Membership in Mainline congregations is aging, and the trend shows no signs of stopping. That presents not only challenges but also opportunities when it comes to stewardship, says Charles R. Lane, a popular stewardship speaker, author and consultant. He offers great advice in these essays for Luther Seminary’s Center for Stewardship Leaders. Click above for […]
Every congregation has its own attitudes, ideas, understandings and suppositions about how church money should be gathered, counted and spent. You could call it their money style. Knowing their money style will enable a wise leader to set effective policies and procedures to keep tabs on the finances. This article from ChistianityToday looks at four typical church […]
American culture is intensely individualistic. Given this context, it’s no surprise that a lot of talk about money and stewardship is focused on the individual. Scripture, on the other hand, tends towards a more communal culture. How might we make stewardship more communal? What might communal stewardship look like in congregations? Adam J. Copeland of […]
Stewardship is the great “Silent Subject” in many churches. There is very little teaching from the pulpit, and when stewardship is mentioned, it is a code word for giving. Very few churches provide training on how to implement biblical principles into one’s daily financial life. Yet there are profound practical and spiritual reasons why the […]
Church leaders are entrusted with the responsibility to lead and guide God’s people into living fully and confidently as Christian stewards — servants of God and shepherds of God’s blessings, which includes our neighbors, near and far. Accomplishing this requires a leader, first, to identify as a stewardship leader, and then follow through with attention to […]
Giving is a part of being a disciple, right? If the pastor’s job is to raise up disciples, can he or she be said to be effectively doing his job if stewardship is not taught, preached or modeled? Could it be that one reason giving continues to decline year after year is that pastors are […]
OK, so you’re the stewardship chair and you don’t know where to begin? After a good, long prayer, look for the folks who will do the work with you. Not just anybody. You want folks who have the skills you need to get the job done, and done right. And how might you go about […]
When you read Acts 2 about the earliest Christian community, it’s almost too hard for us to believe. Everybody relinquished the idea of personal ownership and sold whatever they had? While Christians uphold values of frugality and charity, the Acts community took it to an extreme. What could turn their hearts to such radical generosity? Hint: It’s the same thing that can turn our hearts! (Photo: John Ragal, Creative Commons)
Surprising things happened when a church took mission giving dollars out of its regular budget and instead raised money for those important ministries. It got people involved and active, and now there’s more money for mission — and the regular bills. Read how they did it. From the Center for Steward Leadership at Luther Seminary.
It happens to too many of our colleagues and associates: they are creative, strong, dynamic, and working harder and harder. And before you (or they!) know it, like a match that started out with a burst of flame, they’re burned out. Spent. Out of fuel. The pattern is not inevitable. Here are some tips for […]
