If the title makes Egiving.com sound a little like a love story, in a way, it is. Fidelity is a core principle embedded in the Gospel of Christ and in the Christian life; at its heart, faithfulness is motivated by love. The lasting love Christ shows toward us does not change; as believers we have faith that His changeless character will endure. If we have true faith, it motivates our lives to be characterized by faithfulness.
The kind of love-infused faithfulness that Egiving.com sees each day stands in direct contrast to the jilted lovers and neglected spouses common in the modern world, and even the typically sporadic giving practices seen through other giving platforms. Over a 5-year period, Egiving.com has seen a 95% retention rate in faithful givers who have made a commitment to regular giving through Egiving’s EFT recurring electronic giving services.
Just like a bride and groom who have made vows and exchanged symbolic rings, these individuals aren’t remaining faithful simply because they’ve made a commitment or lack the impetus to end the relationship; rather, they made the promise because of their desire to be faithful, in the first place. Like a marriage license, an EFT account makes it more difficult to breach the commitment and, by contrast, easier to follow through with one’s original intentions. Far from trickery, this kind of accountability provides a hurdle that is sometimes necessary and, ultimately, helpful in encouraging believers to make the kinds of choices that will please their God.
Of course, part of the traditional marriage vows mention that a faithful marriage is far different from fair-weather friendships: “for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.” It’s when difficulties come that perseverance is required and the strength of one’s resolve is tested. Faithfulness in giving may be easy when there’s “extra” at the end of the month. But what about when there’s “too much month at the end of the pay check”—what then? Often, the first thing to go is giving.
Scriptural examples like the widow who gave her penny-equivalent gifts and the woman who fed a prophet with her last batch of bread show that it’s when our ability to meet our own needs is in question that our giving glorifies God, most. In times like those, we have unique opportunities to show our faith in Him; faith is, after all, believing when you don’t see how your needs will be met (Hebrews 11:1).
When times are tough in a marriage, it’s helpful to have fees and legal red tape complicating the path between keeping vows and taking steps toward divorce. Such hurdles can deter people from rash, emotional decisions they would surely regret later. The same is true of recurring electronic giving with Egiving.com: Your givers will have to take extra steps to discontinue giving what they’ve pledged, and that can give them an added incentive to continue to give, in faith.
By encouraging loving faithfulness among your giver base, you’ll be doing more than freeing up valuable resources for ministry: You’ll be helping write a love story that ends with blessings, all around (Luke 6:38).
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