Why Christians Don't Ask Christians to Give |
Mar 8, 2011 |
Why do Christian leaders have a hard time asking for gifts, even when scripture commands Christians to give back to the Lord what is already His? And their jobs as champion developers (as opposed to fund developers) requires asking. Let’s take a look at a few of the key reasons many of us don’t look forward to asking Christians to give to the cause we represent:
- Lack of confidence
- Fear/nervousness
- Not sure what to say/how to open conversation
- Don’t know how to handle rejection
- Conviction that a donor’s giving is none of their business
A lack of confidence is fairly common, as many of us don’t have the training or experience we need to feel secure in the asking process. It’s amazing how the proper training, tools, practice, and prayer can lead to assurance, confidence and security in ourselves and in the role of asker.
It’s also common to feel nervous or be fearful when you are approaching someone for a gift. You are unsure about what they are going say and you are nervous about how you should respond. You also don’t want to be responsible for the champion saying no to your ask, which makes us even more nervous about the outcome.
Without proper training and practice, many of us are not sure what to say or how to open conversation. You need to spend the time preparing and writing down your thoughts, how you plan to open the conversation, what you will say to build toward the ask, and what you want to ask for. You’ll see an example later in the workshop. This is not the place where you want to take a shortcut and just expect to “wing it”.
Not many of us crave rejection and most of us don’t know how to handle it very well. First off, YOU are not being rejected and should not feel as though you are. You need to get past the feeling that the champion is saying no to YOU. They are simply saying they cannot give to your cause at this time. This does not mean the end of the relationship, in fact, it means you have a renewed opportunity to engage the champion in PEO.
And another reason Christians have a hard time asking for money is the conviction that giving is between them and God and should be kept personal. Some feel that if you make the need known and pray with faith believing God will provide, then asking isn’t necessary. Yet, as we see in I Timothy 6:18, Paul is telling Timothy to “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
God is commanding (instructing, telling, in other versions) Timothy to command others to be generous and willing to share. We, as Christian leaders, are called to do the same.
Why is this so important to Paul? Verse 19 give us the answer by saying that we should put our riches where they will matter for eternity, so that we may enjoy life in its fullness, the way God intended it for us.
So why should you ask others to give to your cause? So they will not put their hope in the wealth of this world, which might lead them to wander from the faith, but instead lay up treasures for themselves in heaven and take hold of the life that is truly life!
Learn how you can move forward with confidence in asking others to give to your cause by attending our free March workshop entitled, “The Transformational Ask: Your Ask is a Gift.” Check out our website for dates and locations near you.
