"Give over $100 today and get this personalized state-of-the-art fountain pen free!" "Become a gold sponsor and your name wll be featured on our exclusive Wall of Fame!" "Send in your donation by December 31st and enjoy the benefits of giving on your next tax return!" Who hasn't heard fundraising gimmicks like these? Or, who hasn't used these gimmicks on others? As Wes Willmer writes, generosity is the natural outcome of God's transforming work in individuals when they are conformed to the image of Christ. Fundraising and giving are not simply drops in the bucket. Capital campaigns and raising funds go deeper than the money. They are spiritual activities in becoming more like Christ. A Revolution in Generosity is a work by some of the best scholars and practitioners on the subject of funding Christian organizations. As Willmer writes, "The foundation for realizing a revolution in generosity is understanding the biblical view of possessions, generosity, and asking for resources." With over twenty expert contributors, this book is a must-read for organizations striving to rid themselves of secular, asking practices and gain an eternal approach.

The general practices related to church funding aren’t producing the same results they have in the past. There is a general acceptance that something has changed but little talk or interest is coming from traditional church leader training sources such as denominational entities and seminaries. Pastors are largely left to their own devices to “figure this out.” They need a lifeline. While some churches are experiencing exponential growth, some churches - despite their best efforts - have been unsuccessful at moving beyond survival mode. Coupled with increased competition from other nonprofits and a decline in the commitment to give to the church first, churches risk losing the funding they need. A growing number of leaders are beginning to discover there is another way and are struggling to understand what makes one church generous and another not. There is a need in the market to offer a simple, working definition of “generosity” and reveal the “secrets” some church leaders seem to have simply stumbled upon which are resulting in unexplainable ministry growth and unprecedented church funding even in the midst of tough economic times. The content of this material was developed and refined by Jim Sheppard and Chris Willard through years of ministry leadership in the local church, consulting with church leaders across a broad spectrum of church settings, and through participation in and leadership of the Generous Church Leadership Community facilitated by Leadership Network. Of particular benefit will be the collection of observations and best practices gleaned during the Generous Church Leadership Community that originated within real-life church leadership situations and scenarios by highlighting specific challenges, methods, and successes.

With all of the books written on stewardship and all of the workshops offered; why do churches continue to struggle with questions and issues of financial giving? The answer is in the church's leadership. A revolution of generosity will only occur as pastors, financial chairs and stewardship chairs live and give witness to the importance of generosity in their personal lives and then intentionally recruit and train others to join the revolution. Leading a revolution in generosity is not about simply using the right program or reading the right book or preaching the right sermon; a revolution of generosity is about embracing, living and leading others on a journey of gratitude, prayer and faith. Generosity Rising instructs pastors on whom to recruit and how to recruit them, offering practical guidelines for training a dedicated team of “generosity revolutionaries.” This book also provides daily devotionals for leaders to inspire, motivate and encourage their personal journey of gratitude, prayer and faith.

We are born in the image of a loving and generous God; we are born to be generous. In this 4-week group study, those seeking to live a more generous life will be exposed to and inspired by cultural, generational, and family attitudes towards generosity. Aimed at those who are regularly in the pews, but who have not yet committed to financial giving, the study offers a weekly reading, accompanied by seven days of challenges in the forms of self-assessment, journaling, and prayer, as well as leader helps to facilitate the group experience. After 28 days, readers will be encouraged to embrace the life-giving journey toward generosity and provided a road map on how to get there. Additional resources include a 4-session DVD to spark discussion within the small group.

Pope Saint John Paul II calls us! "Family, become what you are!" We desire an ideal, but so often it seems beyond our grasp. You can draw closer to that ideal daily. You can be awesome. You can be the family you want to be. When you started a family, were you thinking this? "I hope that each morning, I can wake up to the sound of bickering. It is my desire to yell at my children, and that we barely speak a civil word to each other. I want deep resentment for my vocation and to be irritable most of the time. My goal is to have my sanity hanging by a thread. I think wheedling, bargaining and threatening my kids is an effective means of gaining their cooperation." I didn't think so. This book will encourage you in your vocation, lift your spirits and help you to be the family you want to be. This book will help you and your children get to heaven. We all intend to be thoughtful, reasonable parents when we set out on the journey. We don't know how low we can sink sometimes, in the business of raising children. Often we are left wondering how on earth we got off that track, full of idealism and good intentions. It's a tough job, and you're tired. Exhausted. Physically and emotionally. How can we get out of the rut? Stop spinning our wheels? Get back on track? Parents are primarily concerned with the kind of people their children will grow up to be. Here's the good news: Raising good kids is less about technique and more about how you choose to live your life. Mercy is an outpouring of kindness - a generosity of spirit. Mercy is contagious, infectious...start an epidemic in your own home. Better yet, start a revolution. A Revolution of Mercy.

God’s purpose in calling us to lives of faithful stewardship and generosity isn’t merely to sustain the church. Rather, the continued existence of the church is essential to sustain the powerful, transformative message of our faith. Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Ann A. Michel present the Bible’s redeeming and transforming message of generosity, stewardship, and abundance in this comprehensive guide to Christian financial responsibility. The book provides practical advice to pastors and church leaders tasked with funding ministry and inspiring others toward responsible stewardship and greater generosity. It addresses church fundraising, stewardship campaigns, budgets, financing capital needs, endowments, and innovative approaches to economic sustainability. The book integrates the theological and practical dimensions of finance to empower congregational leaders to think critically about stewardship from a Christian perspective, help them use their personal and congregational possessions in the light of faith.

Women are fierce and fed-up, and they have been joining hands together for the purposes of societal change for as long as there has been injustice. Women of faith are guided by the Holy Spirit to work together to bring down these injustices, to build on the foundation Christ laid for the beloved community of God on earth. This book is women joining together to speak and act in new ways in response to the increasing challenges of our day. This book offers to all women the sustenance needed to face blatant racism, bigotry, sexism, heterosexism, and xenophobia in the world and in the church. The writers of Speaking Truth greet these challenges knowing that the Good News of Jesus Christ is bigger than any societal ill and that God has called us to play a part in God’s work of transformation. When we pray together and act together, we claim a new vision for how things can be - a vision God gives us through Scripture. We can support both ourselves and other women as we learn to find and claim our voices and end the silences imposed upon us. Speaking Truth: • Provides inspirational writings by women for women to face the societal challenges specific to today. • Includes prayers, devotions, scriptures, and inspirational quotes for special challenges. • Encourages women supporting, advocating, and praying for other women.