September 17-23, 2007

SOLI/Update

Note: Our editor is on vacation this week. Here is a column from 2004.

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved."

-Acts 2:42-47

The bedrock of stewardship

A colleague in ministry attended a conference on evangelism and came away rolling his eyes. All the programs and earnest ideas seemed like gimmicks, he said, compared to the simple evangelism strategy he read in the above passage from Acts. I’ve been mulling it over and think it may apply to the fund-raising and budget making aspects of stewardship as well.

Notice what God’s people are doing:

--Devoting themselves to the apostles teaching
--Spending time in fellowship
--Praying
--Sharing possessions
--Spending time in the temple
--Praising God

A very good list for Christians, yet not one of the activities would fit into the outreach and evangelism categories mentioned in most programs, conferences and talks. Yet the last verse says the membership of believers increased.

My colleague points out that it is not the people who added to their roll, rather it was God who led people there. My colleague concludes that in evangelism, the job of the church is, first and foremost, to be faithful to apostolic teachings, prayerful, and generous and loving to one another.

Those things are the bedrock of evangelism, yet my colleague believed many church leaders at the conference were looking for external fixes and programs, when instead they should have been concentrating on getting their houses of faith in order first.

Church treasurers, stewardship chairpersons and pastors might find the same principle applies to fund-raising and budget-making.

-Rob Blezard, webmaster and editor
(Reprint rights eagerly given to congregations for nonprofit use. Just include this notice: "Copyright (c) 2004 The Rev. Robert Blezard. Used by Permission.")

New This Week:

10 Stewardship Principles Flyer and Placemat
ELCA Stewardship education is year round, but most congregations emphasize teaching in the fall. Here are two great free resources your congregation can use to help members learn about giving. The ELCA’s “10 Stewardship Principles” distills wisdom about stewardship in 10 thoughtful ideas. They are provided in two useful formats – as a flyer and a placemat (that could also serve as wall sign). Click Here for the page where you will find the free downloadable “10 Stewardship Principles” flyer and placemat. From ELCA Stewardship Resources.

A Shower of Blessings Stewardship Thrust
Assoc. of Lutheran Resource Centers "What can we do to motivate members about their response to God's blessings?" That was the question stewards from Grace Lutheran Church, ELCA, Eau Claire, Wis., asked. The answer is this full stewardship program. Click here for "A shower of blessings," part of the archives of the Association of Lutheran Resource Centers. (Also listed in SOLI’s Treasure Chest of resources.

Throw Up Your Hands – In Prayer
"When we have no other recourse and we think about it, we turn to God. But when we are really without hope we may not even know where to look. So we throw up our hands in a gesture of surrender." Click here for “Throw Up Your Hands – In Prayer,” from The Rev. Dana Reardon, our weekly columnist. Click here to read archived essays.

Eat, Drink, Be Hungry
This is an incredibly insightful essay about the biggest spiritual issue facing Americans today – wanton desire and overconsumption. “According to Jesus, when we draw near to the kingdom, it is better to come empty than full. We are tempted to think that righteousness is the condition we must be in to be blessed. Jesus says the opposite. Righteousness is the blessing; hunger is the precondition.” Click here for “Eat, Drink, Be Hungry, from ChristianityToday.com.