Resources

Discover how faith and sports can inspire generosity, build meaningful connections, and create lasting change in communities through these Lake Insights articles.

Lana Miller and Elizabeth Le’Anani Coffee explore what it means to understand wealth and abundance as something meant to be shared rather than accumulated. Through Miller’s story of a congregation putting its abundance into motion and Coffee’s reflection on the Hawaiian concept of waiwai, they invite readers to consider how generosity, gratitude, and small practices of giving can shape communities.

In this issue, we continue the conversation sparked by the 21st Thomas H. Lake Lecture, presented by Meghan Sullivan, PhD, exploring what it means to live generously and pursue a good life. David P. King, PhD, reflects on Sullivan’s call to root philanthropy in love, attention, connection, and vulnerability, while a Q&A with Dr. David Craig explores how these ideas are being brought into the classroom through his IU Indianapolis course. Watch Sullivan’s full lecture and discover how the pursuit of human flourishing can shape our generosity, communities, and lives.

Lake Institute on Faith & Giving bridges research and practice to help faith-based organizations and communities better understand generosity through education, research, public conversations, resources, and real-world stories. Together, these efforts aim to make generosity a guiding cultural value that reaches beyond individual organizations and into the wider public.

Meghan Sullivan, PhD offered the 21st Annual Thomas H. Lake Lecture about "The Samaritan, the Levite, and Innkeeper: Three Approaches to the Ethics of Philanthropy"

Elizabeth Lynn and Kelly Dunlap explore seven forms of religious civic engagement, while Brian Fox and Anthony Riley reflect on how faith communities can move beyond service toward deeper, more communal work for the common good. Together, the three articles invite faith communities to examine their own civic presence and consider how they can build stronger connections and work more collectively toward the common good.

From a team of Lake Institute researchers, this report shares the findings of an exploratory study of religious civic engagement in Richmond, Virginia. This report outlines seven forms of engagement, to widen and deepen documentation of the substantial contributions of religion to the common good.

Dr. Carlos W. Perkins and McKenzie Scott Lewis explore how congregations serve as trusted community anchors and why investing in their long-term health is essential for neighborhood transformation. Perkins emphasizes the need to strengthen leadership, infrastructure, and organizational capacity, while Lewis builds on those ideas by highlighting Congregations With Community's grant plus model, which combines funding with coaching and capacity-building support.

This issue of Lake Insights explores new research on Christian women, wealth, and generosity through the Women, Wealth & Faith study. Featuring perspectives from Terra Seidel and Elizabeth Le'anani Coffee, the articles examine how confidence, trust, collaboration, and spiritual practice shape generous living and what these findings mean for faith communities seeking to cultivate lasting generosity.

Explore the latest insights from Giving USA 2026, including an analysis from Lake Institute's Erica Dollhopf, PhD, and additional webinar and podcast resources to help faith-based leaders understand today's charitable giving trends.