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 God’s kingdom Because the church needs our financial support

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 God’s kingdom

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 God’s generosity is to be generous with the resources God has given us, to give back to God by giving to God’s kingdom

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 God’s provision for the future Regular generosity is a mark of spiritual depth

STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE In the Bible, wealth is value-neutral It might be a sign of God’s 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 don’t) Stewardship is therefore about attitudes and choices Abundance vs. scarcity The Kingdom of God vs. the kingdom of this world

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. 6:6, 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?

STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Finally, giving is about our sacrifice and our willingness to trust in God We don’t 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

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

STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE How do you respond to this? What rings true? What is hard for you to buy into?

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

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.

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

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 one’s self Stewardship of the environment Stewardship of relationships Stewardship of the gospel

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

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

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE One of the functions of the Stewardship Committee is the annual campaign to underwrite the church’s 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

STEWARDSHIP AS AN ENABLER OF MINISTRY The church‘s 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 congregation’s ministry The most concrete statement of a congregation’s 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

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 congregation’s vision changes

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 our denomination’s stewardship armwww.centerforfaithandgiving.org

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?

GIVING FOR MISSION We would like to suggest that giving to support the larger church be a part of your congregation’s 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

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)

GIVING FOR MISSION Should special offerings be included in the congregation’s 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

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 church’s budget and its fundraising should reflect its sense of God’s calling The congregation as a whole should practice generosity