Should a pastor know how much people give? Some call it a “third rail” of ministry — touch it get zapped! Others say the knowledge is essential to good ministry. This United Methodist Church article discusses up the pros and cons while also lifting up ways to encourage healthy talk about money in church.
Stewardship is more than just a six-week campaign in the fall, yet most congregations lack a strategy for anything else. Here, from the United Methodist Church, is a handy guide with links to help keep financial stewardship awareness simmering all year long.
With flu season in full swing and the highest number of cases reported in years, churches are modifying worship practices to guard against spreading the disease. This informative article from the United Methodist Church has some great tips for minimizing the risk of folks getting sick! (Photo: Lorena Cupcake, Creative Commons)
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 […]
Many parents give their children an allowance for doing chores because it helps to build discipline. Allowance money can go numerous places, some spiritually rewarding and others detrimental. It is important for the church to help teach stewardship to children. One fun way to do this is to use “Bible Bucks.” This article from the […]
Serving God’s people reaps many joys, but it’s also a highly stressful vocation. And for too many ministers that stress results in extra weight, according to a United Methodist Study. It showed that clergy suffer from obesity, high cholesterol, borderline hypertension, borderline diabetes, asthma and depression at significantly higher rates than do other demographically comparable […]
In your church, is the word “stewardship” synonymous with a multiweek fall campaign? What if stewardship were more than a campaign? What if it were a mindset? And what if stewardship were incorporated in every season? Here are five keys to consider. (Photo: The Original Muddog, 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)
You never know when your congregation may receive a gift that raises moral, legal or ethical questions, but you can be better prepared if you think through the issues a bit and form a policy. This sample gift-acceptance policy from the United Methodist Church can guide you. (Photo: Asenat29, Creative Commons)
A line-item budget puts people to sleep, but a narrative budget energizes people for mission and encourages them to give. Check out this excellent narrative budget brochure from Hixon (Tennessee) United Methodist Church. What can your church do better? (Photo: Sarah Reid, Creative Commons)
