This is going to be a thread the needle kind of post that will be easily misunderstood. It will likely offend some pastors I’m not trying to offend. But here we go anyway.
Pastors should not be the primary source of information about generosity.
I can already see some pastors upset by that. But let me explain.
Pastors are, by and large, among the most generous people I know. They give of their time, their heart, and when possible their wallet. This post is most definitely not a rant about the pastor who invites you to lunch then expects you to pick up the bill. Such pastors exist, but I’ve been fortunate to only had one in my many decades.
Now, having said that, cool your jets a moment (is that still a phrase?) and let me explain why pastors shouldn’t be your main source of information about generosity.
Generosity is a spiritual gift. Pastors have something to say about spiritual gifts, obviously. But we ask pastors to speak into thousands of topics. They aren’t experts at every one of them.
Over the years I’ve listened to hundreds of sermons on generosity. They tend to make several broad mistakes. For instance, they tend to equate a person of wealth with a person who has the gift of giving (totally wrong). They tend to to equate giving as the most important way to combat greed (also wrong … read my book). And they tend to push the idea that giving to their church is the most important gift you can make (debatable).
Of course these mistakes are made by many people, not just pastors. But these folks do not have the stage once a week to share their ideas, nor are they typically viewed as spiritual mentors. So pastors have a lot of authority and a platform, whereas people who actually have the gift of giving tend to keep a low profile.
A pastor can give you a basic Generosity 101 perspective. An introduction to the topic, so to speak. Which is great.
But if you want to really understand the marvelous spirituality of generosity, find people who have invested far more time into the topic. Talk to folks at Generous Giving, The Gathering, even the National Christian Foundation. Many of these folks spend their entire careers seeking to more deeply understand generosity. You can learn from them, as I have.
And seek out people who actually have the spiritual gift of giving. That might be your pastor. But probably not — they are more likely gifted in other ways.