Stewardship: The transformative call to Christian Discipleship

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StewardshipThe transformative call to Christian
Discipleship

• Presented by
• Brian Doyle
• Assoc. Dir. of Stewardship
• Archdiocese of Cincinnati

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Outline

• What is Stewardship?
• Principles of Stewardship
• The Personal Call
• Called to Steward What?
• The Call of the Parish community

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Reflection Questions
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StewardshipWhat it is NOT

• Haphazard giving
• A program
• About duty and guilt
• A fundraising gimmick

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What Stewardship IS

• A way of life
• A commitment to follow Jesus no matter the cost
• The realization that everything we have is a gift
  from God and that we need to treasure and enhance
  these gifts and give them back in thanksgiving
• The recognition that what we have is not ours.
  What I have is because of the grace of God.
  What I started with is a gift from God--what I
  make of my life depends on how I develop Gods
  gifts.

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IS

• Counter-culturalsuccess and achievement is not
  ultimate goalnot mine to claim if only I work
  hard enough. Counter to the Theology of
  Prosperity
• A spirituality with daily implications
• ?Daily examen What did I do today with the
  gifts God has given me to make a difference in
  the world?
• Applies to our faith, community, environment,
  human and natural resources, economic order,
  government affairs, etc.

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IS

• A

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Stewardship A Disciples ResponseUS Conference
of Catholic Bishops Pastoral Letter on
Stewardship (1993)

• 4 characteristics of a Christian Steward
• Receives Gods gifts gratefully,
• cultivates them responsibly,
• shares them lovingly with others,
• returns them with increase to the Lord.

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?Discipleship, Discipleship, Discipleship!?

• Disciples as Stewards
• Recognize God as origin of all life, giver of
  freedom, source of all things.
• Grateful for gifts received (including gift of
  conversion, calling to membership in the church),
  and eager to use them to show our love for God
  and one another. Look to the life and teachings
  of Jesus for guidance in living as Christian
  stewards.

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The Call of Discipleship
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WHERE- Does Stewardship Take Place?

• Begins in the domestic churchthe family.
  Families make decisions everyday on how to spend
  their time, use their abilities, spend their
  money.
• Extends to the parish, the workplace, the local
  community, the diocese, universal Church, global
  community.

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STEWARDING WHAT?

• 1. Stewards of Creation
• Joyful appreciation for God-given beauty and
  wonder of nature
• Protection and preservation of the environment
  stewardship of ecological concern
• Respect for human life enhance the gift of life
  and make it flourish
• Workdevelopment of this world through noble
  human effort. Work is the building up of the
  Kingdom of God!

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STEWARDING WHAT?

• 11. Stewards of Vocation
• Jesus calls us to a new way of life-the Christian
  Way of life.
• Christ does not call faceless people, he calls
  each individually, by name, to a specific,
  personal vocation in life lay person, single,
  married, clergy, religious, adult, childeach has
  a vocation. This has an escatological
  significance!
• Christ calls us to be stewards of our own
  vocation, which we receive from Godthe 4
  characteristics of a Christian Steward.

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STEWARDING WHAT?

• 111. Stewards of the Church
• We cooperate with God in our own redemption and
  in the redemption of others. We are
  collaborators and cooperators in continuing the
  redemptive work of Jesus Christthe priesthood of
  believers.
• Called to carry out the Mission of the
  Church?Proclaim the Gospel! Teach, Serve,
  Sanctify! Sacraments! It is the personal
  responsibility of each of us as stewards of the
  Church.

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HOW is the Parish vital to stewardship formation?

• Facilitates the individuals spiritual process of
  conversion by supplying a fertile environment for
  gift discernment and stewardship formation.
• Provides opportunities for individuals to live
  out the call to discipleship through prayer,
  hospitality and service.

