Finance Report.)
People who are worried about keeping the lights on are not wondering how much to give. Giving feels like a luxury when you're not sure the car payment is covered.
This is what George calls a financial discipleship problem, not a generosity problem. And until churches start addressing it that way, the giving numbers won't change no matter how many stewardship sermons get preached.
Why knowledge alone won't fix it
The natural response is to teach more. If people understand budgeting, if they hear more about biblical stewardship, they'll get their finances in order and start giving. But research from Ramsey Solutions challenges that assumption directly.
Personal finance is eighty percent behavior and only twenty percent head knowledge. People already know they should spend less than they earn. They know debt is a problem. But knowing and doing are entirely different things, and the gap between them is where most financial discipleship efforts fall short.
What actually changes behavior is community, accountability, and a clear plan. Not more information, but a different kind of experience. When people go through financial education alongside others who are in the same situation, something shifts. The shame lifts. The isolation breaks. And the behavior starts to follow.
The results back this up. People working the Ramsey “Baby Steps” give eight times more than the general population. Not because they received a better pep talk, but because they had a plan, a community, and the margin that comes from getting out of debt. People in Baby Step One, still paying off debt with only a thousand dollars to their name, already give twice as much as the average American.
Financial discipleship doesn't compete with generosity. It builds it.
What pastors get wrong when talking about money
Most pastors are uncomfortable talking about money from the pulpit. They worry about coming across as manipulative, or they feel like hypocrites because they haven't fully figured out their own finances. So they say nothing, and the congregation follows their lead.
But silence is the loudest mistake a church can make on this topic. If your church isn't talking about money, the culture already is. Social media, payday lenders, buy-now-pay-later apps, and well-meaning relatives are all shaping your congregation's financial decisions in the absence of a biblical framework.
George's advice is simple: say something. You don't have to have it all figured out. Authentically acknowledging that money is hard and that the church wants to walk through it together is far more powerful than a polished sermon that feels disconnected from real life, or simply avoiding the “money talk.” (Looking for language to get started? See these short messages to encourage giving.)
The material is already there. Jesus talked about money more than almost any other topic. There are over 2,300 scriptures about wealth, possessions, and stewardship. Preach through Proverbs and you'll land on financial wisdom constantly. The goal isn't to manufacture a money conversation. It's to stop avoiding the one that's already in the text.
The shift George recommends is moving from teaching people to give toward teaching people to be generous. Giving can feel transactional. It's a line item, a bank withdrawal, a thing that happened. Generosity is a character trait. It's who someone is becoming. That identity shift, from someone who gives occasionally to someone who is a generous person, is what creates lasting, consistent giving. And it starts with discipleship, not a donation prompt.
The giving infrastructure problem
Even when congregations are financially healthy and genuinely want to give, many churches make it harder than it needs to be.
Think about how frictionless spending has become. Apple Pay, tap-to-pay, one-click checkout. People are used to transactions that take seconds. Then they show up at church and the giving experience requires finding a checkbook, navigating a confusing website, or re-entering their card information every single time. (See 11 ways to make giving to your church easier.)
Every unnecessary step is a place where someone doesn't follow through. Not because they changed their mind about giving, but because the friction won.
Recurring giving solves a lot of this. When someone sets up automatic giving, they make the decision once and the habit is anchored. They don't have to re-decide every Sunday whether they remembered to bring cash or whether they feel moved enough in the moment to pull out their phone. The commitment is already made. The giving happens. And their heart is free to look for the next opportunity to be generous rather than relitigating the same decision fifty-two times a year.
George described it this way: "The feeling fades. The foundation doesn't." Recurring giving is how you make sure Sunday's conviction survives until the money actually moves.
Churches that prioritize both financial discipleship and frictionless giving see real results. Churches running ten or more Financial Peace University classes see a thirteen percent increase in tithes and offerings. That's not a coincidence. When people have a plan and giving is easy, generosity grows.
