[Note: Every Thursday during the month of December, I chose three links I'd cataloged in my Del.icio.us account during the previous week. (The holidays have reduced the number of good articles that qualify, so I had to pick from ones that had yet to be highlighted in this series.) This site houses 100’s of links related to stewardship, generosity, and giving – and the list grows almost daily – that can be easily searched and used for sermon preparation, committee prep, funding strategy, etc.]

Here are my top picks for this week:

1. You don’t have the power

Thoughts: I’m a HUGE Seth Godin fan. What he points out in this post is that effective leaders (those who make an impact) are ones that focus on what they can control. You can’t control how people respond or what people give, but you can control what vision is cast. I think the challenge for church leaders in 2010 is to come out strong with a clear vision (or eternal investment plan) for ministry in the coming year because funding ALWAYS follows vision.

2. Quick answers to some giving questions

Thoughts: This is an interview I did for LifeWay that was posted just before Christmas. I received some very positive feedback, so I thought I’d share it here also. Church leaders should reflect carefully upon the giving habits of their congregation, outline what went right and what went wrong, and develop a plan for 2010. We should learn from 2009 and build upon that moving forward as we create our funding strategy for 2010 and beyond.

3. The rise of mobile giving

Thoughts: This will be an important trend to watch. As more people begin carrying smartphones and become more comfortable with the ability to perform routine tasks such as mobile banking, it will shape the smartphone into a logical platform to contribute to the causes and organizations we are most passionate about. (The Salvation Army has already been using this platform quite effectively.) What is your church doing now to embrace the use and acceptance of technology by the person in the pew? Remember, it’s not about your preferences.

I hope this link collection is helpful to you in your ministry. Be sure to visit my Del.icio.us account regularly for updates or subscribe via RSS.

And always feel free to send links to anything you think is missing.

Also on The Content Matrix: