Reflecting on a phrase from John Wesley, Melissa Spas invites us to consider a new imagination for congregations today.
Resources
Resource Library
Lake Institute’s Resource Library collects and curates a wide range of resources that can help deepen understanding and practice at the intersection of faith and giving.
Search by keywords or browse by themes to find current research, leadership insights, inspiring stories, discernment guides, theological reflection, and more.
Featured Resources
The Faithful Generosity Story Shelf highlights congregations and other religious organizations who have sought to use their assets and resources in creative—and sometimes surprising—ways as an expression of faithful giving.
The Center for the Church and the Black Experience and Lake Institute on Faith & Giving were proud to co-host the 2025 Symposium on Philanthropy and the Black Church. Focused on faith communities in the Black Church, the event united leaders across sectors to build trust, foster strategic partnerships, and reimagine philanthropy through the lens of faith, legacy, and mutual respect.
Erica Dollhopf, Ph.D., Meredith McNabb, and Dr. Carlos Perkins explore the newest data on religious giving and share key insights from the Giving USA 2025 report.
Resources
Bruce Barkhauer shares a Biblical foundation for stewardship from the Christian tradition.
Leaders of a church in Pennsylvania launched a Year of Contagious Generosity, and what happened next surprised a lot of people. Money raised benefited the local fire department, school district, and helped rebuild a community playground.
Marc Kirchoff shares how giving digitally became a part of worship.
Meredith McNabb writes that congregations’ own economic practices are a potent model of what faithful generosity and stewardship look like.
This issue of Giving Magazine focuses on Stewardship and Generosity. The articles in this issue aspire to provide practical advice to improve individual congregations practices of faithful generosity.
Does it matter if clergy know about individual financial giving? Yes, it does and Meredith McNabb shares why.
Church's money management lessons lead to transformation in an impoverished neighborhood.
David Heilbron shares his thoughts on how we can develop and inspire the next generation of philanthropists.
Almost all U.S. congregations ceased in-person religious services in mid-March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet for the vast majority of these faith communities, their work and religious services continued online in the midst of significant uncertainty. How have congregations responded in these unprecedented times?
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Insights is a bi-weekly e-newsletter for the religious community and fundraisers of faith-based organizations that provides:
- Reflections on important developments in the field of faith and giving
- Recommended books, studies and articles
- Upcoming Lake Institute events
