Congregational Stewardship
CLayM Ministry Expands
Joy, joy! I felt like a proud mom for the Conference Lay Minister (CLayM) program at California-Nevada’s Annual Conference Session this past week. CLayM is an exciting ministry that trains and deploys experienced, skilled church leaders as volunteer pastors to serve congregations needing a few years without the financial requirements of a seminary-trained, ordained pastor.…
Read MoreGiving Simply
“I never carry my checkbook to church. Ninety percent of the time I make financial giving decisions, it’s in front of the computer monitor. How can I even participate in supporting the church financially when you don’t have online giving or even automatic transfer?” The young woman looked around at the room filled with stewardship…
Read MoreWesley’s Four Corners
What a gift it is to be part of a denomination that does not require assent to a single doctrinal statement! I love how John Wesley’s quadrilateral (Scripture, tradition, reason and experience) can work together as each person thinks through his or her personal theology. I talk about it like four tent pegs holding down…
Read More“Open Hands, Open Hearts”
Mark L. Vincent, lead partner in Design Group International, has continued to offer leaders in our different denominations some outstanding resources for growing generous stewards. One of the latest is “Open Hands Open Hearts,” a private web site for congregations from the Chicago Synod of the ELCA (Evangelical Church of America). It provides some of…
Read MoreScarcity and Outreach
Now that enough rain has come to fill up our half-acre pond, more Canada Geese have joined the eleven that have waited here through the fall months of drought. The geese are wild, but those who have been with us the longest recognize my call before I throw out the scratch. They start venturing up…
Read More‘Tis the Season
By now, those of us who attend worship somewhere most likely have noticed that ‘tis the season for financial commitment programs – what many church leaders call “stewardship campaigns.” It’s when we think about God’s overwhelming generosity of blessings in our lives, and respond by financially supporting God’s work right here on earth, primarily through…
Read MoreReading Vital Signs
We measure what’s important to us. I heard that statement a long time ago, but it becomes truer with one’s age and with experiences in the local church. It’s like taking our pulse as we exercise, to make sure we are growing a stronger, healthier body. And now that the Bishops of the United Methodist…
Read MoreStewardship Resources
I was excited this week to meet with the Resource Editorial Team for the Ecumenical Stewardship Center (ESC), which provides outstanding materials for cultivating stewardship and generosity in the local church. As a pastor and then as a consultant over the years, I’ve used almost all of their material resources for annual financial commitment programs…
Read MoreExtravagant Generosity
Extravagant generosity is based upon our extravagantly generous God, the Giver of every good gift, the Source of life and love! From Robert Schnase’s book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations: A Congregation that Practices Extravagant Generosity: 1. Thrives with the joy of abundance instead of the fear of scarcity 2. Encourages members to grow in…
Read MoreMeasuring Generosity in Your Congregation
A major trend among our denominational leaders these days is to look for measurable outcomes for our life together. That’s easy to do for some quantitative measures – what some people call “bodies and bucks” – but how can we measure our ministries qualitatively – for example, in our stewardship and generosity as a congregation?…
Read MoreWorksheet to Build a Generosity Plan
Building a Generosity Plan for For Our Congregation Desired Outcomes or Results: For example: 1. Growing vibrant, faithful stewards (personal growth) 2. Maturing as a vital congregation of gospel stewards (congregational growth) 3. Building a local church of generous hearts and lives 4. Strengthening the stewardship of the church’s full ministry (mutual support with…
Read MoreWhy a Three Year Plan is Easier Than Six Months
Many church leaders think it is so difficult just dealing with the crises of the next six months, they can’t imagine planning ahead for three or more years! But the truth is it’s easier to plan when we look further out in time, for at least five reasons: 1. Taking a longer view helps us…
Read MoreCommittee or Work Area Planning Sheet
Committee or Work Area Planning Sheet Your response on this sheet will help our congregation set our sights for next year in terms of goals, financial support, time and effort. We’ll put these dreams together and turn them into plans for the church family during our church planning retreat on [date]. Please fill out this…
Read MoreGenerational Stewardship Chart
Generational Stewardship Chart
Read MoreKey Stewardship Resources for Church Leaders
All print resources are available from http://www.cokesbury.com Betsy Schwarzentraub A Disciple’s Path: Deepening Your Relationship With Christ and the Church Leader Guide with CD and Companion Reader, by James A. Harnish with Justin LaRosa A Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen, edited by John Mogabgab Afire With God: Becoming Spirited Stewards, by Betsy Schwarzentraub Committed…
Read More