Stewardship season
by Bruce Barkhauer, Center for Faith and Giving
Any church of any faith that is viewed as lifesaving and life transforming will never worry about money. - Dombek & Durall
It is time in many congregations to prepare the annual campaign - aka the "pledge drive". Do any of these describe your point of view?
- This is a necessary task to underwrite a budget and/or pay the bills.
- I need to "soft pedal" this, not wanting to ask too much of the folks assigned to run the program or the people in the pews.
- I preach a stewardship sermon or two - often apologetically - and hope enough money will show up to cover the utilities and the health insurance.
If we want to be successful, we must change our thinking. The conversation should never be about the money, but about the mission and ministry God has called us to as a community of faith. This is an opportunity to lift up the good things your congregation is doing and to tell the many ways the world is being transformed by your on-going ministry. It is a time to challenge people to do their best (not "whatever they can") because the stakes are high and the world desperately needs what the gospel has to offer. No apology is required because we are talking about generosity as a spiritual discipline. We would never apologize for asking people to pray, to worship, to serve, or to study.This is about faith formation and discipleship, not fundraising.
Commitment Sunday (or Transformation Sunday) should be a day of celebration, void of the feelings of guilt or obligation. You set the tone. You make the case. You prepare people for the moment when they can freely give all of the resources necessary to empower the ministry God has call all of you to do together. Be intentional and disciplined for the annual campaign. Congregations who do this well improve resources by 1.5 to 2 times those who don't run a campaign at all.
One more thing - be sure the people who lead your campaign are themselves practitioners of generosity. People who don't practice generosity cannot effectively encourage other to do so. For more information about annual campaigns and for easy to use resources, visit the Center for Faith and Giving website.
Global Ministries launched the Middle East Initiative last month at General Assembly. Through highlighting aspects of mission and partnership, the Initiative offers an opportunity for the church to become familiar with the range of denominational partners in the region and the issues they face and the context in which they face them; how each of us as members of North American churches can become active in education and advocacy, as well as support the various programs and witness of partners in the region; and to learn about ways that the UCC and Disciples continue to build on an already-lasting history of engagement.
If you have questions about how your congregation can participate in this exciting initiative, or would like to request materials - email
tmorse@dom.disciples.org_______
