In September of 2023, the Florida United Methodist Foundation launched a new initiative called “The Generosity Hotline,” an on-demand coaching service that provides church leaders with access to expert advice on financial, stewardship, and generosity matters at no cost to them.
Through a partnership with Horizons Stewardship, and underwritten by the Foundation, United Methodist churches and other Wesleyan ministries can receive monthly 50-minute coaching sessions with an experienced ministry strategist and generosity coach where they can get answers to their most pressing questions in real time from the convenience of their home or office.
The sessions are opportunities for churches of any size and situation to get access to high quality resources and best practices related to growing giving, reducing debt, cultivating financial leaders, creating first-time giver strategies, maximizing recurring giving, other practices that impact generosity in churches with the goal of funding their ministry needs.
Neil Yarian, Financial Manager and Treasurer of Heritage United Methodist Church in Clearwater, took advantage of the service to receive coaching on growth areas the church had already identified. His coaching sessions validated the path that the church was on and gave him fresh insights to bring to staff and lay leaders. Since he came to his coaching sessions with specific questions, his coach was able to provide targeted resources that helped the church see new opportunities for growth.
“We were still operating the way I think churches operated forty years ago,” Yarian said. “There’s a paradigm shift now that it’s not about pledge cards, it’s about doing God’s work and furthering the Kingdom,” he added. “It’s got to be transformational, not transactional.” Working with a generosity coach helped Heritage UMC develop strategies to connect the business of the church to the mission of the church in powerful ways.
Recognizing that models for stewardship and giving from decades past may need different language and approaches in the future, Rev. Emily Knight of Riverside Park United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, came to her coaching session with more general concerns and questions. “What is always most helpful for me with coaching is the designated time and space to be intentional about it,” Knight said.
Knight’s coaching session provided time and space to get advice, support and strategies for generating healthy, sustainable generosity. She said, “It was really helpful to hear ideas and approaches that are working in other settings, and it was very helpful to ask specific questions about our context and to be given points of consideration that I may not have seen as clearly.” She plans to utilize the service again and include members of their stewardship committee as they refine their vision for sustainable growth.
For both Yarian and Knight, the Generosity Hotline provided them with an opportunity to get individualized support to grow their ministries. Yarian expressed his gratitude to the Foundation for their investment in helping churches “find ways to transform the world, not just from the pulpit, but to become better providers to make those ministries happen.”
If you are interested in utilizing the Generosity Hotline, you can book a coaching session by visiting www.fumf.org/generosityhotline/.