STEWARDSHIP
ACADEMY #5
The Stewardship Academy has been
announced, and is being held on the Saturdays of April 23rd, May 21st,
June 18th and July 16th. At least the first three will be
held via Zoom.
This week I am introducing the
fourth session, which will be held on July 16th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Various
topics will be covered at this session:
1.
Generosity - Giving is spiritual before it is financial. Any
gift is an external sign of inward spiritual growth. Too often we focus on the
need of the church to receive, when we should be focused on the need of the
giver to give.
2.
Generosity Audit – We usually think about money when we hear
the word audit, but a generosity audit is completely different. Rev. Clayton
Smith has created the idea of a generosity audit; and we will spend time
looking at what this involves and the audit guide that he has created. A
generosity audit is a process that can inform your decisions about what ministry
initiatives, mission projects, or programs in your church could be continued,
improvement, started or discontinued.
3.
Developing Personal and Corporate Theology – Theology of stewardship
include the principles of ownership, responsibility, accountability, and reward.
But how are these principles embraced by you personally? How do these
principles govern the ministry of your church? Acknowledge the source; give as
a response to discipleship; educate throughout the year; and make stewardship a
ministry.
4.
Climate of Commitment – We talk about discipleship, and this
cannot be separated from stewardship. They are intertwined and dependent upon
each other. Just as membership isn’t discipleship; giving as a matter of
obligation isn’t commitment. Are people in your church experiencing a climate
of commitment? What does that look like?
5.
Healthy vs. Not Healthy – Is your church financially healthy?
Has it analyzed its financial health and ability? What are the differences
between a financially healthy church and a financially sick church? Hint: it
isn’t necessarily based on the balance in the church’s checking account.
6.
Stewardship of Self – We won’t be successful in the areas of stewardship
and discipleship in the church or the world if we don’t care for ourselves. The
notion of self-stewardship is found somewhere between consumption-focused
hedonism and deprivation-focused asceticism. The focus is more on being the
“better version of one’s self” regardless of one’s circumstances. Being that
better version is not only uplifting for ourselves, but it promotes better
relationships with others.
7.
Reviewing Projects and Plans – During the course of
these four sessions, many topics and ideas will be touched upon. Each attendee must
then choose a topic or idea or practice that they will create a project, plan
it out and institute it, reporting back as to the results. We will spend time
discussing topics and sharing ideas.
My hope and desire for this first
Stewardship Academy is to provide resources that you can use to benefit your
local churches and yourselves. While money and finances are certainly part of stewardship,
it is not the whole picture. When we can embrace money and the necessity of
that, and also embrace the holistic and theological ideas of stewardship, we
can come to the realization that God provides everything needed; how we use it
is up to us!
If you want additional information the
Stewardship Academy, please feel free to contact me at (315) 427-3668 or susanranous@unyumc.org.
If you wish to register for the Stewardship
Academy:
Stewardship Academy Registration
Full
Name |
|
Email |
|
Phone
Number |
|
Address |
|
Street Address |
|
City/State/Zip |
|
Register |
|
Stewardship Academy (Clergy) |
ÿ (check if appropriate) |
Stewardship Academy (Laity) |
ÿ (check if appropriate) |
Cost: |
$300.00 |
Check payable to: |
“Susan
Ranous” |
Mail
form and payment to: |
Rev.
Susan Ranous 201
Candee Avenue Syracuse,
NY 13224 |
Any questions: (315) 427-3668 or susanranous@unyumc.org
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