“For most churches, if you take 50% of your givers off the list, you’re only losing 2% of the gifts… Rather than talking about fear and anxiety of the coming recession, what if we talk about the real issue? Being broken-hearted about the spiritual condition of our people when it comes to money and possessions.” Meet Jim Sheppard, CEO & Principal of Generis, a firm passionate about coaching churches and creating contagious generosity. Today’s episode wrestles through some very current economic trends like inflation, recession, while guiding church leaders on how the disruption of the pandemic will require churches to change their playbook and update their scorecards. This is a must listen and one you’ll want to share with your team as you head into fall. 

Welcome to Episode 063 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan. 

EPISODE LINKS

Are you retaining first and second time donors? Get a free copy of the Generis Ebook: First-Time Givers for your team at the Ascent Leader website here. 

Checkout more about Generis

Get Jim’s book - Contagious Generosity

Intentional Churches - Connect with Doug Parks & Bart Rendell for member engagement beyond attendance. 

Are you in Transition or have one on the horizon?  We encourage you to check out more about our cohort work and how you can get signed up at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/

WHO IS JIM SHEPPARD?

Jim Sheppard is CEO & Principal of Generis, a consulting firm passionate about helping churches inspire and cultivate generosity through giving development, coaching, and strategy. After college, Jim passed the CPA exam and pursued a career as a financial executive. Though he grew up in the church, Jim was not a believer until he was 28. That part of his life intersected with his business life in 1991 when he thought he might be called to the pastorate. This came at a time when he was at a very high level in a major financial services company. After an intense spiritual period in his life, Jim realized that was not where God was calling him. Seven months later through a corporate buyout and a series of providentially inspired events, Jim moved from the corporate world to giving development for churches and ministry organizations. Jim is a student of generosity and is passionate about spreading it throughout the Church. For the last 27+ years, he has devoted his life to coaching pastors especially in navigating the resource limitations that restrict their ministry potential. Jim understands the financial challenges that churches face today; annual giving, debt, capital projects, and planned giving. He is a positive force in bridging these needs with the power of spiritually motivated stewardship. Cumulatively, Jim has partnered with his clients to raise over $1.7 billion for local church ministry. Jim is a frequent writer and speaker on generosity and ministry funding. He is co-author of Contagious Generosity: Creating A Culture Of Giving In Your Church. Jim and his wife, Nancy, live in the Atlanta, GA area and they have two married daughters. He is actively involved in his church where he serves as an elder and provides guidance to the Generosity Ministry Team.

Instagram: @jim_sheppard and @generisteam

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

Thanks to our sponsor: Food For The Hungry.

Combine your church's heart for the poor and Food for the Hungry’s global experience at fh.org/churches.  

The Art of Leadership Academy - https://careynieuwhof.com/the-art-of-leadership-academy/