Disciples Generous Response

Prepare a Disciples Generous Response for your next worship service or small group gathering.

Offering

The Disciples’ Generous Response is a spiritual practice rooted in gratitude and the teachings of Jesus. It’s often expressed in worship through the offering, but it extends far beyond that moment, shaping how we manage resources, care for others, and respond to God’s grace in everyday life.

Principles of the Disciple’s
Generous Response

Receive God’s Gifts

God gifts each person with boundless grace and unending love. God’s gifts for each of us are expressed through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Respond Faithfully

When we faithfully respond to the ministry of Jesus Christ we become accountable to one another, God, and ourselves. Our response to God’s gifts of love and grace is to serve others and let generosity become part of our nature.

Align Heart and Money

Managing the money we have, no matter the amount, expresses our desire to love and help God, neighbors, ourselves, and the world. When we focus our giving on God’s purposes, our hearts become more aligned with God’s heart.

Share Generously

Tithing is a spiritual practice. It is a gift of thanksgiving to God in response to God’s generous gifts to us. When we share our tithes, the church can spread joy, hope, love, and peace around the world so others can experience God’s generosity, too.

Save Wisely

Saving is a way to prepare for the future. It gives us the chance to extend our love and create a better tomorrow for our families, friends, the church’s mission, and the world.

Spend Responsibly

Responsible spending is a commitment to live a healthy, happy life together with God and others. The teachings of Jesus challenge us to make lifestyle choices that are often countercultural.

How to Prepare a
Disciple's Generous Response

Overview

The Disciple’s Generous Response is an integral part of worship and should connect clearly to the day’s theme. When prepared thoughtfully, it flows naturally within the service. Keep the response brief, about two to three minutes, and grounded in invitation rather than pressure. Generosity is shared as a spiritual practice and a grateful response to God’s abundance.

Prepare the Message

Begin with the worship theme and ensure your message aligns with the overall flow of the service. Prepare a story that reflects the theme. If you are not comfortable preparing a full Disciple’s Generous Response, pre-recorded videos are also available on Herald House. See the "Witness the Word: Disciples’ Generous Response Videos" link below.

Connect and Invite

Help the congregation see how the story connects to generosity. Clearly name the invitation to give and frame generosity as a faithful response to God’s gifts. This moment should feel invitational and integrated into worship. You may read a prepared Disciple’s Generous Response statement from the worship outlines or share your own words.

Make Giving Clear

Briefly explain how people can participate in giving. Contributions may be offered online through CofChrist.org/give or by scanning a QR code shared during the service. Gifts may also be given in person using an offering envelope or check. Remind worshippers they may direct their tithes to their local congregation, Worldwide Mission Tithes, or both.

Close with Gratitude

Conclude the Disciple’s Generous Response with a prayer of thanksgiving. Offer gratitude for the generosity that will be shared and ask God’s blessing on the ministries and mission those gifts support. This closing moment reinforces generosity as an act of worship and helps the response transition smoothly back into the service.

Whole-life Stewardship

Generosity starts with gratitude; when we recognize God’s many gifts, we naturally want to give back and support Jesus Christ’s mission around the world. Whole-life stewardship means using every part of our lives to serve God and build His kingdom. By practicing this kind of stewardship, we grow in generosity and help create a peaceful world, using everything we have for God’s purposes.

Worship & Small Group Resources

Witness the Word: Disciples’ Generous Response Videos

Short, worship-ready Disciples’ Generous Response moments that explore the impact of generosity in the lives of individuals and communities.

Choose Generosity: Discovering Whole-Life Stewardship

This full curriculum includes a 120-page book, group study guide, and PowerPoint slides that are intended for adult formation, small groups, or a stewardship series. This resources is available in English, Spanish, and French.

Generosity Cycle

Journey through a six-week season of generosity that invites individuals and communities to reflect on God’s extravagant grace, embrace joyful discipleship, and respond through intentional whole-life stewardship.

Lectionary Resources