Who pledges how much? Why pastors should know

An older pastor told me that most church members prefer that their pastor not understand anything about money. “That way they can more easily live by the myth that their faith and their money don’t go together,” he told me. Then he challenged me: “Your job as a spiritual leader is to correct them every week, and it starts by letting them know you understand the church’s financial picture better than they do.”

Does understanding a congregation’s finances include knowing how much each congregant gives? Ask ten experienced pastors this question and they’ll be split down the middle. One of my colleagues felt strongly that he needed to know; he compared not knowing what people gave to a doctor not knowing a patient’s blood pressure. “It’s a matter of spiritual health,” he said.

A development professional in my congregation went even further, suggesting that a pastor can and should influence givers one on one. “They shouldn’t be chasing down small pledges when they can cultivate relationships with the most generous folks in the congregation.”