Dear Watermark Family,
Giving can be a challenging topic within the Church. Thankfully, Scripture is clear regarding how followers of Jesus—and therefore his Church—should view and relate to money.
At Watermark, we don’t see giving as fundraising—we see it as worship. Everything we have already belongs to God. He invites us to participate by stirring our hearts to release his resources for his work.
We did not come to these conclusions on our own. As a Bible-revering church, we sought God’s Word and asked him to shape our philosophy and decision-making. To give our body deeper insight into how Watermark’s leadership thinks about giving, below are nine biblical principles that have shaped our giving philosophy since the beginning of our church.
Our prayer is that these principles help you process your own giving philosophy as a follower of Jesus. We are grateful to be on this journey with you.
Humbly,
The Elders of Watermark Community Church
Todd Anders, Timothy Ateek, Ben Caldwell, Scott Coy, Mickey Friedrich, Blake Holmes, Brett Johnston, Dean Macfarlan, Rob Thomas, and Kyle Thompson
To learn more about giving at Watermark, review our budget, and invest with us, visit watermark.org/giving.
1. We Communicate the Need, and God Stirs the Heart
We make the opportunity to give clear and then rely on God to move his people to respond as he directs (2 Corinthians 8:12). Even with the construction of the tabernacle, God did not require giving—the Spirit stirred hearts to give (Exodus 35:21-29).
This is why we present financial updates throughout the year—budget, giving pace, deficits, and surpluses—while trusting God to move his people to respond to the needs or opportunities presented.
2. We Trust God to Provide What He Sees We Need
Just because we desire something doesn’t mean it should be funded. God’s provision often affirms our plans, and his restraint often redirects them. We hold our priorities with open hands and respond with contentment (Philippians 4:11). God is faithful to give us what we need when we need it (Hebrews 13:5).
3. We Communicate Without Coercion
We speak about giving with thankfulness and expectancy—not guilt. We want people to give out of worship, not pressure. We give in response to the God who gives us everything (Philippians 4:19).
4. We Refuse to Show Favoritism or Special Treatment
Generosity is not measured by a dollar amount but by a surrendered heart (Luke 21:1-4). Regardless of personal net worth or giving amount, we believe each member of the Watermark family should be treated with the same degree of dignity, honor, and respect (James 2:2-4).
5. We Lead by Example
Scripture calls leaders to model joyful, worshipful giving (1 Chronicles 29:6-9). Our leadership seeks to faithfully go first in praying, processing, and releasing resources as an act of worship.
6. We Protect the Purity and Privacy of Giving
We treat giving as sacred, and we honor the confidentiality of every giver (Matthew 6:1-4). While our Finance Team maintains records for tax purposes, our elders and ministers have never had access to specifics about how much or how often individuals have given. We also ensure that anonymous giving is always an option.
7. We Don’t Want People to Give Out of Obligation
We do not pass a giving plate in our worship services. While it’s not wrong to do so, we believe the best way to cultivate joyful giving is not to prompt it with a specific moment in the service, but to provide opportunities to give as the Lord leads (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).
8. We Know That Discipleship Cultivates Generosity
As we grow in spiritual maturity and disciple others faithfully, God cultivates hearts of surrender in every area of people’s lives (2 Corinthians 8:3-5). We believe giving generously is the natural outworking of following Jesus.
9. We Are Careful Not to Store Up More Than We Need
We steward resources toward our mission: Abiding in Jesus, we are making disciples together. While we do have cash reserves for various contingencies, we do not stockpile for every possible occurrence or unknown expense (Luke 12:15-21). If we ever accumulate more than is necessary for the mission in front of us, we prayerfully redeploy resources to God’s broader Church.