A practical first step for your church this week
You don't have to overhaul your entire approach overnight. Start with an honest look at where your church currently stands.
Are you addressing money from the pulpit regularly, not just during stewardship season? Do you offer financial education resources to your congregation? Is your online giving experience genuinely easy, or are there unnecessary steps getting in the way? Do you make recurring giving simple to set up and easy to find?
These aren't trick questions. They're the gap between a congregation that wants to give and one that actually does. And once they give, thank them well; it deepens the habit.
Download the free Generous Church Checklist to walk through a full self-audit of your church's giving culture and infrastructure. It's a one-page tool designed for pastors, executive pastors, and church administrators, and it takes about ten minutes to complete. You might be surprised where the real gaps are.
Download the Generous Church Checklist →
Ready to see what Tithely can do for your church?
Try Tithely free for 30 days and experience everything from recurring giving setup to the full church giving experience for yourself. No pressure, no commitment, just 30 days to see exactly what Tithely can do for your church before you bring it to your team.
Start Your Free 30-Day Trial →
This post was informed by a live webinar Tithely hosted with George Kamel, co-host of The Ramsey Show and personal finance expert at Ramsey Solutions. Watch the full webinar here. Learn more about Financial Peace University for your church at fpu.com/pastor.
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You've probably wondered why giving numbers don't reflect the generosity you see in your congregation. People show up faithfully. They serve. They care deeply about the mission of your church. But when the giving report comes in, something doesn't add up.
George Kamel of Ramsey Solutions put it plainly in a recent webinar with Tithely: "They're not stingy. They're just stuck. And there's a huge difference."
That distinction matters more than most church leaders realize, because it completely changes how you approach the problem.
The real reason people don't give
The instinct in most churches is to frame low giving as a generosity problem. If people just understood the biblical call to give, they'd give more. If the sermon on giving landed better, tithes and offerings would increase.
But the numbers tell a different story.
George shared that fifty-two percent of Americans worry about money every single day. Thirty-four percent describe themselves as currently in a financial crisis or struggling. And a third of people making six figures are still living paycheck to paycheck. On any given Sunday, one in three people in your service is quietly drowning in financial stress, and you'd never know it from the parking lot. (For more data on the financial realities facing American families, see the Ramsey Solutions State of Personal Finance Report.)
People who are worried about keeping the lights on are not wondering how much to give. Giving feels like a luxury when you're not sure the car payment is covered.
This is what George calls a financial discipleship problem, not a generosity problem. And until churches start addressing it that way, the giving numbers won't change no matter how many stewardship sermons get preached.
Why knowledge alone won't fix it
The natural response is to teach more. If people understand budgeting, if they hear more about biblical stewardship, they'll get their finances in order and start giving. But research from Ramsey Solutions challenges that assumption directly.
Personal finance is eighty percent behavior and only twenty percent head knowledge. People already know they should spend less than they earn. They know debt is a problem. But knowing and doing are entirely different things, and the gap between them is where most financial discipleship efforts fall short.
What actually changes behavior is community, accountability, and a clear plan. Not more information, but a different kind of experience. When people go through financial education alongside others who are in the same situation, something shifts. The shame lifts. The isolation breaks. And the behavior starts to follow.
The results back this up. People working the Ramsey “Baby Steps” give eight times more than the general population. Not because they received a better pep talk, but because they had a plan, a community, and the margin that comes from getting out of debt. People in Baby Step One, still paying off debt with only a thousand dollars to their name, already give twice as much as the average American.
Financial discipleship doesn't compete with generosity. It builds it.
What pastors get wrong when talking about money
Most pastors are uncomfortable talking about money from the pulpit. They worry about coming across as manipulative, or they feel like hypocrites because they haven't fully figured out their own finances. So they say nothing, and the congregation follows their lead.
But silence is the loudest mistake a church can make on this topic. If your church isn't talking about money, the culture already is. Social media, payday lenders, buy-now-pay-later apps, and well-meaning relatives are all shaping your congregation's financial decisions in the absence of a biblical framework.
