Prayer

What we do with our money, including our giving, cannot be excluded from our Christian discipleship so praying about giving matters. Without prayer at the heart of Giving in Grace we run the danger of divorcing it from the the spirituality of both individual Christians and the ethos of the church. Thinking, talking and acting with integrity around money is not a necessary evil but a natural part of the worshipping, praying, missionary life of the Church. "Just as you excel in all things - in faith, speech, knowledge in utmost eagerness and in our love for you - so we want you to excel also in this grace of giving" ( 2 Corinthians 8:7)

Plan for individual and corporate prayer well in advance of the congregational launch. A clear and committed programme of prayer will help people make connections between their faith and their giving by encouraging prayer about what many regard as a secular concern rather than a spiritual one.

• Review the discussion paper Why Prayer Matters Clergy are chaplains to the planning group and should ensure that serious prayer is a vital element of the planning process.
• Appoint a Planning Group prayer coordinator so that prayer is not the poor relation in the busyness of preparing for Giving in Grace.
• Select passages from the preaching tracks and prayers from the liturgical resources to introduce planning meetings. Rich material for reflection can be found in passages such as: Exodus 36:1-7,
  1 Chronicles 29, Deut 14:22-29, Malachi 3:6-12, Luke 18:18-30, Luke 12:13-21, Matthew 18:21-35, Matthew 20:1-16.
• Develop a varied and sustainable programme of corporate and individual prayer. See the Prayer Options page for ideas
• For a case study of how one church sought to pray creatively in the preparation for Giving in Grace see Prayer: A Case Study.