Snowball Generosity – Tani Keller
Snowball Generosity
2020 brought challenges to all of us, and it felt like the world turned upside down. In those moments, we hold onto kind words and encouraging acts—which is exactly what Stockbridge Community Church did. Tani Keller, the Executive Pastor, shares the snowball effect that generosity continues to make in the Kingdom.
It Started With One Small Act
Tani shared a story from the beginning of her pastor’s ministry journey. When he was struggling, a friend took him out to lunch, talked through questions, and slid a check over the table at the end of the meal. The friend said, “I know this isn’t going to fix all of your problems, but I just want you to know that I believe in you and want to encourage you to continue in ministry.”
Years later, that moment of generosity and encouragement inspired another. When the pandemic began discouraging and disrupting their community, Tani and her pastor set a goal to double their generosity. By living out their motto, “when you give, people live,” they began sending pastors and other local churches checks with a note of encouragement. Those small moments grew into a much bigger movement and impacted the Kingdom through God’s providence.
When You Give, People Live
Throughout 2020, Stockbridge Community Church donated to twelve other churches, as well as first responders, local food banks, and other needs in their community.
One of those churches needed a facelift to the front of its building, so Stockbridge shared a donation to kickstart their fundraising journey. Moved by their generosity, that church’s pastor announced the new fundraising efforts, whose first fruits were going to be donated to yet another church.
The church that received the next donation was also inspired to do the same thing with its congregation. Like a snowball, what started as a single action grew bigger and bigger, impacting numerous churches and communities.
Tani acknowledges the innate competitive spirit we have as humans, and says she’s found generosity as the solution. “Generosity to other churches breaks down those walls and helps to expand what we all need to do as the ‘big C’ Church.” Competition melts away when leaders act with the Church in mind and focus on kingdom impact. All that’s left is the mission and the gospel.
We hope these encouraging stories inspire you to expand your ministry impact in ways you never imagined. Not sure where to get started? Pushpay helps churches connect and engage with their community through church management software, digital giving, and custom apps. Click here to learn more about how Pushpay can help your ministry foster a spirit of generosity.
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