George's advice is simple: say something. You don't have to have it all figured out. Authentically acknowledging that money is hard and that the church wants to walk through it together is far more powerful than a polished sermon that feels disconnected from real life, or simply avoiding the “money talk.” (Looking for language to get started? See these short messages to encourage giving.)
The material is already there. Jesus talked about money more than almost any other topic. There are over 2,300 scriptures about wealth, possessions, and stewardship. Preach through Proverbs and you'll land on financial wisdom constantly. The goal isn't to manufacture a money conversation. It's to stop avoiding the one that's already in the text.
The shift George recommends is moving from teaching people to give toward teaching people to be generous. Giving can feel transactional. It's a line item, a bank withdrawal, a thing that happened. Generosity is a character trait. It's who someone is becoming. That identity shift, from someone who gives occasionally to someone who is a generous person, is what creates lasting, consistent giving. And it starts with discipleship, not a donation prompt.
The giving infrastructure problem
Even when congregations are financially healthy and genuinely want to give, many churches make it harder than it needs to be.
Think about how frictionless spending has become. Apple Pay, tap-to-pay, one-click checkout. People are used to transactions that take seconds. Then they show up at church and the giving experience requires finding a checkbook, navigating a confusing website, or re-entering their card information every single time. (See 11 ways to make giving to your church easier.)
Every unnecessary step is a place where someone doesn't follow through. Not because they changed their mind about giving, but because the friction won.
Recurring giving solves a lot of this. When someone sets up automatic giving, they make the decision once and the habit is anchored. They don't have to re-decide every Sunday whether they remembered to bring cash or whether they feel moved enough in the moment to pull out their phone. The commitment is already made. The giving happens. And their heart is free to look for the next opportunity to be generous rather than relitigating the same decision fifty-two times a year.
George described it this way: "The feeling fades. The foundation doesn't." Recurring giving is how you make sure Sunday's conviction survives until the money actually moves.
Churches that prioritize both financial discipleship and frictionless giving see real results. Churches running ten or more Financial Peace University classes see a thirteen percent increase in tithes and offerings. That's not a coincidence. When people have a plan and giving is easy, generosity grows.
A practical first step for your church this week
You don't have to overhaul your entire approach overnight. Start with an honest look at where your church currently stands.
Are you addressing money from the pulpit regularly, not just during stewardship season? Do you offer financial education resources to your congregation? Is your online giving experience genuinely easy, or are there unnecessary steps getting in the way? Do you make recurring giving simple to set up and easy to find?
These aren't trick questions. They're the gap between a congregation that wants to give and one that actually does. And once they give, thank them well; it deepens the habit.
Download the free Generous Church Checklist to walk through a full self-audit of your church's giving culture and infrastructure. It's a one-page tool designed for pastors, executive pastors, and church administrators, and it takes about ten minutes to complete. You might be surprised where the real gaps are.
Download the Generous Church Checklist →
Ready to see what Tithely can do for your church?
Try Tithely free for 30 days and experience everything from recurring giving setup to the full church giving experience for yourself. No pressure, no commitment, just 30 days to see exactly what Tithely can do for your church before you bring it to your team.
Start Your Free 30-Day Trial →
This post was informed by a live webinar Tithely hosted with George Kamel, co-host of The Ramsey Show and personal finance expert at Ramsey Solutions. Watch the full webinar here. Learn more about Financial Peace University for your church at fpu.com/pastor.
podcast transcript
You've probably wondered why giving numbers don't reflect the generosity you see in your congregation. People show up faithfully. They serve. They care deeply about the mission of your church. But when the giving report comes in, something doesn't add up.
George Kamel of Ramsey Solutions put it plainly in a recent webinar with Tithely: "They're not stingy. They're just stuck. And there's a huge difference."
That distinction matters more than most church leaders realize, because it completely changes how you approach the problem.
The real reason people don't give
The instinct in most churches is to frame low giving as a generosity problem. If people just understood the biblical call to give, they'd give more. If the sermon on giving landed better, tithes and offerings would increase.
