THF_2025ImpactReport_Digital - Flipbook - Page 28
Living a Legacy of
Generosity: Reflections from
the Tyndale Foundation Board
Generosity Requires Wisdom and Stewardship
Kalee Perlman
• “The submission of grants and follow-up reports is a guardrail to ensure
generosity is well placed.”
• “God accomplishing big things through small offerings.”
• “A prayer, a word of encouragement, or the gift of presence.”
For the Tyndale House Foundation board, generosity is not impulsive but rather
discerned through intentional times of prayer. The wise stewardship of resources
protects investments, honors trust, and ensures that giving bears lasting fruit.
Some phrases board members used to describe this posture include:
• “Practicing effective generosity requires relationships and wisdom.”
The legacy of generosity at Tyndale is not only rooted in our history.
It is continually stewarded by the people who publish resources, lead the
organization, and direct profits toward ministries advancing the Kingdom around
the world. In addition to surveying our partners, we asked our board members
to reflect on how serving on the Foundation board has shaped, challenged,
and encouraged them toward lives of generosity.
In their responses, members of the board consistently described generosity
as both practical and spiritual. It is a practice of balancing opposites so as
to achieve a generosity that is relational yet strategic, joyful yet sacrificial—
a kind of wisely guarded open-handedness. What follows are some of their
reflections, revealing the heart and posture behind Tyndale’s giving.
Generosity as Open-Handed Faith
When asked what generosity is and what it has taught them, board members
repeatedly described generosity as an act of obedience that flows from a deep
appreciation of God’s generosity and provision toward us. It is expressed not
only through funds but also through presence, time, encouragement, and
sacrificial love. As one board member stated, “These physical acts are an
outward sign of an inward grace—an attitude that enables us to keep open
hands and hearts.”
Board members also described generosity as:
• “Open hands with all that God has given us—time, talent, resources.”
• “A life of generosity is its own reward.”
• “Recognizing that our resources belong to God.”
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• “How challenging it can be to know if you are doing it well.”
• “We must discipline ourselves to choose recipients commensurate with
our resources.”
Generosity Is Multiplied Through Relationships
Again and again, board members pointed to collaboration, partnership, and
long-term commitment as the soil in which generosity multiplies. It is one of
the hallmarks of the Kingdom of God that keeps the door open for others
to join us there. Board members described THF’s prioritization of generosity
in the following ways:
• “Many organizations exist today because of an act of generosity.”
• “Generosity includes but is not limited to funds. . . . It is openness
to partnership.”
• “That ongoing commitment spreads and multiplies far beyond
the original circle.”
• “We must not be territorial with our resources but rather share
the blessings we’ve received.”
Together, these reflections point to a generosity that is both deeply rooted and
continually expanding, as we are invited into faithful participation in the work
God is doing around the world. As stewards of this legacy, we are called to give
with wisdom, partner with humility, and trust that even the smallest acts of
obedience can ripple far beyond what we can see. It’s in this way, that generosity
becomes not just something we practice, but an embodied witness of God’s
love, provision and grace.
