GIVING WHEN THERE’S NO OFFERING PLATE #1

           

            Remember the “good ole days” when we had ushers greeting people in the church and they’d go through the sanctuary and pass the offering plates? People would pass the plate from person to person throughout each pew, putting money, change, and checks into the plate. Oh the memories!

            The pandemic changed how we give, didn’t it? Some churches had the option of online giving before March 2020, but, still, the majority of folks gave by bringing checks or cash to church on Sunday mornings.

            Church buildings closed in the spring of 2020, and worship no longer was in person. It had to done via Zoom, or livestream, or Facebook live, or recorded. I don’t know about you, but I know I spoke about continuing to support the church even while we weren’t meeting in person. Some people were very diligent and continued to send checks to the church. Others switched to online giving. Churches that had never considered online giving before suddenly had to consider it!

            Even with those conversations, other conversations talked about if we just get back together in person, giving would go back to how it used to be. Thing is, when we were able to gather together inside church buildings in person, not everyone came back and we weren’t passing the offering plates any more. They resided in the back of the sanctuary so people could drop their offering in when they came in or when they departed. We continued to encourage people to give electronically if they couldn’t be there in person. It wasn’t the way it used to be. We seemed to lose the entire ambiance of giving time.

            When we couldn’t pass the plates, giving time seemed to become almost a “throw away” moment in the service where we reminded folks to put their offering in the plates if they hadn’t already done, and click on the QR code on the screen or go to the website and make an online donation. Not much more than that.

            Giving time needs to be more what it was, and that doesn’t include brass offering plates or ushers passing them among worshippers. Offering needs to be central to worship. It’s more than a way to pay bills. Our financial gifts should be a sacrifice of what we would normally use to support ourselves. They must be a tangible expression of our love of God. Any sacrificial giving to God still needs to be an important part of worship. Giving is as important to a person’s worship of God as prayer, Scripture or a sermon!

·         Have a designated time to invite giving

·         Explain the theological significance of giving

·         Share the stories of the good that happens because of giving.

·         Dedicate or bless the gifts, those held in the plate, and those that have already come in electronically.

            It doesn’t matter HOW giving is done; but the connection between giving and worship has to be reinforced.

 

            REMINDER: The Stewardship Academy is being held April 23^rd, May 21^st, June 18^th and July 16^th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are interested in a registration form or information on the academy itself, please let me know (susanranous@unyumc.org)

 

                                    GRATITUDE OR GREED #3?

           

            I’m continuing my discussion on gratitude versus greed. Last week, I talked about being grateful for what we have now. This is the way to find a balance in our finances.

            Have you seen posts on Facebook where people make a post every day saying something they’re thankful for? That requires a conscious decision to choose the positive over the negative. Some people start a “thankful” journal, where each day they write down three or four things they are thankful for. That’s a lot of thankful, isn’t it?

            Not only is it a lot of thankful items, but coming up with all those positive things, requires you to practice being grateful. And being grateful influences your attitude and perspective.

            What if our churches practices being grateful? Too many times, we focus on what we can’t do, the money that isn’t in our checking account, and how few people are in our pews, or the lack of children. We spend our time focusing on “if only”.

            A few years ago, I was asked by a church to speak to the congregation about their “financial realities.” The church leaders didn’t want to give bad news to the congregation, and thought an “outsider” would be the way to go. That way, when the congregation became angry, they had someone to blame.

            I agreed to speak, but I also insisted that the leaders speak. I didn’t want them to talk about bad news, about what they didn’t have, about possibly letting staff go, or stopping ministry. I wanted them to talk about what that church has consistently been able to do in the past, solely because of the generosity of the congregation. I also insisted that not just the financial people, but other folks, teachers, youth, missionaries, people who had participated in the ministries of that church, get up and share those stories. Then, and only then, did I agree to speak, reinforcing the gratitude and the thanksgivings, but stressing that those positive stories happened because of them.

            It was up to them to determine what ministries were going to be able to continue, and money and finances were a way of funding those ministries.

            Of course, some people were upset, and some were sad, but they heard the stories of thanksgiving, and within two months, were able to raise additional pledges that allowed ministries to continue.

