2015 Life.Church Stories - Episode 12

Irrational Generosity: How Your Giving Makes a Global Difference

Overview

Life.Church celebrates a year of “irrational generosity,” showing how your giving of time and resources is transforming lives locally and around the world. The update highlights three arenas of impact—mission partners, the YouVersion Bible App, and new campus launches—proving that it truly is “more blessed to give than to receive.”

Main Points

Leading with Irrational Generosity

• Core conviction: “We will lead the way with irrational generosity because we believe it is truly more blessed to give than to receive.”
• This generosity fuels every story and statistic that follows.

Impact through Local and Global Mission Partners

• Global partnerships: Christ-centered organizations breaking cycles of poverty, helping parents raise thriving children, and meeting crisis needs.
  • Example: 600 local churches worldwide engaged in the Child Survival Program due to Life.Church support.
• Local partnerships: 30+ ministries served by more than 1,000 volunteers who tutor, mentor, and restore neighbors in need.
  • Illustration: Mentoring Project leaders thank Life.Church for expanding mentors in kids’ lives.
• Financial reach: Over $1.1 million in grants distributed in the last two years.

Reaching the World through the YouVersion Bible App

• Milestone: November 2015—200 million installations worldwide.
• Vision: Free access so anyone, anywhere can read, listen to, and share God’s Word.
• Story: Scott Daniels (Toronto)
  • Raised a pastor’s kid; drifted into heavy drug use and hopelessness.
  • Downloaded the Bible App out of curiosity, began a reading plan.
  • In the Psalms he sensed God speaking directly to him; prayed in bed for Jesus to be Lord of his life.
  • Immediate change: “The whole world…was like it was made of diamonds.”
  • Concludes that Scripture “gets inside you and changes you from the inside out.”

Expanding God’s Kingdom through New Campuses

• Four locations launched in 2015: Rio Rancho NM, South Broken Arrow OK, Mustang OK, Shawnee OK.
  • Rally cry: “You’re on the ground floor of a movement of God.”
• Combined results: Nearly 7,000 in attendance and over 3,600 decisions for Christ since launch days.
• Wichita, KS campus moved from temporary space to a fully paid-for permanent facility.
• All new buildings and moves funded with cash—no debt.

Key Truths

• Generosity is an action that opens the door for God to bless both giver and receiver.
• Strategic partnerships multiply the church’s reach far beyond its own walls.
• God’s Word, delivered freely through technology, still saves and transforms lives.
• Physical campuses create fresh opportunities for communities to encounter Christ.
• A church willing to do “anything short of sin” can change the world for Jesus.

Response

• Celebrate what God has already done through your giving.
• Continue volunteering with local mission partners to build relationships that restore lives.
• Pray for global partner churches and the families they serve.
• Share the YouVersion Bible App with someone who needs hope.
• Invite friends and neighbors to a Life.Church campus—old or new—so they can find life in Christ.

Closing

The update ends with gratitude and a renewed challenge: keep leading the way in irrational generosity so the world can see “what God can do with a church willing to do anything short of sin to reach people who don’t know Him.”

“Whoever finds God truly finds life.”

Resources

• YouVersion Bible App (free on mobile platforms)