I had a great crowd on the line with me yesterday for the first of this week’s “How to Plan and Conduct a Christmas Offering” Webinars and thousands of you have downloaded the updated Christmas Offering e-book that I released a couple of weeks ago.

In spite of my best efforts however, there are still a few questions that I wasn’t able to deal with fully.  This is the first of a series of posts to answer your Christmas Offering questions from the webinars and from your emails.

Question number one is:

If we really push a Christmas Offering, won’t that negatively impact our regular budget offering?

I hear this question all the time, and the answer is NO.

In most cases, if you carefully and prayerfully determine the causes you’re raising money for, there will not be a negative impact on your regular tithes and offerings.

Like so many yes or no questions in leadership, however, there is a “BUT.”

BUT you will have to clearly and repeatedly remind your people that the Christmas Offering is above and beyond their regular giving.

Remember, that’s one of the biggest reasons WHY you’re doing a Christmas Offering in the first place: to help your people grow by giving sacrificially.

Along these same lines –

I’ve noticed that the Christmas Offering is the first gift a lot of people ever give to our church, so as we follow up with them, thank them for their gift and help connect the dots between their giving and what God’s doing through our church, they often become our most extravagant givers…

So, no, the Christmas Offering doesn’t have to take away from your regular Tithes and Offerings (if presented properly).  Not to mention, in the long run it has the potential to bring in a bunch of new givers who will continue to give long after this special offering is past.

P.S. If you’re ready to take your Stewardship System to the next level year-round (not just at Christmas time), check out The Stewardship Intensive.

P.P.S. It’s not too late to join me for Tomorrow’s “How to Plan and Conduct a Christmas Offering” Webinar – it’s tomorrow (Thursday, October 14) from 4 – 5:15pm Eastern.  CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.