Many people today, including lots of Christians, don’t understand the true meaning of stewardship. And that’s a tragedy. Why? Because stewardship is our ultimate calling as Christ followers. God commands us to be stewards over everything we are blessed with. Everything. That means our time, talents, treasure, relationships, jobs and, yes, stuff. From Chris Brown, LifeWay Leadership. […]
Sure, your older members — and to some degree even the boomers — will give to your church out of duty or habit. But younger generations give because they know their donations are making a difference in the world. Are you telling your congregants the impact that their money is making? Here’s how, from MinistryMatters. […]
What does it take to be a courageous, prophetic, risk-taking, love-filled servant of Jesus Christ? Nelson Mandela can certainly provide some insights. StewardshipCentral assembled 15 quotations from the late South African leader whose lifelong fight for freedom earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. Which do you find most inspiring? (Photo: lasanta.com.ec, Creative Commons)
The church leader looking for books on stewardship faces a rich supply of options. Amid the field of excellent publications, Walter Brueggemann’s 2016 work Money and Possessions offers a distinctive perspective — sophisticated biblical study and prophetic speaking. From Adam Copeland at Luther Seminary’s Center for Stewardship Leaders. (Photo: Allen Sheffield, Creative Commons)
It’s not the person who collects the money, counts the money or deposits the money. It’s not the person who heads up the annual campaign or chooses a stewardship theme, writes Rebekah Simon-Peters. It’s not the person who collects the money, counts the money or deposits the money. In fact, the most important stewardship job has […]
Here is an excellent planning resource! Each month, the church season is explained and a theme is identified around which individual and congregational activities might take place in five recurring categories: Spiritual Growth, Ministry Spotlight, Financial Health, Outside Ourselves and God’s Creation. From the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. (Photo: Philip Chapman-Bell, Creative Commons
Does the person who heads up stewardship at your congregation have a good “job description”? Sadly, the answer at many congregations is “no,” and the poor soul who is tasked with stewardship flounders around. This article from the United Methodist Church has some great ideas. (Photo: Kandyjaxx, Creative Commons)
There’s a distinction between what pastors do on Sundays and what we do between Sundays. What we do on Sundays has not really changed through the centuries: proclaiming the gospel, teaching Scripture, celebrating the sacraments, offering prayers. But the work between Sundays has changed radically, and it has not been a development but a defection. (Photo by Grublee, via Bigstockphoto.com)
There’s another way besides a line-item budget to present your congregation’s proposed annual spending plan. A Narrative Budget tells the story of how your church practices good stewardship of the gifts entrusted to it. It provides a vision of where the church hopes to be in the coming budget cycle. It reflects how the congregation spends its time, talent, and treasure rather than paying the bills.Check out this free 12-page resource. (Photo: Rob Nguyen, Creative Commons)
Here’s a compendium of good resources for pet blessings from our friends at ECF Vital Practices. We are called to be stewards of creation, and pet blessings can help set the tone for those who enjoy the companionship of all God’s creatures. (Photo: Tony Lanciabeta, Creative Commons)
