Jim Sheppard

Principal

Meet Jim Sheppard

Jim Sheppard is CEO & Principal of Generis, a consulting firm passionate about helping churches inspire and cultivate generosity through giving development, coaching, and strategy.

After college, Jim passed the CPA exam and pursued a career as a financial executive. Though he grew up in the church, Jim was not a believer until he was 28. That part of his life intersected with his business life in 1991 when he thought he might be called to the pastorate. This came at a time when he was at a very high level in a major financial services company. After an intense spiritual period in his life, Jim realized that was not where God was calling him. Seven months later through a corporate buyout and a series of providentially inspired events, Jim moved from the corporate world to giving development for churches and ministry organizations.

Jim is a student of generosity and is passionate about spreading it throughout the Church. For the last 27+ years, he has devoted his life to coaching pastors especially in navigating the resource limitations that restrict their ministry potential. Jim understands the financial challenges that churches face today; annual giving, debt, capital projects, and planned giving. He is a positive force in bridging these needs with the power of spiritually motivated stewardship. Cumulatively, Jim has partnered with his clients to raise over $1.7 billion for local church ministry. Jim is a frequent writer and speaker on generosity and ministry funding. He is co-author of Contagious Generosity: Creating A Culture Of Giving In Your Church.

Jim and his wife, Nancy, live in the Atlanta, GA area and they have two married daughters. He is actively involved in his church where he serves as an elder and provides guidance to the Generosity Ministry Team.

SERVICES

No matter the size of your God-inspired dreams, it can be daunting to think about chasing down the necessary resources. The truth is that while vision almost always exceeds current realities, the means to support your vision is within your grasp. 

With Generis, you’re not alone. Our customized Campaign approach will help you assess, rethink and reframe your current reality, allowing you to reach your specific goals while also establishing a foundation for increased generosity overall.

Let’s be honest; there are times when one-on-one guidance, encouragement and accountability brings out the best in us and accelerates our ability to chase down those big, audacious dreams. The Generis Coaching experience is designed to align with your greatest needs and is delivered over a period of time that makes the most sense for you.

Giving Data is pretty amazing but it can also be a little daunting to interpret. It’s also a challenge to know exactly what actions to take in response. Some leaders love the challenge of figuring it out on their own. Most would really appreciate an experienced guide who can take the mystery out of the information and share specific recommendations that will increase the overall culture of generosity in their church.

From time to time, it can be extremely helpful to analyze the habits of your overall giving climate to see what is currently working as well as where opportunities for a culture of generosity to increase might exist.

The Generosity Assessment is a one-day experience that provides a thorough assessment of your church’s effectiveness and reveals new opportunities for creating a culture of generosity. Think of it like an x-ray into the giving perspective of the church.

RESOURCES

Contact Jim Sheppard