Book Review - A Talent for Giving
I must admit that, as I sat down to read A Talent for Giving, an ungenerous thought crossed my mind: How is this multi-millionaire going to speak into my context, to speak to me?
John Studzinski uses the parable of the talents as the grounding for his book, stating that each of us has been entrusted with talent regardless of wealth, location, or age. The book explores how we might use our God-given talents to become entrepreneurial givers.
What exactly is an entrepreneurial giver? John Studzinski suggests there are two kinds of giver: charitable givers and entrepreneurial givers. Charitable giving is simply donating money to a cause and thinking no more about it. Entrepreneurial giving, by contrast, involves investing our talents in the cause itself; it means offering our resources and our time and working actively towards the vision and mission of the charity.
So how does John Studzinski believe people can be encouraged to move from charitable giving to entrepreneurial giving? Organisations must communicate their vision clearly, celebrate the impact of their work, and value and encourage those who give their time and gifts in service.
As I finished the book, I found myself agreeing with John Studzinski. We want our churches to be filled with entrepreneurial givers — people who have caught God’s vision for our communities and are committing their talents to building the Kingdom of God in this place.
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