Stewardship

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Stewardship

• For where your treasure is,
• there your heart will be also.
• Matthew 621

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Where is our treasure?
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• United Methodists
• rank 46th of 58 Protestant Group in North America
  in terms of per capita giving and yet their
  members are more affluent than most and
  contribute generously to other entities who do
  ask for their help.

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• United Methodists
• A study on Faith and Money (2000-2005) suggested
  that 90 of churches have no stewardship plan,
  even though 82 of church members will increase
  their giving to their church, if asked.

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The Pull of Culture or What are We Up Against?
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The Pull of Culture Pop Quiz

• Question
• The average American carries a credit card debt
  of
• 0- Americans do not have consumer debt.
• 1,329
• 3,275
• 9,200

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Answer D. 9,200

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The Pull of Culture

• American Spending Habits
• (in billions of dollars)
• 2.5 world missions
• 2.5 chewing gum
• 8 movies
• 14 cosmetics
• 21 pet food
• 22 hunting
• 25 gardening
• 31 tobacco products
• 34 state lotteries
• 49 soft drinks
• 58 alcoholic beverages
• 224 eating out (842 per person in US per year)

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How do we rethink our approach to church finance?
How do we retrain our hearts?

• What is stewardship?

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A Stewardship Dictionary

• The Church Budget
• a congregations plan for the coordination of
  resources and expenditures
• Or
• the official document by which we place God on
  notice concerning the limitations we plan to put
  on Gods grace in the church for the coming year.

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A Stewardship Dictionary

• Stewardship the careful and responsible
  management of something entrusted to one's care
• or
• the ultimate test of our faith.

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Basic Principles of Stewardship

• apply to clergy and laity alike.

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Principles of Individual Stewardship

• All you have belongs to God.
• Giving is a spiritual matter, a faith issue.
• Giving is a matter of choice, not law.
• Giving should be done regularly.
• Giving is an expression of love and gratitude.
• A part of all you receive should be returned to
  God.
• The amount you give should be in proportion to
  what you receive.
• Giving involves your whole self, including all
  you have and all you accumulate in your
  lifetime.
• Giving puts you close to Gods work through your
  church.

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Building a Narrative Budget

• What is a narrative budget? Why use it?
• A narrative budget is a representation of a line
  item budget in simple, easy to read descriptive
  terms.
• Research indicates that churches often fail to
  communicate the value of the ministries they
  provide. Contributors, therefore, have a limited
  understanding of the use of their gifts or
  relationship with those receiving ministry
  benefits.
• A line item budget is an effective tool for the
  committee on finance to manage resources. But it
  is not an effective means of interpreting those
  ministries or their impact.
• A narrative budget will help members of the
  congregation understand what the church is doing
  in ministry, evangelism, disciple training,
  benevolences and missions.
• A well-composed narrative budget will educate
  and inspire all.

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Building a Narrative Budget

• Where do we start?
• Review the line item budget and group budget
  items by ministry areas, such as worship,
  education, youth, missions, etc.
• Review the churchs mission statement. Describe
  the ministries as they fulfill that mission
  statement.
• Consider pro-rating all salaries, building
  operational costs and overhead as well as program
  funds into specific ministry areas.

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Building a Narrative Budget

• Write one or two descriptive paragraphs. Use
  examples that picture the ministry. Enable
  readers to see how ministries are changing lives.
  Picture new or expanded ministries as the
  rationale for increased funding.
• Provide a positive, clear explanation of
  significant funding changes, whether they are
  proposed increases or decreases.
• Expand the readers horizons by identifying
  several relevant and exciting additional or
  future ministries that could be undertaken with
  funding beyond budgetary financial projections.

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Building a Narrative Budget

• Consider a pie chart that uses ministry areas to
  depict the budget visually.
• Prepare the narrative budget in an attractive,
  inviting, readable brochure format.
• Determine ways to use the narrative budget most
  effectively to communicate the exciting message
  of ministry throughout the congregation.

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• Stewardship campaigns fall into
• three categories
• Annual campaign
• Capital campaign
• Campaigns to establish an endowment
• As the church plans its ministrythese various
  forms of stewardship reach out further and
  further into the future.

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Capital Campaign

• It is about more than just buildings. It is
  about expanding ministry. This can include
  buildings, staffing, outreach events and much
  more.
• The planning will determine the success or
  failure of the campaign
• The goal typically is two or more times the
  annual offering income of the church
• Above and beyond the annual commitment to the
  budget

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Tips for Capital Campaigns

• Do not try to do it alone
• Allow adequate time for planning. This is
  measured in months, not weeks
• Do not be afraid to ask for gifts. More people
  can give more money than you think.
• Prayer is an essential element of the process
• You can use multiple goals in order to set the
  congregation up for success
• Set realistic, achievable goals
• Celebrate the results!!

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8 Components for an Effective Annual Stewardship
Campaign

• 1. Creating Vision
• What is the scope of ministry of our congregation
  for the upcoming year?
• What excites us?
• What will excite other members and friends about
  the ministry of our church?
• What are the distinctive elements of our church?
• How will we emphasize them during the coming year?

