Why is stewardship important to you?  (or, phrased differently: "why is what people give to your congregation important to you?")

Before you read further, please write - or at least voice aloud - your response to this question.  If you're a pastor you might grin a little and say "my salary depends on it!"  If you're a lay leader, you might say "we've gotta pay the bills!"

Now, ask the same question: "why is this important to you?" ("this" being whatever you answered the first time, but including stewardship).  Again, a pastor might say "my salary and stewardship are important because I don't want to be worried about my salary and therefore my ministry.  I want to focus on my ministerial leadership." 

A third time and fourth time and maybe a fifth and sixth time, ask the same general question.  Try to get to the passion that is behind your motivation.

One pastor of whom I asked this series of questions finally came out with "this church has so much more to offer the community than it is doing now!  With more dedicated giving, we could do so much more!  It could be an even more terrific church!"  We uncovered real passion about the church's future and the pastor's role in its future.

Robert Schnase, in his excellent book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations (which I briefly reviewed in my December '09 newsletter) describes Extravagant Generosity as one of those practices.   Schnase declares that "Vibrant, fruitful, growing congregations thrive because of the extraordinary sharing, willing sacrifice, and joyous giving of their members out of love for God and neighbor.  Such churches teach and practice giving that focuses on the abundance of God's grace and that emphasizes the Christian's need to give rather than on the church's need for money." (p. 112)

How passionate are you about your church - and what people give to it - in terms of time, talents, and treasure?

If you haven't already done so, try calculating the median percentage giving of your congregation.  Here's the formula:  Multiply the number of family units in your church by the median family income of your community (e.g. 150 family units x $80,000 = $12 million).  Now, divide that figure into the annual giving of the members of the congregation (e.g. if annual giving of the hypothetical congregation is $420,000, then people are giving on average 3.5%). Do this exercise and reflect on what the conclusion says about member commitment.  I led a stewardship committee through this exercise in a church in a very high end neighborhood and the members started laughing.  Clearly people weren't even close to giving sacrificially.

How comfortable are you in talking about money, in challenging members to deepen their commitment by giving more extravagantly?

I have observed any number of pastors who introduce the weekly offering with a perfunctory "the morning offering will now be received."  They evince about as much passion as in saying "I'm going to take my car in for an oil change this week."  They seem nervous about even mentioning money.  Some have told me that they feel like they are begging people to contribute to pay their salary and it feels like hustling.

Most pastors I know aren't in this profession for the money.  They are pastors because they have this crazy sense that God has called and gifted them to lead God's church.  They could have more secure jobs as a government worker or school teacher.  They could earn more managing a Starbucks or other business.  I have one friend who turned down a very real possibility of playing professional baseball so he could go to seminary.

Circle back to my initial question: "why is stewardship important to you?"  Get in touch with your passion.  Reflect on how your passion shows up in your giving.  Are you tithing or moving towards a tithe?

How are you challenging members to express deepened commitment?  The weekly offering is an opportunity to elicit commitment, to remind members that they are part of a great enterprise - the work of Jesus Christ!  It is a time to invite them to commit themselves to serving Christ in the coming week and to offer a sign of that commitment in the morning offering.  I often say something like "Let us now offer ourselves in a new commitment to Christ for this week and as sign of that commitment give our morning offering."

How passionate are you about the ministry you are leading?  About the Good News of Jesus?  And how does your passion show up?

There are lots of stewardship programs around.  I really like Herb Miller's New Consecration Sunday program that's available through Cokesbury.  He builds his program on strengthening individual commitment.

But key is your passion as a leader.  How committed are you to serving God in this particular congregation?  How do you demonstrate that passion?

Are you wrestling with this or similar issues?  I'd love to help coach you to find your best answers and commit to some new practices.  Please get in touch and I'd be glad to give you a demonstration coaching session.

What is important to you?  Why?  What passion does it uncover?

If you'd like to grow in your leadership and would like some coaching, please get in touch.  I'd be glad to help.  If you know someone who might find this helpful, please forward it to them - and please use the button in the newsletter.

Here's to healthy churches - with healthy leaders!