You may have heard a similar line come out of a preacher’s mouth from the pulpit before.
“Death is the ultimate equalizer. You can’t bring anything with you.”
That is as true of a statement as it gets. One day, you will die, and all you will be able to bring before God is your relationship with Jesus Christ.
However, that does not mean all of our earthly possessions just disappear. This is not a Marvel movie where everything can disappear with a snap of a finger.
Everything you own will be left on this side of eternity. So, what happens to all that is left?
The Great Waste
Much of it is simply wasted away.
For those who do not create a living will, your family members will split what you leave on this side of eternity. With that, who knows where it will go.
Here is the crazy thing! Over half of American adults do not have a will. That means over half of us have no plan in place for our resources after we die.
For those that do have a living will, we often leave what we own to our children and close family. We hope they spend it responsibly. However, who knows what they will use your resources on?
Even if they make wise choices with what we leave them, many of our children may not actually need those resources.
I am guessing you have heard the saying, “The apple does not fall far from the tree”. If you have taken responsibility to build wealth, it is likely your kids have made wise choices as well.
Instead of wasting our wealth, there is a better way.
Kingdom Wealth
Imagine you are in the presence of God in Heaven. You are worshiping him fully. Due to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, there is no longer any barrier between you and him. There is no more pain or hurt.
However, back on earth, that is not the case. There are many who do not know Jesus and who need to grow in a relationship with the Father! While you are with God, the wealth that you left behind is not being wasted. It has a kingdom impact.
Your church is using your resources to start a new ministry, fund a new staff member, or start a new outreach. People are growing in a relationship with the Lord and meeting the Lord simply because you planned ahead and used your resources to help the church!
You are leaving a legacy that far outlives your life on earth. Your lasting legacy will have a Gospel impact for many generations to come.
This Does Not Happen By Accident
Your son using their inheritance to soup up his car happens by accident. Your alma mater using your resources to fund an anti-Christian campaign happens by accident. Your valuable assets ending up in a trash dump when your family members go through your possessions happens by accident.
However, a Kingdom impact does not happen by accident. A plan must be put in place to help that kingdom impact happen.
That is where planned giving comes into place. Planned giving is how we go about making sure your wealth can have a kingdom impact that far outlasts your life.
It Is Time For The Church To Step Up
Since none of this happens by accident, it is time for the church to step up and start making a plan for planned giving.
We have all sorts of other ministries in place. Just think about it. We have
- Adult Ministry
- Guest Services
- Outreach Ministry
- Children's Ministry
- First-Time Guess Ministry
- Alter Ministry
- Benevolence Ministry
This list could go on ad nauseam. Yet, typically, the only plan we have to fund all of these ministries is our weekly offering. Planned giving allows us to fund these ministries without only banking on weekly offerings.
Offering and tithes are great and should be a part of every worship service. It is one way we worship God by giving. However, it does not have to be the only way or even the most effective way.
Planned giving helps give the church a sustainable, solid funding platform allowing the church to move forward in the ministry God has called them to.
Now What?
Imagine your resources being used to help save and equip the next generation! That is not only possible but probable when you set up planned giving.
So, what is your next step? Maybe you are a member of a church, and you want to set up planned giving of your resources to your local church. Perhaps you are a pastor or elder who wants to start some sort of planned giving ministry in your church.
We want to help you make sure that the wealth of your church is not wasted but used to have a kingdom impact.
Whether you are an individual looking to make a planned giving plan or a leader looking to start this ministry in your church, we would love to help!
We love being a part of the work God is doing as he builds his kingdom from one generation to the next.
To find the next steps on how to create a lasting legacy, fill out the link below.
