Almighty God, whose blessed Son warned us of the perils of mammon: Spare thy faithful servants from the assaults and indignations of the annual stewardship appeal, strengthen those who through no fault of their own must beseech others for pledges, and finally, most merciful God, through some heavenly miracle make next year’s budget whole; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

Maximizing Your Stewardship Ministry

April 25, 2015 May 2, 2016 Trinity, Tulsa Diocesan Center

What to expect … Theological, conceptual, and practical

information Some immediate solutions Tools for the long run Lots of additional resources More ideas than any one church can

implement—this isn’t “one size fits all”

Goals for the session

Understand why people give to the church and what motivates them

Discover practices that encourage people to increase their pledges

Learn the pros and cons of different stewardship programs

Get ready-to-use materials that can be adapted for any parish

Why most stewardship programs don’t work and what you can do about it.

Problems with the word “stewardship”

– Protestant, North American, 19th Century

– Ambiguous language and euphemisms– Limited biblical justification– Doesn’t acknowledge other reasons

that people give time and money

2. Theological confusion

Luther—giving is an act of thanks for God's unmerited grace.

Calvin—act of stewardship over something that is not ultimately of human ownership.

Arminian/Wesleyan—giving is a volitional responses to divine activity

Catholic concept of social mortgage—the whole community makes wealth possible

Generosity is fundamental to our nature

3. Stewardship gets treated like an evil step-child

Uninspired and untrained leadership Last-minute, poorly-planned appeals People don’t know what their giving

accomplishes Disappointing results

4. Programs often driven by negative messages

Everyone hates doing this, but …. We may have to cut staff if …. I give my time, so I don’t have to give

money. All the church ever talks about is

money.

5. People give for different reasons

To pay the church bills Sense of responsibility or obligation Love for God To obey the Bible or God Thankfulness Mission or needs of others Give back what is already God’s God will bless me

Why don’t people give generously to the church? Lack of motivation - the church has

failed to provide a compelling vision for how the money will make a difference in the world.

Withhold money because they do not see a sufficient return on their investment.

An inadequate job of asking, so people remain oblivious to the church’s expectations and potential.

Some people are just selfish. Their priorities revolve around their personal needs and desires.

George Barna, The Barna Group, "Why People Do Not Give More," 2005 update

Other reasons people don’t give generously

Feel they can’t afford it Were not raised in traditions that

encourage generosity Don’t understand the relationship

between giving and spiritual growth

People who give lovingly or thankfully tend to be more generous than those who regard giving as an obligation.

What can we do to help parishioners change their attitudes about giving generously to the church?

1. Change the way we talk about money and giving

Clarify our language Think ministry and mission Avoid negative messages Acknowledge economic realities Focus on ministry accomplishments

and benefit Thank individuals for their generosity

2. Treat stewardship as a ministry

Support year-round ministry awareness Connect gifts of time and money with

the ministries they support Lead by example with generous giving Clergy and vestry actively participate in

stewardship activities

3. Be more intentional in how we generate funds for ministry

Involve the congregation in ministry planning

Develop long-range plans for ministry

Plan your sources of funding Recruit gifted leaders and volunteers

Why plan?

People want to know: Where the church is going How it plans to get there What will be accomplished How will that be measured

But more important …

The money your congregation needs should depend on what it does or wants to do, not what people decide to pledge.