But the numbers tell a different story.
George shared that fifty-two percent of Americans worry about money every single day. Thirty-four percent describe themselves as currently in a financial crisis or struggling. And a third of people making six figures are still living paycheck to paycheck. On any given Sunday, one in three people in your service is quietly drowning in financial stress, and you'd never know it from the parking lot. (For more data on the financial realities facing American families, see the Ramsey Solutions State of Personal Finance Report.)
People who are worried about keeping the lights on are not wondering how much to give. Giving feels like a luxury when you're not sure the car payment is covered.
This is what George calls a financial discipleship problem, not a generosity problem. And until churches start addressing it that way, the giving numbers won't change no matter how many stewardship sermons get preached.
Why knowledge alone won't fix it
The natural response is to teach more. If people understand budgeting, if they hear more about biblical stewardship, they'll get their finances in order and start giving. But research from Ramsey Solutions challenges that assumption directly.
Personal finance is eighty percent behavior and only twenty percent head knowledge. People already know they should spend less than they earn. They know debt is a problem. But knowing and doing are entirely different things, and the gap between them is where most financial discipleship efforts fall short.
What actually changes behavior is community, accountability, and a clear plan. Not more information, but a different kind of experience. When people go through financial education alongside others who are in the same situation, something shifts. The shame lifts. The isolation breaks. And the behavior starts to follow.
The results back this up. People working the Ramsey “Baby Steps” give eight times more than the general population. Not because they received a better pep talk, but because they had a plan, a community, and the margin that comes from getting out of debt. People in Baby Step One, still paying off debt with only a thousand dollars to their name, already give twice as much as the average American.
Financial discipleship doesn't compete with generosity. It builds it.
What pastors get wrong when talking about money
Most pastors are uncomfortable talking about money from the pulpit. They worry about coming across as manipulative, or they feel like hypocrites because they haven't fully figured out their own finances. So they say nothing, and the congregation follows their lead.
But silence is the loudest mistake a church can make on this topic. If your church isn't talking about money, the culture already is. Social media, payday lenders, buy-now-pay-later apps, and well-meaning relatives are all shaping your congregation's financial decisions in the absence of a biblical framework.
George's advice is simple: say something. You don't have to have it all figured out. Authentically acknowledging that money is hard and that the church wants to walk through it together is far more powerful than a polished sermon that feels disconnected from real life, or simply avoiding the “money talk.” (Looking for language to get started? See these short messages to encourage giving.)
The material is already there. Jesus talked about money more than almost any other topic. There are over 2,300 scriptures about wealth, possessions, and stewardship. Preach through Proverbs and you'll land on financial wisdom constantly. The goal isn't to manufacture a money conversation. It's to stop avoiding the one that's already in the text.
The shift George recommends is moving from teaching people to give toward teaching people to be generous. Giving can feel transactional. It's a line item, a bank withdrawal, a thing that happened. Generosity is a character trait. It's who someone is becoming. That identity shift, from someone who gives occasionally to someone who is a generous person, is what creates lasting, consistent giving. And it starts with discipleship, not a donation prompt.
The giving infrastructure problem
Even when congregations are financially healthy and genuinely want to give, many churches make it harder than it needs to be.
Think about how frictionless spending has become. Apple Pay, tap-to-pay, one-click checkout. People are used to transactions that take seconds. Then they show up at church and the giving experience requires finding a checkbook, navigating a confusing website, or re-entering their card information every single time. (See 11 ways to make giving to your church easier.)
Every unnecessary step is a place where someone doesn't follow through. Not because they changed their mind about giving, but because the friction won.
Recurring giving solves a lot of this. When someone sets up automatic giving, they make the decision once and the habit is anchored. They don't have to re-decide every Sunday whether they remembered to bring cash or whether they feel moved enough in the moment to pull out their phone. The commitment is already made. The giving happens. And their heart is free to look for the next opportunity to be generous rather than relitigating the same decision fifty-two times a year.
