Highlights from the 2025 Generosity Report from Stewardship

Action Planning joined with others at the launch of Stewardship’s new 2025 Generosity Report into the giving of Christians in the UK. There was a real sense of buzz and excitement about the what the findings were able to share: including insights from breakdowns on age (those age 18-24 are more generous than we might think), on level of Christian  commitment (those who are more committed give more to church and to charity), and on church denomination.

The emotions connected to giving are striking: committed Christians experience more joy in their generosity than any other group. It shows that deeper Christian practice leads to greater generosity to all causes. Perhaps it also means that we can be more confident in our fundraising. As well as over 90% of regular church goers giving regularly to their church (more than to any other cause),  82% of all Christians give to Christian charities, 71% to secular charities and 51% to Christian workers. Emmanuel, 18, is quoted in the report: “My ‘gratitude for what God has done for me has made me want to give more to charities as a thank you.”

The more we talk about giving, the more people are likely to give. There are some positive impacts of teaching on money, but the research also found some who expressed scepticism or criticism about how some church leaders present the need for financial support: how teaching is delivered can lead to resistance or disengagement.

There is a gap, however. The report suggests that Christians in the UK give 5.3% of their income across all causes (which, at £124, is nearly double the £65 general average cited by CAF). Committed Christians – defined here as those who read their Bible and go to church at least monthly – give an average of £314 a month, equating to 11.2% of their income. Christians in the UK currently give an estimated £2bn a year. But if every Christian gave £10% of monthly income after tax this could increase to £7bn. As Stewardship say, ‘closing this gap is key in achieving a thriving Kingdom economy.”

There will be a presentation on the Generosity Report at the Faith and Fundraising Conference for church leaders and Christian charities on March 26^th in London.

You can read the full 2025 Generosity Report here: https://www.stewardship.org.uk/generosity-report