United Methodist Stewardship Creed

UNITED METHODIST CREED FOR CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP Approved by 1988 General Conference “We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.” From “The Social…

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Stewardship Sunday

Some churches across our denomination follow the tradition of Stewardship Sunday, which comes this year on November 14. Regardless of whether we are naturally timid or passionate about the subject, this Sunday invites us all to engage in life-giving talk about joyful, faithful stewardship and how we can nurture generous living. I say “living,” not…

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Palpable Presence

What an outstanding experience I had recently — training the first half of our Stewardship Associates and meeting with all of them by phone! These nine people from across the United States will help teach stewardship and generosity in the local church. The first event we are offering is a workshop called “Annual Funding and…

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James 5: A Community of Stewards

Daily devotions often bring surprises. Take James, chapter 5, for example, which I encountered recently as if for the very first time. In verses 13-20, James describes the basics of Christian community. Pray in your suffering, he says. Sing songs of praise. Pray for the sick. Confess your sins and pray to be forgiven. Pray…

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Six Best Stewardship Practices – Canada Study

Based on “Growing Generosity: Identity as Stewards in the United Church of Canada,” a 2009 United Church of Canada study, by Barbara Fullerton What best practices in the local church correlate with increased financial giving? A six-year study of the congregations in the United Church of Canada revealed six essential behaviors: 1. Operational management with…

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Sample Themes for a Generosity Plan

Here are sample themes you could use for a year-round Generosity Plan. You might pick one Scripture as the umbrella theme for the entire year for your congregation’s ministries, or you may just use the quarterly themes. Either way, you can weave in worship and Christian education topics and other dimensions of your ministry. Within…

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Five Star Stewardship Award

What would it take to help your congregation develop a plan for cultivating generosity year-round? The East Ohio United Methodist Foundation has created an incentive for local churches in its conference, called the Five Star Stewardship Award. “The important thing is not to compete with other churches or gain a certain number of points, but…

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Talking with Children about Stewardship

Children can both learn and teach about faithful stewardship. All that we have belongs to God, and we get to share, manage, and use it on God’s behalf. Stewardship is caring the way God cares for the earth; our minds and bodies; our abilities, money and things; and our choices, time and relationships, all in…

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Body and Soul Program

“We all have challenges to body and soul. While we cannot control every factor in our lives, we can make choices that support health and move us closer to the abundant life God intends for us . . . .” With these words, the Rev. Odette Lockwood-Stewart, pastor of Epworth United Methodist Church in Berkeley,…

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Faithful Steward Award

What does it look like to be a faithful steward congregation, and how can we encourage and measure growth in our stewardship as a community of faith? The United Methodist Foundation of Western North Carolina has come up with a way to assess and recognize great stewarding behaviors. This year, they launched the Faithful Steward…

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Ideas for Stewardship among Young Adults

1. Know who young adults are. Pay attention to them. Ask. Listen. Be willing to change, do differently 2. What motivates young adults? 3. Do we acknowledge “first gift”/commitment? 4. What is the mission of the church? How are resources devoted to achieving the mission? 5. Jesus did not ask for $ too often but…

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Nurturing Generous Living

Generosity is a matter of action, intentions and heart. One way to describe it is the grateful outpouring of gifts to others, out of our love for God. Outpouring is a terrific description, since the priceless treasure of the gospel (and all the gifts of covenant, relationship and life that go with it) comes from…

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Nine Ways We Change the World

Table Reflection Questions: Stewarding God’s Multifaceted Grace            1 Peter 4:10-11 Choose any of the following questions to spark your reflection together at your table: 1. Recall a time when your presence, words or actions were a gift to someone. 2. How can you live as a steward of the “precious jewel” of God’s…

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A Wesleyan Perspective on Christian Stewardship

Introduction Stewardship is at the heart of the Wesleyan revival, and John Wesley considered it an integral component of Christian discipleship. Careful reading of Wesley will demonstrate that he had much more to say about the necessity of stewardship in the Christian life than “a heart warming experience.” Stewardship was a consistent theme of his…

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