Contagious Generosity: Creating a Culture of Giving in Your Church is a treasure chest of ideas that get us out of the old assumptions and expectations related to giving to church. It’s filled with high-impact examples of actual practices by top congregations in The Leadership Network. Written by Chris Willard and Jim Sheppard, it addresses building a church generosity strategy; developing generous leaders and givers; showcasing changed lives; leveraging worship experiences; embracing the ministries of asking and thanking; and measuring and celebrating acts of generosity as an ongoing process.

My copy of the book is filled with tags on pages and notes in the margins for ideas on which I want to follow-up. The book sets all of its recommendations in the context of generosity as fundamental to the spiritual formation of every Christ follower. “We cannot separate our acceptance of God’s grace from the practice of generosity,” the authors say. “Generosity is the fullest expression of the life of a steward, one who has been given a gift that must be used wisely and for a purpose, bringing glory to God.”

Each chapter ends with a list of key ideas and discussion questions, making it perfect for either personal study or use in small groups. It’s a book well worth working with in both your personal life and congregation.

Your partner in ministry,

Betsy Schwarzentraub