Bio
Gary G. Hoag, Ph.D. (New Testament – Trinity College, Bristol, UK) has dedicated his life to encouraging Christian generosity. As the Generosity Monk, he posts daily meditations and provides spiritual and strategic counsel for church and ministry leaders on nurturing a culture of generosity in their congregations and constituencies (www.generositymonk.com).
He was ordained in St. Jude’s Anglican Cathedral in 1995 in partnership with the Evangelical Free Church of Canada. Today he trains clergy in many denominations, while also serving as a visiting professor at seven seminaries in four countries around the world. He has also written or contributed to ten books.
When he is not writing, teaching, or speaking he serves as President of Global Trust Partners, the international entity launched by ECFA. With that work, he is multiplying disciples of faithful administration and catalyzing peer accountability groups to increase gospel participation in every nation (www.globaltrustpartners.org).
He earned a B.A. in Accounting at Cedarville College and an M.Div. from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He formerly served as vice president of advancement at Denver Seminary and Colorado Christian University. Today he resides in Littleton, Colorado, with his wife Jenni. They have a grown son, Samuel David, and a grown daughter, Sophie Victoria.
Posts by Gary Hoag:
Make the Decision to Shift from Dependency to Discipleship
Posted on: 23 Aug 2021
This blog post opens a big topic in short order. As others have written good books on aspects of this issue, I cite a few with the aim of starting an interdisciplinary and international conversation. Why? My aim is to wake the Church at large and major players in mission—whether they go, give, send, or serve—to make a paradigm shift that could shake the earth with global impact. There are three parts to this post. Firstly, we will consider a massive social problem that cross-border international programs and giving often unknowingly or inadvertently create. Let’s call it dependency. Secondly, we […]
Counterintuitive Advice For Ministry Fundraisers During The Covid-19 Crisis
Posted on: 23 Mar 2020
As none of us have lived through a pandemic, these are hard times. What do we do? Thankfully, we locate advice in church history from leading Christians who endured plagues, but their counsel seems counterintuitive. I’ve made a long list of points I am sharing with ministry fundraisers around the world next month in a webinar. Here are three in this post. Pray and Avoid People – Normally we say there’s nothing more important than face-to-face meetings in rallying partnership in God’s work. Right? Not now. During the plague in 1527, Martin Luther said to pray and avoid people. “Very […]
One of My Biggest Joys
Posted on: 04 Dec 2019
Something I Wish I Had Learned Earlier In My Career
Posted on: 25 Nov 2019
Scriptures That Are Encouraging For A Ministry Fundraiser
Posted on: 11 Nov 2019
What Prayer Has Helped You Most
Posted on: 28 Oct 2019
Tradition, Truth, and Transparency
Posted on: 19 Aug 2019
In a recent conversation with a group of Korean-American pastors and elders, I asked why Korean-American churches were not applying for ECFA-accreditation and choosing to walk in the light with regard to financial accountability and transparency. They replied, “It’s our culture!” Carefully I continued. “What about your culture prohibits you?” At first, they said, “Korean churches loves their pastors, but we do not want anyone to know how much we pay our pastors.” Then they added, “We also do not want people to know how much money we have.” Another reasoned, “If financial mismanagement issues arise, we lose face, so […]
Building Trust and Trustworthy Leadership
Posted on: 19 Mar 2019
Trust is in high demand and short supply globally. Why? It’s hard to gain and easy to lose. With trust, ministries create confidence to participate in God’s work. People give sacrificially and serve voluntarily. Without trust, churches split, ministries shut down, staff quit, and giving dries up. In Trust: The Firm Foundation for Kingdom Fruitfulness, ECFA President Dan Busby writes, “A Christ-centered ministry that lacks trust is like a teenager running through a fireworks factory with a lit blowtorch. It isn’t whether something is going to blow up—it’s just a matter of when.” Sadly, ministries are blowing up daily for […]
Accountability and Generosity
Posted on: 28 Nov 2018
The connection between accountability and generosity can be traced back to the biblical pattern set by the Apostle Paul in his international orchestration of the Jerusalem collection from A.D. 53-58. In his correspondence, we find these four practical points for modern application. I suggest God’s workers all over the world follow Paul’s example to promote accountability and encourage greater generosity. Provide Consistent Directions for God’s People – Notice Paul did not beg for money, which would imply they were owners of financial resources. Instead, he taught them basic financial stewardship. He instructed people set aside whatever extra they earn to […]
Faith and Fundraising
Posted on: 23 Jul 2018
Recently, I was asked to review a book, Keeping Faith in Fundraising, by Peter Harris and Rod Wilson. So, when asked to write on faith and fundraising, I thought of that book. The authors aimed not at writing a how-to manual for Christ-followers; instead, they challenged readers to think about “why” fundraising looks different or should be different for us. With a similar aim, I want to invite Christians everywhere to consider three thoughts related to the “why” of fundraising. The world says you are the fundraiser for the ministry you serve. When we integrate faith and fundraising, we realize […]