The Christian Gifting Plan
An Answer to the Many Needs of Families and their Churches

By James C. Lorigo

America — founded upon and governed by the principles of Christianity — is known all over the world for the generosity of its people. One of the guiding principals and strengths of both our country’s philosophy and the fundamentals held by the Christian faith is not only to give, but to do so happily — “for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV)

Statistics support this reputation for generosity. Currently, about 70 percent of all Americans give to their respective churches and favorite charities every year. Yet, only 5 percent of those who give consistently actually participate in the ultimate act of generosity: a charitable bequest.

The reality of this might seem puzzling or illogical, but there’s a very simple explanation: lack of education. As Christians, we have a responsibility to educate our people about good stewardship — which, for the most part, we do. However, the need for education on practicing sound stewardship beyond weekly tithing or contributing to an overseas mission is vital and must be made accessible to everyone.

Many Christians are missing out on the opportunity to practice a legacy-generating type of stewardship. A perfect example of stewardship that creates legacies for Christian families and their churches is the concept of the Christian Gifting Plan.

For so many Christians, the lives they lead and the choices they make are guided by the Christian ideals and values that they hold most dear. Naturally, their primary concern is to protect and provide for their families, but many feel equally committed to financially supporting their churches.

These two concerns often breed one of the most frustrating problems of sound financial stewardship — choosing between important family needs and equally important church needs. All Christians want to be able to provide for their families and also have enough money to donate (beyond their tithes) to their churches or favorite ministries, but many feel they can’t. This is where the Christian Gifting Plan comes into play.

The Answer, Defined

Simply stated, the Christian Gifting Plan uses life insurance to leverage the value of one liquid asset to make it worth more than it was originally.

Now, with increased financial resources at their disposal, individuals can bequeath more to their families and also give something back to the Church. It lets members leave more money to their families and more money to their churches and not have to choose one versus the other. The Christian Gifting Plan allows a more diverse population of every congregation (not just the wealthy church members) the opportunity to participate in giving.

Thus, this plan enhances the value of two things:

1. Discretionary dollars earmarked as an inheritance to loved ones, and
2. Future resources for churches and their ministries.

One unique quality of the Christian Gifting Plan worth mentioning is that each person has control of the gift while they’re alive. Unlike other gifts, which are no longer in the giver’s possession once they are given away, the Christian Gifting Plan not only lets him or her retain control over the asset for their entire lifetime, it also allows access to the gift (the life insurance policy values) in the event of an emergency. Additionally, all his or her money goes to work for them immediately since there is no fee or advisor charge to participate in the Christian Gifting Plan.

This plan offers additional advantages as well. First, it’s far less complicated to implement than many traditional fund-raising methods. There is no training, planning or expense involved, nor do you need to pay staff or recruit volunteers to help. Everything is done by, and at the expense of, Americorp Services, Inc., our national service company.

Moreover, the Christian Gifting Plan’s design brings significant additional income into churches and ministries that they’d never be able to raise without jeopardizing the continuity of regular tithing. Nor does it require church members to rearrange their budgets to scrape together additional dollars to contribute to your church.

Even more importantly, this plan does not place constraints on how or where the money raised can be spent. That is left completely to your church’s discretion.

Lastly, the Christian Gifting Plan eliminates the need for pastors and ministers to ask faithful givers for money time and time again. While necessary, this task is often uncomfortable or difficult for church leaders whose primary focus is to preach the Word and bring the salvation of Jesus Christ to individuals everywhere. While the spiritual work of churches and ministries should remain the priority, everyday financial realities can’t be ignored — one more reason why the Christian Gifting Plan makes sense.

If you want to help your member families provide more for their loved ones, but you also want a refreshingly simple, innovative way to raise funds to meet your church’s need today and in the future, the Christian Gifting Plan is the answer you’ve been looking for.