Diocese of Covington - Messenger at 402 E. 21st Street, Covington, KY 41015 US - Along the Way

The ‘money talk’

Somewhere along the way, I concluded that if one asked any priest or pastor, young or old, to select the homily they were most reluctant to give, it would be the “Money Talk.” A local area faith community recently decided to take a new approach to promote increases in weekly contributions in order to meet annual operating expenses. Parishioners talked to parishioners. Three members of the community’s pastoral council agreed to address the congregation at each of the parish’s three weekend Masses. Even though the pastor had always spoken about past financial matters and did not ask for help this time, he welcomed the idea.

That approach was suggested at a recent meeting of the council when the finance committee chairman shared the good news of a $25,000 anonymous donation, which will cover immediately needed improvements, and the bad news about a drop in the weekly envelopes, which will produce a budget shortfall.

It was quickly determined that if each member who drops an envelope in the basket would increase their donation by just a few dollars each week — probably less than five — the parish could balance its annual operating budget.

Now, what could be said or done to inspire such increases? Personal testimonials might work, but they might be quite intimidating for those who would stand up at the ambo and talk about their personal giving habits. The idea of parishioner-to-parishioner still was attractive, particularly since those who agreed to speak would no doubt be enduring the same kinds of economic stress as many of their fellow parishioners — large percentage losses of their retirement savings, possible cutbacks at work, rising family expenses, etc.

The council decided to conduct a small, unscientific survey to ask fellow parishioners about their giving habits and to share those answers at the Masses.

The answers shared with you here might be typical of those given by church members to a parish council and pastor who might try the same approach.

Parishioners were asked, “How do you decide how much to give each week?” Most said they budget their giving as part of their monthly expenses. Many said that they aim to give 10 percent of their net income to charity, including their church donations.

When asked, “Over the years, what has inspired you to increase your weekly donation?” The majority said that when they see a specific need — a major expense for the church, a special project, a shortage of collections — they want to help. Some increase their donation when they get a salary increase.

“Why do you give to the church at all?” was the question and answer that gave the council the most encouragement. Many said that their parents had taught them, by example, that giving to their church was the right thing to do.

Some other comments included, “If I am going to partake of the services offered here, then I need to help pay for those services.” Someone else said, “When I give to my church, I take ownership in that church and my life is richer.” Another said firmly, “I support what I believe in.” The following words express what quite a few parishioners said, “Everything I have is a gift. How could I not share my resources with my church?” Finally, one response was repeated over and over, “This is where I worship. This is my community. This is my family. I am committed to support all of these.”

The pastoral council members who spoke at the Masses had no qualms about sharing the survey findings and reported that their fellow parishioners had no trouble giving them their undivided attention. (A “P.S.”: in a future column I will share results of the talks with you and all interested readers.)

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