            Let us being thankful, not reaching for our wallets, but reaching for God. Practice gratefulness. Practice may not make perfect, but our hearts will change!

            REMINDER: The Stewardship Academy is being held April 23^rd, May 21^st, June 18^th and July 16^th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are interested in a registration form or information on the academy itself, please let me know (susanranous@unyumc.org)

 

                                    GRATITUDE OR GREED #2?

           

            Last week, I talked about reaching and needing more, both as individuals and as churches. I have to say, the more I’ve thought about it, the more I can start to understand that practice or theory. We want to spend on things that make life more enjoyable and fun, but we also have to safeguard our future. Spending is fund, saving—not so much. Maybe balance is the answer.

            When I’ve spoken about saving and budgeting with kids, I’ve used a piggy bank that I found online several years ago. It’s similar to the one shown here, although mine is silver. There are four slots in the top. One slot goes to the “save” section, one to the “spend” section, one to the “donate” section and one to the “invest” section. The cool thing is each section also has one of the pig’s feet attached. So once you’re reading to spend your “spend”, you can unscrew the foot that’s labeled “spend” and the money in that section comes out!

            It really helps picture how each piece of money someone has can be utilized. Four slots, four sections, four feet; it’s all a balancing act, isn’t it? Even thought we don’t use a piggy bank with different sections, we have to make choices as to where each piece of our money goes. How do we decide when things are competing against each other?

            An article I recently read said it is a choice, and sometimes the choice seems difficult. However, for the author, maintaining the proper balance isn’t that hard. The author says the key is gratitude—being grateful for what you have, a spontaneous emotion that comes from within. I easily understand that definition, but the author says it’s not just an emotional response, it is a choice.

• ·         We can choose to be grateful, or
• ·         We can choose to be ungrateful – to take what we have for granted.

            What is your choice? What will you choose? Are you grateful for what you have, or just need to keep it all for yourself?

            This are good questions and considerations for each of us as individuals. BUT a church must consider these questions as well. Too often, it seems like a church sits down, focusing on what they have (or more often, on what they don’t have), and spent an entire meeting trying to find a way to fund what they have and what they want, not what is needed by their neighbor, or community, or God.

            So, make your choice!

 

            REMINDER: The Stewardship Academy is being held April 23^rd, May 21^st, June 18^th and July 16^th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are interested in a registration form or information on the academy itself, please let me know (susanranous@unyumc.org)

 

                                         GRATITUDE OR GREED #1?

            Let’s be honest! If you were asked “do you want more?”, how would you answer? Most of us would answer “yes”, whether it’s career, relationships, money or anything really. It’s how the world around us functions, and how we live in that world. There are a lot of phrases or sayings that speak to this. Two of them are:

• ·         Keeping up with the Joneses
• ·         The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence

            I find that when I am in need, or worried, or suffering, that my prayer life is pretty good. Asking God for help or asking God to heal a loved one. That come’s pretty easy, doesn’t it? But when I’m doing okay, or things are going well, or the bank account is full, my prayer life may not be all it should be. It’s easy to forget God when things are going well. But when we don’t have much, we’re usually more grateful for what we do have.

            The conversation around scarcity versus abundance often seems to focus on God providing enough. The church needs to focus on God’s abundance, not our scarcity. Let’s look at it a little differently, when abundance actually causes a problem:

            When we personally experience abundance, having more than we need, we start to lose our way, constantly reaching for what we don’t have and wanting more. Even though we have more than we could possibly use, we reach for more and more “stuff.”

            Churches can have this same problem.

• ·         I’ve worked with churches who have a very small checking account, and struggle week-to-week to keep the lights on, pay the pastor, and do mission and ministry. Some of those churches seem to be fixated on scarcity, not having enough to be able to do “everything” they want. While others see that God has provided what they need to be able to be the church of God.
• ·         I’ve worked with other churches, whose checking accounts are fairly flush, and who have large endowments. Sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it? Problem is, some of the people sitting in the pews figure that the church already has enough and so don’t contribute generously. This is an issue that hurts the people, taking away their need to give and support the work of God. It’s also an issue that hurts the church. Sometimes the church will look for a bigger and better building, or a bigger and better preacher, or better decorations or pew cushions, losing sight of the abundance that they have and the ministry that could be done.