George described it this way: "The feeling fades. The foundation doesn't." Recurring giving is how you make sure Sunday's conviction survives until the money actually moves.
Churches that prioritize both financial discipleship and frictionless giving see real results. Churches running ten or more Financial Peace University classes see a thirteen percent increase in tithes and offerings. That's not a coincidence. When people have a plan and giving is easy, generosity grows.
A practical first step for your church this week
You don't have to overhaul your entire approach overnight. Start with an honest look at where your church currently stands.
Are you addressing money from the pulpit regularly, not just during stewardship season? Do you offer financial education resources to your congregation? Is your online giving experience genuinely easy, or are there unnecessary steps getting in the way? Do you make recurring giving simple to set up and easy to find?
These aren't trick questions. They're the gap between a congregation that wants to give and one that actually does. And once they give, thank them well; it deepens the habit.
Download the free Generous Church Checklist to walk through a full self-audit of your church's giving culture and infrastructure. It's a one-page tool designed for pastors, executive pastors, and church administrators, and it takes about ten minutes to complete. You might be surprised where the real gaps are.
Download the Generous Church Checklist →
Ready to see what Tithely can do for your church?
Try Tithely free for 30 days and experience everything from recurring giving setup to the full church giving experience for yourself. No pressure, no commitment, just 30 days to see exactly what Tithely can do for your church before you bring it to your team.
Start Your Free 30-Day Trial →
This post was informed by a live webinar Tithely hosted with George Kamel, co-host of The Ramsey Show and personal finance expert at Ramsey Solutions. Watch the full webinar here. Learn more about Financial Peace University for your church at fpu.com/pastor.
VIDEO transcript
You've probably wondered why giving numbers don't reflect the generosity you see in your congregation. People show up faithfully. They serve. They care deeply about the mission of your church. But when the giving report comes in, something doesn't add up.
George Kamel of Ramsey Solutions put it plainly in a recent webinar with Tithely: "They're not stingy. They're just stuck. And there's a huge difference."
That distinction matters more than most church leaders realize, because it completely changes how you approach the problem.
The real reason people don't give
The instinct in most churches is to frame low giving as a generosity problem. If people just understood the biblical call to give, they'd give more. If the sermon on giving landed better, tithes and offerings would increase.
But the numbers tell a different story.
George shared that fifty-two percent of Americans worry about money every single day. Thirty-four percent describe themselves as currently in a financial crisis or struggling. And a third of people making six figures are still living paycheck to paycheck. On any given Sunday, one in three people in your service is quietly drowning in financial stress, and you'd never know it from the parking lot. (For more data on the financial realities facing American families, see the Ramsey Solutions State of Personal Finance Report.)
People who are worried about keeping the lights on are not wondering how much to give. Giving feels like a luxury when you're not sure the car payment is covered.
This is what George calls a financial discipleship problem, not a generosity problem. And until churches start addressing it that way, the giving numbers won't change no matter how many stewardship sermons get preached.
Why knowledge alone won't fix it
The natural response is to teach more. If people understand budgeting, if they hear more about biblical stewardship, they'll get their finances in order and start giving. But research from Ramsey Solutions challenges that assumption directly.
Personal finance is eighty percent behavior and only twenty percent head knowledge. People already know they should spend less than they earn. They know debt is a problem. But knowing and doing are entirely different things, and the gap between them is where most financial discipleship efforts fall short.
What actually changes behavior is community, accountability, and a clear plan. Not more information, but a different kind of experience. When people go through financial education alongside others who are in the same situation, something shifts. The shame lifts. The isolation breaks. And the behavior starts to follow.
The results back this up. People working the Ramsey “Baby Steps” give eight times more than the general population. Not because they received a better pep talk, but because they had a plan, a community, and the margin that comes from getting out of debt. People in Baby Step One, still paying off debt with only a thousand dollars to their name, already give twice as much as the average American.
