Take the Dollar Challenge - In an age when tithes and regular giving are often accomplished by electronic means, why not challenge members of your congregation to put an extra dollar in the collection plate each Sunday? Seeing adults give thanks to God by literally filling the offering plate teaches children about stewardship in a way they can easily understand. And if every member contributes an extra dollar a week, the sum can quickly add up to help support additional ministry. Not a bad notion.

Interestingly, this idea stemmed from my back page article appearing in a Methodist Money & Ministry newsletter feature. I wrote of how my young son loudly asked during a Sunday morning church service, “Why don’t you ever pay the church anything?” A Northwest Texas Conference pastor heard about this unexpected lesson on giving during one of my stewardship presentations and issued the Dollar Challenge to her church members in response. The Dollar Challenge continues to spread as Northwest Texas Conference Treasurer encouraged other pastors to challenge their members in the same generous way.

The pastor told me recently that the visual image of full offering plates has insired her congregation to find new and exciting uses for this new 'Found Money for Ministry."

Take the Dollar Challenge for a month and see what happens!