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8 Components for an Effective Annual Stewardship
Campaign

• 2. Gathering Information
• What does the congregation need to understand in
  order to make informed decisions about their
  support of the ministries of the church?
• How will the necessary information be gathered
  and how can it be conveyed to both the heads and
  the hearts of members and friends of our
  congregation?

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8 Components for an Effective Annual Stewardship
Campaign

• 3. Establishing Theological Foundation
• How will scripture inform us to grow as stewards
  of the resources God has given to us?
• What is the particular Biblical passage, story,
  or verse upon which the campaign will be built
  which will give the endeavor faithful relevance
  and focus the thrust and vitality of the
  campaign?
• Is there Biblical truth which can become a viable
  theme of the campaign or framework for it?

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8 Components for an Effective Annual Stewardship
Campaign

• 4. Planning Our Intensive Phase
• How will the information about the projected
  ministries of the congregation be communicated in
  ways which are personalizing and which emerge
  from our theological foundation?
• What time period will be our primary, intensive
  phase of the emphasis? What needs to be done
  prior to that in order to have maximum impact
  during the intensive phase?
• How will members and friends be invited to
  respond and make their commitments?
• What reluctance can we expect from members of the
  congregation and how will we address those
  issues?
• What questions do we anticipate and how will we
  answer them?

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8 Components for an Effective Annual Stewardship
Campaign

• 5. Mobilizing Our Resources
• Who will need to do what and when in order to
  implement the process we have devised?
• How much will it cost and how will it be paid
  for?
• What system of accountability will we have to
  assure that tasks are completed on schedule and
  that costs are within our guidelines?

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8 Components for an Effective Annual Stewardship
Campaign

• 6. Conveying Inspiration
• What will inspire members and friends to engage
  in the campaign?
• What will inspire them to devotedly reflect and
  discern how God would have them respond in
  commitment?

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8 Components for an Effective Annual Stewardship
Campaign

• 7. Anticipating Celebration
• When is Commitment Day? How will we receive
  commitments from the congregation?
• How will we inform and excite the congregation
  about our Commitment Day?
• How will we follow up with those who have not yet
  made their commitments? When will we begin and
  end this follow-up? Who will do it? How, when
  and by when will they be trained?
• How will we bring joyful, celebrative
  completeness to our endeavors which will be
  appropriate to the culture of our congregation,
  authentic to our scriptural heritage, and
  inspiring to our congregation as a whole?

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8 Components for an Effective Annual Stewardship
Campaign

• 8. Remaining Thankful
• How will we acknowledge every commitment made to
  the projected ministries of the church?
• Is our financial record keeping effective and
  efficient or do we need to make changes before we
  begin our new fiscal year?
• How will we maintain the flow of current,
  accurate, motivational, and legally compliant
  information about individual, family and
  congregational support throughout the year?

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• Stepping Up to an
• Endowment Campaign

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A Proposed Endowment Fund Includes

• Purpose
• Administration
• Duties of the Endowment Fund committee
• Investment of Endowment Funds
• Limitation on Use of Principal
• Distribution of Income

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A Promotional Plan for Permanent Endowment Funds

• Educate Church Leaders
• Share the vision of the church and the funds
  place in it.
• Enhance the ministry of the church through the
  fund.
• Present programs on gift planning, wills, estate
  planning, etc.
• Encourage and use personal testimonials.
• Include presentations from legal advisors.
• Share reports of the funds activity and progress
  with the congregation.

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A Promotional Plan for Permanent Endowment Funds

• 2. Provide Promotional Mailings
• Send a cover letter signed by the pastor and/or
  endowment chair.
• Include informational brochure on a specific type
  of gift.
• Describe one gift method per mailing and stress
  the benefits.
• Plan a different mailing for each quarter.
• Include a response card and telephone number.

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A Promotional Plan for Permanent Endowment Funds

• 3. Utilize News Items
• Announce/Recognize lead gift or gifts.
• Place articles in the newsletter.
• Announce special gifts and bequests as received
  (but only with donor approval and without dollar
  amounts.)
• Use brief one line messages in newsletters,
  bulletins, programs, statements, etc. (i.e.
  Have you included the church in your will?)

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A Promotional Plan for Permanent Endowment Funds

• 4. Provide Special Programs
• Present programs on wills, estate planning,
  charitable gift planning.
• Customize the programs for specific groups (young
  adults, mid life, more mature, singles, UMW, UMM,
  Sunday school classes, etc.)
• Offer Christian financial planning.

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A Promotional Plan for Permanent Endowment Funds

• 5. Encourage Gifts on Special Observances
• Memorial Sunday in May
• All Saints Sunday in November
• Church Anniversary Sunday
• Planned Giving Sunday/Endowment Sunday
• Celebrate gifts and distributions.

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A Promotional Plan for Permanent Endowment Funds

• 6. Acknowledge Donors
• Donors deserve and appreciate proper recognition.
• Provide newsletter recognition for memorials.
• Send personal thank you notes from the endowment
  chair/ pastor.
• Take the time to say Thank you.

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We Find Stewardship Difficult Because

• We are taught by our culture to consume.
• The idol of our culture is money. Idolatry is
  rampant . . . and idolatry is adultery.
• We are uncomfortable with money talk.
• We choose to live out of a sense of scarcity,
  instead of an appreciation of Gods abundance.

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• Where our hearts are, there also will be our
  treasure.