Dr. Kennon Callahan invites us to remember that people are motivated in the church in different ways.  Whether we are inviting people to give of themselves to serve in a project, participate in a small group study, share their financial resources or love their neighbors, it is helpful to remember different people are motivated different ways.  Of course you could name other reasons people are motivated, but Kennon named five.  He also named that insiders in a congregation are often motivated by sources that are different from people who are not busy and active in the life of a congregation.

Here are his five sources of "motivational fuels."  

His hunch from a decade ago when he was writing and what I am seeing today is that congregations that focus on community and compassion thrive. Inside church people are more likely to focus on the first three sources.  To move forward the life of your congregation and deepen the stewardship of the whole you need to use all five fuels. 

Dr. Kennon Callahan is an author of 15 books, Dr. Callahan is best known for his ground-breaking  Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, helping congregations advance their focus on mission growth.

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