…in the churches this year. Anecdotal evidence here but I’m hearing of healthy increases in some churches. My church did much better.
This is the SBC’s oldest and best mission offering. Whatever is askew in our convention doesn’t diminish the need for a global strategy for missions where resident workers who are immersed in the culture and speak the language share the Gospel.
I think, overall, Southern Baptists understand this and give faithfully and often sacrificially. There have been years when the LMCO jumped $20 million from the previous year. Not sure where we will be when the total is reported late this year. I think the $200 million barrier will be broken in a few years.
How is your church doing?
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“Stern” Lottie picture used because she was serious about SBs supporting the work.
I have seen many ways that churches conduct the Lottie Moon Offering. I grew up with a five week drive from Thanksgiving to the New Year. If the goal was not met it would carry over into the following weeks. I have seen a one week offering. I have seen a big pot Missions Offering where Lottie gets a set percentage. I have seen churches who just budget an amount. When you see totals and there is a clean number with no pennies then it might be predetermined. That is not a judgement. I do wish all churches did a public appeal so that people would know about the IMB and Lottie but all offerings are welcome.
William wrote about a new initiative by Brainerd Baptist in lovely Chattanooga to have every member give an extra dollar per week for a year($52 ) and if every SBC member followed suit we could fund another 7,000 IMB workers. I was happy to be able to join that movement.
I was given a book after my baptism years ago written by the head of the Sunday School Board that advocates 50/50 giving for church members and for churches. What does that mean? It means you give an equal tithe and Missions Offering over the course of the year and the church should in turn dedicate 50% off all non-designated tithes & offerings to Missions. I think few members or churches can lay claim to following that pattern.
What I decided to do was to designate a Missions Offering along with my tithe each week of the year. Annie gets about eight weeks, the State MO gets about the same and a unique MO suring the year too. However most weeks it is Lottie. It allows me to give a greater amount per year because it is a weekly thing and not just at the close of the year. I do not claim that it is what everyone must do but I do think it is worthy of your consideration.
When our church launched the LMCO last year they already had some money towards the goal. Of all our offerings as Southern Baptists the one for International Missions is what has always stirred my heart and soul as a boy and now a man. I collected my coins in a jar so that I could give it to LMCO in December. My son brought tears to our eyes when as a little boy he had $35 burning a hole in his pocket at Christmastime but one Sunday after watching a Lottie appeal video he gave all of it to Lottie. Teach your children about missions and giving and they might amaze you.
There is much more variety these days. As a pastor, I always promoted a set goal in December and January and that was it. Church near me does a bundled mission offering with LM getting a set percentage.
I’m for any way a church chooses to do it…
I remember when our church switched to what they call the Global Missions Offering at year’s end. I think the theory is you use the popularity of Lottie to bolster giving to other worthy causes, Annie and World Hunger in our case. You also get the added plus of people not feeling badgered to give extra multiple times per year. I don’t have the numbers, but I believe the theory has proven true over time. Promotionally, NAMB never seems to make much of an appearance.
I was in a church that showed a Lottie Moon video one week, and stated an ambitious goal. That goal number also appeared on the budget. It was hard for me (a trustee) to track down what was actually given – which fell short of the goal. Maybe a church member made up the difference in the end, I don’t know.
There were always folks who would wait until after Christmas and see that the goal was met. Some churches budget the thing but I like reporting the totals.
Thanks for this and your earlier comment.
Our church has a Christmas Eve service, and all the offering goes to missions. This service and offering are promoted several weeks in advance. Last year’s offering was $19,000, and this year’s offering was $27,000. Praise the Lord! This past year we did a promotion called “Jars for Jesus.” We encouraged our folks to collect their loose change in a jar (or bucket) and bring it to the Christmas Eve service. The jars provided about $2,500 of the total offering. It was a blessing to see children bringing their jars.
Some years ago I heard the IMB treasurer say that the IMB tracks the LMCO giving in certain key churches. Based on the giving in those churches, the IMB knows what the final total will be, at least a ball park figure. I guess this is like the way the TV networks do exit polling during elections.
Our church is giving a combined missions offering we call our “Mission First Offering.” This year marks our first year to give this way and we are still 8 weeks from its completion. But, if the campaign ended today, we would have doubled our LMCO gifts from $12k to $24k. (Our AAEO gifts would have increased ten-fold from $1.2k to $12k.)
If you know me, you’ll know I’m a broken-record regarding a unified missions offering. It works!