THF_2025ImpactReport_Digital - Flipbook - Page 8
The Way
of Generosity
Lynn Sidler Nupanga
We sent out a survey to our grantee partners asking how they define
and practice biblical generosity in their organizations.
We wanted to challenge a transactional idea of generosity and build a more
comprehensive picture of how biblical generosity should be perceived. We also
wanted to expand our view outside of our context and learn what our grantee
partners think about generosity and how they practice it in their own contexts.
We were blown away by the responses. Not only did we get a record number
of responses back from our grantee partners, but we were also moved by their
complex and embodied understanding of generosity.
About 85 percent of our respondents said that biblical generosity is “very
important” to the culture and identity of their organizations. When asked
how they define biblical generosity, there was remarkable consistency in how
organizations understand and describe it. Several clear themes emerged.
The overwhelming majority of respondents described generosity as beginning
with the person of God. God is the ultimate giver and owner of all things. God
modeled extraordinary generosity when he created everything and sent his Son,
Jesus Christ, to redeem it all. Biblical generosity flows from gratitude for what
God has already given and is a response to God’s grace rather than an act
initiated by us.
Thus, our generosity comes from a place of stewardship of God’s resources
rather than ownership. One grantee partner summed this up succinctly: “Biblical
generosity is grounded in the reality that all things belong to the Lord, and we are
called to be good stewards of his blessings.”
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However, sometimes giving can feel perfunctory. Many of our partners
challenged this feeling by pointing to 2 Corinthians 9:7, where we are called to
give joyfully and sacrificially: “Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.
For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
As one grantee partner put it, “All genuine generosity, therefore, stems from
grace received, not from obligation or constraint.” Biblical generosity flows
from a transformed heart and is motivated by love and gratitude.
Several responses describe generosity as thinking outwardly and trusting that
God will provide. This sometimes means listening and responding to a partner’s
need rather than acting out of organizational self-interest. A grantee partner
said it this way: “Strategic choices are evaluated not only by efficiency
or growth metrics, but by whether they reflect faithful stewardship and serve
others well. In short, generosity moves our organization from asking ‘What can
we protect or maximize?’ to ‘What has God entrusted to us, and how can we
faithfully give it for the good of others?’”
Furthermore, when a person understands what the Lord has done for them,
generosity naturally flows out. Giving becomes an act of worship showing our
gratitude and trust in God. Generosity becomes a posture rather than
a program to be conducted. This is how one of our grantee partners describes
it: “From the Old Testament commands to care for the poor to the New
Testament emphasis on cheerful, grace-filled giving, Scripture shows that
generosity is an act of worship, stewardship, and participation in God’s mission.”
With this tapestry of definitions, we begin to see a fuller picture of what biblical
generosity can encompass.
We also asked our grantee partners how their definitions of generosity have
influenced their organizations’ mission, values, and strategy. Many shared that
generosity was foundational to the strategy of their organization because biblical
generosity “is not merely financial, but a holistic offering of time, talents,
and resources for the sake of God’s kingdom,” as one grantee partner stated.
Several organizations describe how they make sure that they are leading
by example in their organization’s leadership. Not only do they teach generosity
to others, but those in the organization live it as well.