Financial discipleship doesn't compete with generosity. It builds it.
What pastors get wrong when talking about money
Most pastors are uncomfortable talking about money from the pulpit. They worry about coming across as manipulative, or they feel like hypocrites because they haven't fully figured out their own finances. So they say nothing, and the congregation follows their lead.
But silence is the loudest mistake a church can make on this topic. If your church isn't talking about money, the culture already is. Social media, payday lenders, buy-now-pay-later apps, and well-meaning relatives are all shaping your congregation's financial decisions in the absence of a biblical framework.
George's advice is simple: say something. You don't have to have it all figured out. Authentically acknowledging that money is hard and that the church wants to walk through it together is far more powerful than a polished sermon that feels disconnected from real life, or simply avoiding the “money talk.” (Looking for language to get started? See these short messages to encourage giving.)
The material is already there. Jesus talked about money more than almost any other topic. There are over 2,300 scriptures about wealth, possessions, and stewardship. Preach through Proverbs and you'll land on financial wisdom constantly. The goal isn't to manufacture a money conversation. It's to stop avoiding the one that's already in the text.
The shift George recommends is moving from teaching people to give toward teaching people to be generous. Giving can feel transactional. It's a line item, a bank withdrawal, a thing that happened. Generosity is a character trait. It's who someone is becoming. That identity shift, from someone who gives occasionally to someone who is a generous person, is what creates lasting, consistent giving. And it starts with discipleship, not a donation prompt.
The giving infrastructure problem
Even when congregations are financially healthy and genuinely want to give, many churches make it harder than it needs to be.
Think about how frictionless spending has become. Apple Pay, tap-to-pay, one-click checkout. People are used to transactions that take seconds. Then they show up at church and the giving experience requires finding a checkbook, navigating a confusing website, or re-entering their card information every single time. (See 11 ways to make giving to your church easier.)
Every unnecessary step is a place where someone doesn't follow through. Not because they changed their mind about giving, but because the friction won.
Recurring giving solves a lot of this. When someone sets up automatic giving, they make the decision once and the habit is anchored. They don't have to re-decide every Sunday whether they remembered to bring cash or whether they feel moved enough in the moment to pull out their phone. The commitment is already made. The giving happens. And their heart is free to look for the next opportunity to be generous rather than relitigating the same decision fifty-two times a year.
George described it this way: "The feeling fades. The foundation doesn't." Recurring giving is how you make sure Sunday's conviction survives until the money actually moves.
Churches that prioritize both financial discipleship and frictionless giving see real results. Churches running ten or more Financial Peace University classes see a thirteen percent increase in tithes and offerings. That's not a coincidence. When people have a plan and giving is easy, generosity grows.
A practical first step for your church this week
You don't have to overhaul your entire approach overnight. Start with an honest look at where your church currently stands.
Are you addressing money from the pulpit regularly, not just during stewardship season? Do you offer financial education resources to your congregation? Is your online giving experience genuinely easy, or are there unnecessary steps getting in the way? Do you make recurring giving simple to set up and easy to find?
These aren't trick questions. They're the gap between a congregation that wants to give and one that actually does. And once they give, thank them well; it deepens the habit.
Download the free Generous Church Checklist to walk through a full self-audit of your church's giving culture and infrastructure. It's a one-page tool designed for pastors, executive pastors, and church administrators, and it takes about ten minutes to complete. You might be surprised where the real gaps are.
Download the Generous Church Checklist →
Ready to see what Tithely can do for your church?
Try Tithely free for 30 days and experience everything from recurring giving setup to the full church giving experience for yourself. No pressure, no commitment, just 30 days to see exactly what Tithely can do for your church before you bring it to your team.
Start Your Free 30-Day Trial →
This post was informed by a live webinar Tithely hosted with George Kamel, co-host of The Ramsey Show and personal finance expert at Ramsey Solutions. Watch the full webinar here. Learn more about Financial Peace University for your church at fpu.com/pastor.












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