Congregational Stewardship

Mike Bryant Turquoise fired wash basin and bowl

Holy Week Writing at Mount Hermon

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | April 15, 2017

It was an amazing way to enter into Holy Week, recalling Christ’s last week here on earth as Jesus of Nazareth. I joined about 300 people – writers, agents and editors – for the Christian Writers Conference in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. Mount Hermon is a glorious site filled with both young and ancient coastal…

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Plan for Earth Day

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | April 10, 2017

Earth Day is coming up soon this month, so now is a perfect time to decide as a congregation what you can do to encourage good stewardship of this earth. Here is a response I sent to Adam Hamilton, United Methodist minister and author, in reply to his 2015 blog about Earth Day at adamhamilton.org:…

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Lynne Twist for Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | April 3, 2017

Oprah’s “Super Soul Sunday” this April 23 will include Lynne Twist, inspiring blogger and author of The Soul of Money. I was so moved by her blog, “Super Soul Sunday with Oprah” that I made the following comment: “Lynne, I was thrilled to read your response to being interviewed by Oprah for this April’s Super…

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The Energy Within

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | March 27, 2017

There I was with the Urgent Care doctor, someone I’d never met before, as he looked at my hand, overused after recent surgery. “I’m a writer,” I explained. “I’m writing a book.” “What are you writing about?” he asked. “Stewardship and generosity: generous-hearted living.” “That’s great!” he immediately replied, looking me square in the eye.…

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Help for Talking About Money

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | March 19, 2017

Stewardship professionals and bloggers can be a great help to a lot of folks on the front lines of ministry – not only sharing their knowledge, but also giving courage and inspiration for our daily work. Rebekah Basinger is one of those people for me, through her site, www.generousmatters.com. For example, she wrote a piece…

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Contagious Generosity

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | March 12, 2017

Contagious Generosity: Creating a Culture of Giving in Your Church is a treasure chest of ideas that get us out of the old assumptions and expectations related to giving to church. It’s filled with high-impact examples of actual practices by top congregations in The Leadership Network. Written by Chris Willard and Jim Sheppard, it addresses…

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The Commitment Circle

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | March 2, 2017

Ever since first learning about the “Commitment Circle” from the Center for Parish Development,1 I’ve been delighted to present it to local church leaders. It helps us understand different levels of involvement in the church at different points of people’s lives, without laying guilt on other people or ourselves for not getting everyone involved. Based…

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Rainstorms and a Thin Stillness

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | February 12, 2017

Rank upon rank of torrential rains has pummeled Northern California this winter — this latest with wailing winds, thunder, and sheet lightning covering the entire night sky. When the Oroville Dam spillway broke up, 200,000 people were evacuated in all the towns downriver. The break in its lip was fixed, but the storms still are…

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Components for Creating a Culture of Generosity

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | February 5, 2017

Developing a Strategic Plan — Notes from a presentation by Michael Reeves What are the components of creating a culture of generosity? 1. Clear statement of what you believe – This includes both your mission statement and your financial support [See “Attributes of a Biblically Generous Church”] 2. Leadership – Lay and professional; Boards; Wealth + Wisdom + Work; Define reality and…

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Technology Then and Now

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | January 30, 2017

Here are some stunning facts about the explosion of technology and our usage of it in recent years. Your partner in ministry, Betsy Schwarzentraub

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