Building a Culture of Generosity

Submitted by Branches Worldwide on Fri, 11/08/2019 - 12:39pm

Greed, ignorance, indifference. Three words that are vastly different, yet one could argue are equally wrong. Try to imagine a life more focused on what one can do for themselves rather than what one can do for others. Or, try to imagine a life so caught up in one's own work that little thought or care is given to the needs of anyone else. The problem with these statements is that they are too often a reality in the day to day lives of  people and organizations.

Before we know it, a lack of generosity or even a lack of service can become real to us. The real problem is not a lack of character or a lack of good morals. Rather, more often than not, the true problem for Christian leaders regarding a lack of generosity is a lack of intentionality.

Ventrac is a  manufacturer of compact tractors located in Orrville, Ohio. In 2018, for their twentieth anniversary, Ventrac tried to think of something they could do to give back. For them, it wasn't enough to provide quality products and service to their customers. It wasn’t enough to provide jobs and well-being for their employees and their families. They wanted to do something that would allow them to express the culture of generosity that has existed in the Steiner family for generations.

Anniversary Celebration

For their twentieth anniversary, the leadership team at Ventrac did not only celebrate within their own company, but they also joined together to answer the question, "How can we do something for someone else?". In response to that question, everyone in the company decided that together they would donate a brand new tractor to a YWAM base in Kyiv, Ukraine. A Christian base that ministers to orphans, women, and everyone in between.

Using what they had to offer, Ventrac provided a tractor that could clear feet of snow and acres of grass. No, Ventrac didn't change the lives of the children at the YWAM base. No, they didn't end world hunger or solve the refugee crisis. BUT, they intentionally chose to give what they had, and modeled generosity and the love of Jesus to those in need. 


So, what would happen if generosity was an intentional choice that you made every day. What would happen if generosity became so woven into the DNA of your organization that your culture could actually be built upon it? It is time to start freely and intentionally offering the things that you have to enhance the lives of others.

Whether it be endless energy, reliability, or anything in between, every single one of you has something unique to give that no one else does. Every organization reading this has something to offer that no one else has. A product, a skillset, finances, stability.

Proverbs 11:24 says, "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty."

What if you made an intentional effort to look for opportunities to give away the things you've been given? Let's decide to be great stewards of the things that God has given each of us. When the culture of one life, one family, or one organization is built upon the foundation of multiplicative generosity, then this world will become a much better place.