Presentation given to a group of African-American pastors at LifeWay Christian Resources organized by Jay Wells.

1. Church Giving: The rules have changed

2. “ People no longer give to the church simply because it is the church. The church must prove it is worthy of donations through the mark it leaves on the world.” -- George Barna

3. Americans spent nearly twice as much on first-day sales of the video game “Grand Theft Auto IV” as the SBC and the IMB would need to share the Gospel with all the world’s unreached people groups by 2010. -- Empty Tomb

4. Charitable donations as measured by per capita giving of disposable income has remained the same since 1967 – 2.5%. -- Giving USA

5. “ At least one out of five American Christians – 20 percent of all U.S. Christians – gives literally nothing to church, para-church, or nonreligious charities.” -- Passing the Plate

6. What does this mean?

7. The individualistic, independent American Spirit has influenced our perspective on church giving. Churches risk losing the funding necessary to carry forward the work it has been given to do.

8. What’s our next move?

9. The Church can’t fail.

10. There is no “Plan B.”

11. Our next move is to understand… the view from the pew.