We recently found that the book "Creating Congregations of Generous People" by Michael Durrall offered useful and unique insights on the topic of stewardship. Having summarized many of those insights in rather copious notes we shared the summary with a number of parishes. Many also seemed too find the nuggets valuable. The following is a subset of our notes:
General Insights
"The best chance of increased giving is among the top 20% of current donors."
"Church members have changed from stewards into consumers... not returning a portion to God... rather paying for services rendered"
"The common expectation is that regardless of income or capacity new members start out with small donations. Yet, newcomers are more amenable to new ideas and views than at any other time."
"Most churches need to clarify the message they communicate to new members - both expectations of membership and charitable giving."
Stewardship Ministry
"Stewardship initiatives should clarify the mission of the parish... and also be a means by which parishioners strengthen their faith."
"'A great deal of what we accomplished was to recollect what the church stood for and what we were committed to. We created high standards in this parish', said one volunteer."
"Stewardship is NOT for sissies. Accept the fact that as a stewardship ministry volunteer you may be rebuffed, ignored, defeated, snubbed, rejected, vanquished, crushed, outvoted, and discredited in attempts to increase the commitment base of your community."
Pledge Efforts
"Pledge programs are, on balance, the most useful stewardship method. But most are done poorly!"
"The annual pledge drive is a ministry. Well conducted, it should be as important and meaningful as any other aspect of parish life." "Generic pledge drives are lackluster and don't address the urgency, immediacy and importance of doing God's work through the parish."
"Pledge efforts should reflect significant changes in the life of the parish in a straightforward and honest manner."
"Beware one size fits all model. What appeals to one generation can wear thin in the next."
"Share data - with those who need to know. Clergy should know donation patterns of parishioners. Stewardship ministry should have access to pledge records."
"Complaints about stewardship team knowing pledge amounts usually come from high income donors giving small amounts. Don't let low level donors determine the church's policy toward charitable giving."
Note: The book offered an interesting wrinkle on pledge form layout. If interested contact us.
Reporting Results
"Parishes normally share aggregate donation data in the form of: total $; number of pledges and average pledge/donation. Reporting average donations is a common sense idea but in fact grossly distorts results. When the average is reported the generous are perceived as giving less and the low level givers as giving considerably more."
Note: Learn to use and report the median donation --which is almost always lower than the average and is a better indicator of parish generosity. Report % of donors giving at or above a tithe of the median household income of your county. For other aggregate reporting approaches contact us.
Board/ Council Involvement
"Helping to recruit stewardship ministry members is not sufficient involvement for the parish council. Pastor and board would not recruit parishioners to conduct a new outreach ministry without staying involved."
"Parish Council can support the stewardship effort by having ready answers to the question of 'what will we do with extra money'. It is NOT the stewardship ministry''s job to determine spending priorities."
"The average budget provides little reason for generous giving and countless reasons for token giving. It is at best hesitant and fearful and at worst static and apologetic."
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Most budgets inspire yawns!
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"A traditional budget process with its emphasis on negligible increases and paying the bills, inadvertently creates and perpetuates low level giving."
"Giving to a budget is not inspiring. ...it defeats the whole idea of generosity as a fundamental Christian principle... returning some portion of what we have been given... and building a stronger faith "
"Many churches tend to recreate yesterday. Familiar patterns do not challenge congregations."
"Replace the dreary annual budget with a thoughtfully prepared list of what the church could do and even what it should do. The issue is not whether the church will survive but whether it will flourish."
Powerful Questions for Stewardship Discussions
"Is generosity a core value of Christians?"
"Is it possible to lead miserly lives (or lives of great indulgence) while giving little to the church (or other charitable organization) yet attending and considering oneself to be a person of Christian?"
"How should we (personally and as a parish) use resources at our command to fulfill what God expects of us in this place and time."
Improved Stewardship is a Long Term Issue
"The giving culture in your parish has likely been formulated over many decades. If low or same level giving is the norm it may not change easily. Stewardship consultants often will not take a contract with a church for less than five years... believing this is the minimum time necessary to change the giving culture in a congregation."
In one parish use of these insights (and others) have helped the stewardship ministry to discern that their mission is not (necessarily) to raise money or get pledge forms filled out but to help parishioners to increase the level of meaning that the Church (Christ) has to them and their lives and to foster positive attitudes toward generosity.
Are they like what we call the "lapsed"? Is there a difference?
We notice from the "link click reports" from previous newsletters that many of you seem to enjoy the video of the month. 
One of the many qualities of US congregations that has been studied in the aforementioned survey is the degree to which a congregation provides a sense of "belonging". "When worshipers have a strong sense of belonging to the church, they feel connected and accepted," study commentators claim. The survey attempted to measure an overall 'sense of belonging' through three indicators:
