Saddleback: Uncommon Sense Financial Resources and Groups

Early in our marriage, rent ate half our income.

At the end of one of our first months living together, we had $35 total left for a week’s worth of groceries.

Christine was stressed. (Totally understandable.) I started building a compelling, highly spiritual case for “maybe we skip giving this month.”

Christine cut through my rationalization with five words: “Of course we are tithing.”

That moment kick-started a lifelong journey into generosity. And here’s the honest headline: we’ve received more through generosity than we ever imagined we’d “lose” by giving.

So no, money isn’t some awkward side topic we avoid like a seventh-grade sex talk. It’s discipleship, it’s spiritual formation, and the way you handle it matters.

Bad money preaching feels like a timeshare pitch; good money teaching changes lives.

Why Teaching on Generosity Matters (Right Now)

• The Bible won’t be quiet about money. There are somewhere around 2,350 verses on money, wealth, and possessions—far more than many other themes. The precise number depends on how you classify passages, but the sheer volume is the point. [ref]
• Jesus talked about money a lot. Depending on methodology, many analysts count 16 of 38 parables touching on money/possessions. The exact ratio is debated, but the broader truth stands: money saturated his teaching because it reveals our hearts. [ref]
• Culture is catechizing your people already. U.S. household debt hit $18.39T in Q2 2025; credit card and auto balances keep inching up. Translation: Your congregation is being discipled by debt, fees, and friction. If the church won’t preach a better story, Visa will. [ref]
• Teaching influences behavior. Barna’s recent work highlights a “virtuous cycle”; people who experience generosity are more likely to practice generosity. Teaching that pairs theology with tangible experiences catalyzes that cycle.

And yet many churches go quiet. A recent poll found about a quarter of churches don’t teach on generosity at all. Silence is also a sermon; it just lets culture preach.

If you’re not talking about money, Amazon, Amex, and Apple are happy to.

If you won’t preach discipleship of dollars, Prime, points, and payments will.

The Rich Young Ruler isn’t a “rich guy” dunk; it’s a mirror. Money threatens to become identity, security, and scorecard. Jesus’ money talk isn’t fundraising …it’s heart surgery.

The church can’t heal what it won’t name.

And here’s a reality check on tithing language in the pews: only 21% of Christians say they give 10% or more to their church; among practicing Christians, the figure rises to 42%, but it’s still not a majority.

Clear, confident teaching matters.

So, here’s the deal: if less than half of your people are tithing, and you’re still allergic to talking about money, you’ve basically handed the keys of financial discipleship to TikTok finance bros and credit card companies.

The antidote? Stop reinventing the wheel and learn from churches already doing this well. Rip their best moves, pivot them for your context, and jam until it sticks. The following five examples aren’t theory; they’re field-tested, congregation-shaping strategies that actually move the needle.

Steal These Ideas for Teaching on Generosity

These aren’t “talks about money.” They’re systems that pair sermons with scaffolding—tools, prompts, groups, and follow-up. (Yes, steal this.) The summaries below draw on their public resources and the field notes you provided.

Crossroads Church (Cincinnati, OH) — Tithe Test + The Blue Team

Crossroads treats Malachi 3 like a lab: 90-Day Tithe Test, with public invitations, clear sign-ups, and—this is key—a refund guarantee if participants don’t sense God’s provision in that period. It’s not just a sermon; it’s an experiment with a feedback loop. They’ve also publicly talked about the tithe test/refund in weekend content: “we will refund your entire amount of money [after 90 days, if you don’t see God meet your needs].” They share stories from people who have participated and invite people to join in.

Why it’s smart

• Behavioral friction is your enemy. A simple, high-trust on-ramp reduces fear.
• Guarantee = confidence signal. It reframes tithing as testable, not mystical.
• Tribe beats try-hard. Their “Blue Team” (declared tithers) creates belonging, updates, and social proof—discipleship with nametags. (Crossroads surfaces the 90-Day Tithe Test in their group and resource ecosystem.)

Steal this

• Offer a time-boxed challenge with explicit sign-ups and a real follow-up plan.
• Build a “finish line” story—share outcomes, testimonies, and next steps.
• Form a named cohort for ongoing encouragement (think: “Founders,” “First Fruits,” etc.).

Liquid Church (NJ) — Generous Livin’ with Receipts

Liquid runs a 90-Day Tithe Challenge with a money-back guarantee, reinforced by weekly videos/emails, budgeting workshops, and practical content across their site. Start here: “Give Generously” (challenge + guarantee). See also “The Blessing of Generous Livin’” and a sampling of debt/finance helps that continually point back to the challenge (e.g., How to Get Out of Debt, Keys to Financial Freedom).

Why it’s smart

• Bold offer = clarity. A guarantee signals pastoral confidence and lowers cynicism.
• Drip content changes habits. Weekly nudges move people from intention to action.
• Holistic framing. Teaching + tools acknowledges the money ecosystem (budgets, debt, goals), not just the Sunday plate.

Steal this

• Stand up a simple microsite/landing page with one action: “Join the 90-Day Challenge.”
• Script eight weekly nudges (video + email) before the series launches.
• Pair the series with budgeting classes and coaching hours.

Pantano Christian (Tucson, AZ) — Altars of Generosity

They invited a small, concrete step: “Add $10/week to your tithe.” Small enough to be doable; specific enough to be measurable. And they framed it theologically as “worship in motion.” Series overview and message page.

Why it’s smart

• Shrink the ask, grow the muscle. Micro-moves beat macro-vows.
• Worship framing. This isn’t “fundraising;” it’s formation.
• Legacy lane. Budgeting + estate planning workshops widen generosity beyond this weekend to this lifetime.

Steal this

• Name a small weekly move and make it your default on-ramp.
• Offer two tracks: Entry (budgeting 101) and Advanced (estate/legacy).
• Capture testimonies in week 4; run them back in week 6 to reinforce momentum.

Life.Church — Making Change

They made a money series so simple it could fit on a T-shirt:

• Less Is More
• Stress Is Bad
• Giving Is Good
• Tomorrow Matters

Each talk is a sticky, single idea, reinforced through YouVersion devotionals and group courses like Financial Peace (FPU). The series index is available, featuring individual message pages: Making Change overview, Less Is More, Stress Is Bad, Giving Is Good, and Tomorrow Matters.

Why it’s smart

• Sermons that travel. One-liners spread further than 45-minute word studies.
• Daily reinforcement. Devotionals convert Sunday inspiration into Tuesday habits.
• Group accountability. People do hard things with people; FPU is the scaffolding.

Steal this

• Reduce each week to a four-word maxim. If it won’t fit on a slide, it won’t stick in a mind.
• Publish a 7-day reading plan per week of the series.
• Recruit host homes (short, time-bound groups) to practice the content—think 4–6 weeks.

Saddleback (Lake Forest, CA) — Uncommon Cents

They named the water we’re swimming in: skyrocketing consumer debt + low financial literacy, and then they built a resource hub (worksheets, tools), ran workshops, and launched Financial Freedom groups. Start here: Uncommon Cents series hub

Why it’s smart

• They dignify the struggle. “Debt” and “stress” get named, not shamed.
• They curate tools. One click from sermon to action.
• They scale discipleship. Short-term groups translate content to community.

Steal this

• Set up a Financial Tools page before your series launches.
• Offer pop-up workshops during the series window (budgeting, debt snowball, saving).
• Run 6-week Financial Freedom groups; publish a start/stop date to lower the barrier.

How to Preach Money with Clarity (and Zero Cringe)

1. Lead with purpose, not pressure. “We want something for you, not from you.” Then show how money discipleship grows freedom, margin, and mission. (Barna’s virtuous cycle insight is your friend here.)
2. Name the cultural liturgies. Debt, dopamine, and one-click checkout catechize your people daily. Quote the macro: household debt trends, high APR retail cards, etc., to be concrete about the “enemy.”
3. Make the ask measurable. A 90-day challenge or a $10/week step creates traction. (See Crossroads, Liquid, Pantano for models.)
4. Pair every sermon with a tool. App, worksheet, group, or coaching hour. If Sunday has no Tuesday, you’re just motivational speaking.
5. Use one-liners that travel. Life.Church’s four titles are masterclass-level sticky. Say less so people remember more.
6. Tell stories (yours included). People borrow courage. Whatever your “$35-grocery week” story is, use it to humanize giving and offer a parable of trust.

The Elephant in the Auditorium

Pastors often avoid discussing money for understandable reasons, such as fear of appearing self-interested, not wanting to trigger shame, or because it wasn’t covered in seminary.

But the bigger risk is malpractice by omission. Barna shows that only a fraction of Christians intentionally tithe; Stewardship’s polling reveals that churches rarely address generosity. People are already being formed—just not by Jesus.

If your church won’t disciple people’s wallets, don’t be shocked when Wall Street does.