MAKE
STEWARDSHIP ONGOING
In
continuing my reading of the booklet put out by VANCO, titled The Complete
Guide to Church Stewardship, I read about the fourth of eight rules for
effective church leadership: Make Stewardship Ongoing
I
don’t know about you, but I’ve been present in a meeting or two (and even
thought to myself) – if we had someone like Bill Gates in our congregation,
money wouldn’t be an issue! To be fair, large contributions can go a long way
towards achieving goals, but if we focus just on large contributions, we’re
missing out on the point! Being reliant on one or two large givers is, at best,
going to help you for several years, but will cease being helpful. We need a
congregation full of multiple givers, not just a couple, “givers that aren’t
reliant on personal wealth and not susceptible to economic fluctuations.”[1]
When all our members are givers that give what they can throughout multiple years,
stewardship is successful.
Here
are a couple of points that the article makes, and that I want to make as well,
that, too often, is the focus of our churches:
Current
Focus: We address finances only when we need money
Should
be: Finances should be addressed regularly, not just when we’re in need,
because the folks we’re talking to are going to equate that with an
organization that is always in need.
Current
Focus: We address stewardship only once a year, OR when giving as dropped.
Should be: Stewardship should be
a regular, ongoing, year-round thing. I’m not saying we spend all our time,
every sermon, every conversation, asking for money. I’m talking about discussing
stewardship, just like we talk about discipleship, as part of being followers
of Christ, of being Christian, of worshipping God. Stewardship HAS to be tied
to the vision and mission of the church, not the line-item budget!
Something
to consider in your finance and leadership teams is shifting from seasonal
fundraising campaigns to a continual conversation about stewardship. Change the
money perspective from “it’s that time of year when we need to talk about money”
to being part of the goals and work and discipleship of the church.
These
kinds of discussions can then lead to a better discussion of how all of that
is the point, not the money. And then the conversation about how money enables
the cause to happen will help.
If you wish more information on anything
you’ve been reading about, please feel free to contact me at (315) 427-3668 or sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org. I’d be happy to help or answer any questions.
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