Wise stewardship leaders know the value of asking congregation members to share their personal stories of generosity and giving. But they also know that testimonies about giving and money are powerful when done well and disastrous when done poorly. In this article, author Nate Berneking outlines how an interview approach to testimony can keep things […]
Youth are not the church of tomorrow; they’re the church today. Be sure to include your congregation’s youth in every aspect of your year-round stewardship teaching and programming. This downloadable PDF document from the Texas Methodist Foundation will give you some good ideas that you can begin to implement now. (Photo: Wayne Miller, Creative Commons)
This month U.S. federal agencies released a comprehensive climate science report that says “it is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century. For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence.” The report is part of the […]
HERE ARE MATERIALS FOR FCTE WORKSHOPS LED BY ROB BLEZARD. Questions? Need more? Email me: rblezard@lss-elca.org Materials for the Breakout Groups on Congregational Stewardship: The Pastor’s Role as a Steward Leader – Lutheran pastor and author Charles Lane talks about the KEY role of pastors Stewardship 101 – this is the list of […]
Many churches and church leaders mistakenly avoid talking about money. In fact, a theology of money is central to our individual spiritual formation, the health of our institutions and the way we participate in God’s mission in the world, writes David P. King, director of Lake Institute on Faith & Giving. He explains why and […]
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but medical science proves that it’s a good idea to find ways to give thanks for the things in your life every day. This month take it on as a spiritual discipline by keeping a “gratitude journal,” sending out three thank you cards a week, or just counting your […]
January 1 is less than two months away, so now’s the time to plan for a year-round stewardship effort that can help transform the culture of your church and the hearts of your people to incline toward generosity. This resource from the United Methodist Church lays out a simple 12-month plan to educate, inspire and nudge […]
Believing that we are facing the end of days, too many Christians figure it’s a waste of time to care for the environment. If the end is coming, they argue, what’s the point in preserving the planet for future generations? Nancy Sleeth of www.BlessedEarth.org has talked with Christians who use this and other excuses for ignoring the […]
Many churches are facing financial difficulties, and increasingly we have turned to applying fundraising techniques to help bolster sagging bank accounts. And it really hasn’t worked that well, argues Loye Young in Catholic Stand. What’s needed instead is a return to teaching about the basic Christian and biblical principles of stewardship. (Photo: Quinn Dombrowski, Creative […]
Jesus wasn’t talking about money when he taught, “Ask and you shall receive,” but the principle does hold for the philanthropic world. A lot of potential donations go uncollected for the simple reason that people fail to ask. Many church leaders are nervous about asking for money, but with some awareness and practice it can be done […]
