Congregational Stewardship
Extraordinary Money Church Campaign
Michael Reeves’ Extraordinary Money! (Discipleship Resources, 2002) could have been called “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Capital Campaigns But Were Afraid to Ask.” – because there is a lot of fear out there about capital campaigns. People ask questions such as: • “Can we do it ourselves?” Reeves says, “Don’t!” and gives seven…
Read MoreExtravagant Generosity: The Heart of Giving
Plenty of stewardship programs out there offer some good ideas, yet fail to provide leaders with practical help, such as sermons, orders of worship, email messages, letters, newsletter announcements, and marketing tools. Other programs talk a little bit about the role of giving in spiritual life, but do not involve church members in thinking and…
Read MoreStewardship Ministry
SERVING THE NEEDS OF LEADERS IN FOUNDATIONAL CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES: STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY What would it look like to lead a congregation of joyful, generous gospel stewards? Stewardship is what we do with what God has entrusted to us. Vibrant Christian stewardship includes what we do on God’s behalf in our relationships; use of time, skills, abilities,…
Read MoreWhat is a Narrative Budget?
Every congregation has a Line Item Budget. This budget form reports income and expenses, line by line, so the church’s committees can monitor their activities internally, making sure that expenditures don’t exceed income by categories throughout the year. But a Line Item Budget is not a motivating tool! It is not inspiring (even to those…
Read MoreFactors That Predict Generosity
From Growing Up Generous: Engaging Youth in Giving and Serving By Eugene Roehlkepartain, Elanah Dalyah, and Laura Musegades (Alban Institute, 2000) Studies of giving and serving among youth and adults identify several consistent themes. How can your congregation create or encourage opportunities for young people to have more opportunities for these experiences that shape their…
Read MoreBuilding a Generosity Plan
You don’t have to be a left-brain thinker to get a multiple-step project done. Whether you’re personally a natural list-maker or a spontaneous doer, you still need a plan to affect positive change in the church. Especially if you want to work as a team, or even just get along with the other church leaders.…
Read MoreSix 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…
Read MoreFaithful 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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