STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

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STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• As individuals and families, we give to our
  churches for many reasons
• Because of guilt, habit, family expectations
• Out of gratitude for the congregation that loves
  and supports us and encourages us to work for
  Gods kingdom
• Because the church needs our financial support

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STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• As congregations, we give because we understand
  that the church is called to be the eyes, ears,
  and hands of God on earth
• Acts of ministry (individual and corporate)
• Ongoing missional activities
• Support of other organizations whose work
  contributes to Gods kingdom

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STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• A very basic reason for giving is because
• God has been generous with us
• By bringing the Israelites out of slavery in
  Egypt and to the Promised Land
• By giving us Jesus Christ, who gave up his own
  life for our sakes
• The appropriate response to Gods generosity is
  to be generous with the resources God has given
  us, to give back to God by giving to Gods
  kingdom

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STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• The Bible calls us to give in response to what we
  have already received
• If we are to be imitators of Christ, giving is
  NOT an option
• If you want to know what generosity looks like,
  read the gospels
• Jesus gave intentionally and sacrificially,
  trusting in Gods provision for the future
• Regular generosity is a mark of spiritual depth

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STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• In the Bible, wealth is value-neutral
• It might be a sign of Gods blessing, or
  alternatively of responsibility
• The Bible is more concerned with what we do with
  our wealth, what happens to us when we have it
  (or dont)
• Stewardship is therefore about attitudes and
  choices
• Abundance vs. scarcity
• The Kingdom of God vs. the kingdom of this world

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STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• Our attitude towards money speaks volumes about
  our attitude toward God
• Tongue-in-cheek offertory prayer Lord, no
  matter what we say or do, here is what we think
  of you
• In Matt. 66, Jesus says, But whenever you pray,
  go into your room the word for room is
  literally the place where you keep your money
• Will I try to achieve a quality life by focusing
  on money or focusing on God?

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STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• Finally, giving is about our sacrifice and our
  willingness to trust in God
• We dont feel financially secure because of what
  we have, but because we trust God to provide what
  we need
• Giving teaches us to be unselfish, to put God
  first
• Offering is about the need of the giver to give,
  not the need of the church to receive

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STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• Stewardship is not fundraising
• It is a spiritual discipline on a par with
  prayer, worship, service, and study
• Whether the church budget gets balanced is not a
  matter of ultimate importance whether our lives
  get balanced is
• Giving of our resources is one way to balance our
  lives as God intends

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STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• How do you respond to this?
• What rings true?
• What is hard for you to buy into?

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STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• Our corporate practices need to reflect the
  spiritual nature of giving, and allow members to
  give as an act of worship
• Passing the offering plate and receiving the
  offering is an important moment in the worship
  service, even if many members are giving
  electronically
• Stewardship should be a regular emphasis in
  sermons, and not just during the annual campaign
  to underwrite the budget

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COMMITTEES

• Good practice posits three committees to deal
  with stewardship and finances
• The Finance committee deals with the day-in,
  day-out work of church finances paying the
  bills, generating the reports
• The Stewardship committee teaches the
  congregation about stewardship and runs the
  annual campaign
• The Legacy committee oversees long-term assets
  and educates the congregation about annuities,
  estate planning, etc.

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STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE

• The role of the stewardship committee is to
  support the congregation in the practice of
  giving
• Not just to identify needed financial resources
  for the coming year
• Also to encourage the spiritual practice of good
  stewardship of our money
• The best people to be on the stewardship
  committee are those who give generously

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STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE

• The role of the Stewardship Committee can be
  taken as an all-year-round committee rather than
  a short-term commitment, with the major
  responsibility of educating the congregation
  about stewardship
• Care of ones self
• Stewardship of the environment
• Stewardship of relationships
• Stewardship of the gospel

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STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE

• Activities of the stewardship committee might
  include
• Regular Moments for Mission
• Focus on how we can take care of the earth
• Personal testimonies about how God has been
  generous in the lives of committee members
• Classes on personal finances

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STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE

• Generational differences are significant when it
  comes to money
• Many of the Greatest Generation give out of a
  strong sense of obligation
• More recent generations want to be sure their
  values and their money are aligned
• One way to encourage everyone to examine their
  own attitudes toward money is to sponsor a class
  on personal finances

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STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE

• One of the functions of the Stewardship Committee
  is the annual campaign to underwrite the churchs
  budget
• The Center for Faith and Giving has complete
  materials for an annual campaign for 20
• It has a number of additional resources,
  including
• Annual Campaign Tip Sheet
• Stewardship Q and A
• Sermon resources around stewardship

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STEWARDSHIP AS AN ENABLER OF MINISTRY

• The churchs budget (TH pp. 6-10) is a concrete
  expression of our sense of calling
• A budget is both
• A spending plan, the financial aspect of
  implementing your congregations ministry
• The most concrete statement of a congregations
  faith and commitment, and how it understands its
  calling by God
• A narrative budget can be a way of helping the
  congregation see beyond the dollars to what they
  allow the congregation to accomplish

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STEWARDSHIP AS AN ENABLER OF MINISTRY

• The church asks for money to support its ministry
• Vision dictates expenditures
• Church budgets, like personal checkbooks, are
  theological documents they tell us what we
  really feel about God
• Always include at least a short version of your
  vision or mission statement with your budget
• Be ready to changing expenditures as the
  congregations vision changes

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STEWARDSHIP AS AN ENABLER OF MINISTRY

• A narrative budget helps a congregation to
• Identify and fund its priority activities
• Move mission and ministry from vision to
  implementation
• Revisit and examine its activities in the light
  of current circumstances as well as past practice
• Examples
• The Treasury Handbook, p. 10
• Community Christian Church, Tempe, AZ
• See also www.centerforfaithandgiving.org, our
  denominations stewardship arm

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GIVING FOR MISSION

• Most churches allocate a portion of their budget
  to go toward other organizations
• Outreach budget
• Should a congregation be expected to tithe (give
  away 10 of its budget)?
• How do you decide what organizations to give to?
• How often do you reconsider your outreach giving?
• Does outreach giving get cut when money is tight?

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GIVING FOR MISSION

• We would like to suggest that giving to support
  the larger church be a part of your
  congregations outreach giving
• Disciples Mission Fund supports general-church
  activities, including ministries, publications,
  educational institutions
• When NW regional congregations give to DMF, 67
  returns to support regional church efforts

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GIVING FOR MISSION

• Special Day offerings
• Each special-day offering is allocated toward a
  specific aspect of general and regional church
  activities (TH p. 46)
• Some of this money also returns to the region
• Pentecost for new church development
• Christmas all of this offering returns to the
  region
• It is helpful to make the intent of each
  special-day offering known to your congregation
  (educational ministry of the Stewardship Comm)

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GIVING FOR MISSION

• Should special offerings be included in the
  congregations income statement?
• Yes this represents giving by the members of
  the congregation
• But it is passed through to the General Church,
  it does not stay in your bank account
• This is a vital aspect of building trust

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STEWARDSHIP AS SPIRITUALITY AND MINISTRY -
CONCLUSIONS

• The call to be generous is deeply embedded in
  Scripture and in our understanding of our call as
  Christians
• Education about stewardship is a large part of
  the work of the Stewardship Committee
• A churchs budget and its fundraising should
  reflect its sense of Gods calling
• The congregation as a whole should practice
  generosity