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Stewardship vs. What Were Already Doing
WHAT WERE ALREADY DOING STEWARDSHIP
FOCUS GOALS To bring people into a relationship with our parish and with the work it does in a way that makes them want to support it. To bring people into a closer relationship with God through the experiences of giving time, talent and treasure, which we help to create by offering occasions where this giving is consciously evoked as a spiritual act and practice.
IDEAL OUTCOMES Parishioners make a contribution to the parish in recognition that the parish needs resources if it is to continue its work (that is, parishioners give to a need). Parishioners are more generous in their gifts of their time, talent and treasure because every gift becomes an occasion for, and a celebration of, growth in faith (that is, parishioners develop a need to give).
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Stewardship vs. What Were Already Doing
WHAT WERE ALREADY DOING STEWARDSHIP
PHILOSOPHICAL CULTURAL UNDERPINNINGS The philosophical and cultural root is philanthropy, private action for public purposes. The intent is to encourage people to feel a commitment to the common good of the parish, and voluntarily give of their resourcesmaterial goods that they feel they ownfor the benefit of others. The philosophical and cultural root of stewardship is a commitment to personal and collective behavior that recognizes and honors Gods ultimate ownership of and profound generosity in all things. The intent is to encourage people to see all resources as gifts temporarily entrusted to us to be used and shared to promote the welfare of all Gods creation.
ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE To provide financial (and other) support for our parish, so that it may carry out the godly work to which we believe it has been called. To build the household of God so there will be more human and spiritual, as well as material, resources to carry out the work of building the kingdom, in whatever form that work may take.
Taken from, Effective Parish Stewardship, The
Essentials, Twenty -Third Publications, 2004
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PARISH STEWARDSHIPSeven Signs of a Stewardship
Parish

• Hospitality
• Prayer
• Recommitment (Renewal)
• Outreach
• Lay Witness
• Accountability
• Stewardship Committee
• (Community of GRATEFUL BELIEVERS!)

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PARISH STEWARDSHIPSuccessfully Promoting
Stewardship

• Step 1 Personal Witness
• Step 2 Commitment of Leadership
• Step 3 Hospitality, Evangelization, Outreach
• Step 4 Communication Education
• Step 5 Recruiting, Training, Recognizing Gifts
  of Time Talent
• Step 6 Stewardship of Treasure
• Step 7 Accountability

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Parish Engagement

• According to Gallup data, Engaged members of a
  parish are
• 2 ½ times as likely to spend two or more hours
  per week serving and helping others in their
  communities.
• 3 ½ times as likely to invite friends to
  participate in their church.
• Give nearly 1 more of their gross income--about
  700 more per member.
• 3 ½ times more likely to say they are completely
  satisfied with their lives.

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Parish Stewardship
Issues Facing Parishes Staid Strategies Stewardship Principles
Declining Mass Attendance/Enrollment -Pulpit emphasis on attending church -childrens catechesis -Cut times -renewed emphasis on Eucharistic spirituality, sacramental gift -Focus on hospitality to new and current members, local community -Evangelization Outreach -Lay Witness -Parishioner Engagement -2 way Communication -Conversion
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Parish Stewardship
Issues Facing Parishes Staid Strategies Stewardship Principles
Capital Needs-school, roof, boiler, parking lot, etc. -Defer -Fund Drive -Annual process of time, talent, treasure commitment -Strategic plan -Accountability report -Spiritual endeavor -Leadership identification, recruitment -Conversion
Debt/Operating Deficit -Cut services -Fund Drive -Strategic Plan Mission, Vision, Development, Communication, Hospitality -Transparency -Inform, invite, involve -Conversion
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Closing Prayer

• All powerful and ever-living God, we do well
  always and everywhere to give you thanks.
• All things are of your making.
• All times and seasons obey you.
• You chose to create us in your image and to set
  us over the whole world in all its wonder.
• You made us the stewards of creation, to praise
  you every day for your wisdom and power.
• May we imitate your son, Jesus, in his life of
  service.
• May we be faithful stewards of all your gifts to
  us, the People of God.
• Amen.