            Constantly reaching for more hurts us and those around us. We don’t see our neighbor; we don’t help the helpless, we don’t house the homeless and we don’t feed the hungry. We just grab for more and more for ourselves.

            Our hands can’t help others if their grasped in tight fists holding on to our stuff and not reaching out in love and generosity.

            REMINDER: The Stewardship Academy is being held April 23^rd, May 21^st, June 18^th and July 16^th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are interested in a registration form or information on the academy itself, please let me know (susanranous@unyumc.org)

 

                                        PUT A SPRING IN YOUR STEP

            As I’m writing this, I can look out my window and see the sun shining. I can even see bare ground (in between piles of plowed up snow), but I also know that starting tonight, a winter storm is going to come through, so it’s not spring…yet!

            Too often, once we’ve gotten past our fall financial campaigns, and Advent and Easter, and breathe a sigh of relief in the new year. We’ve come through it all; everything is fresh and new, and we can ignore talking about money and stewardship for several more months…right?   Wrong!

            We should be talking about stewardship year-round. I’m not saying that we spend every message, every sermon, every prayer and every meeting talking about money or the budget or the needs of the church.

            We know the church has needs, and I’m not saying keep it a secret, but if every time we talk about stewardship, we’re complaining that we don’t have enough to pay our bills, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and people will stop giving less (why try to bail water out of a ship that is full of holes?), and we really won’t have enough to pay our bills. 

            I am aware that people give when there is a need, but is the need REALLY to pay the heating bill, or is the heating bill something that needs to be paid because children are nurtured through Sunday School and learning about Jesus; because disciples of Jesus Christ are made during worship and prayer; because lives are changed because your WHY isn’t to keep a building heated, but to change lives in a b building that has the Holy Spirit alive and well?

            Look at every item on your line-item budget, every bill paid, are they there because of ministry, or are they there to keep a brick-and-mortar building open?

            This is the type to spend this time doing some analysis of:

• ·         Your church’s why - Why do you exist? How are lives changed? How are disciples made? How are leaders cultivated?
• ·         Your church’s assets – People? Building? Money? Land? Gifts and Graces?
• ·         Your church’s employees – Their gifts and graces? Their jobs? The needs of the church’s ministry?
• ·         Your church’s generosity – How often is money talked about? How is generosity encouraged? How do leaders communicate their own generosity?

            I have worked on financial analyses for some churches. It is a fascinating process and so much can be learned by going through some of these topic and questions? If you are interested in more information on this, please contact me at susanranous@unyumc.org. I’d be happy to work with your church on this and send you some questionnaires and information to pull together to make this a fruitful experience.

            This is the opportunity to put some spring in your Spring!

            REMINDER: The Stewardship Academy is being held April 23^rd, May 21^st, June 18^th and July 16^th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are interested in a registration form or information on the academy itself, please let me know (susanranous@unyumc.org)

 

                                           STEWARDSHIP ACADEMY #5

            The Stewardship Academy has been announced, and is being held on the Saturdays of  April 23^rd, May 21^st, June 18^th and July 16^th. 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

 

 

                                          STEWARDSHIP ACADEMY #4

            The Stewardship Academy has been announced, and is being held on Saturdays, April 23^rd, May 21^st, June 18^th and July 16^th. At least the first three will be held via Zoom.

            This week I am introducing the third session, which will be held on June 18^th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Various topics will be covered at this session:

1.    Financial Statements – we will look at the various financial statements that are typically used in churches, learning the basics, how to read them and interpret them. What are the financial statements really telling us. We will also spend time “using” the financial statements that will allow us to do the ministry that we are called to do.

2.    Restricted vs. non-Restricted Assets – There are assets that are given to us by donors, with donor restrictions. There are other assets that have also been restricted but have been restricted by the church, and there are assets that are completely unrestricted. What is your gift acceptance policy and how are we allowed to use these different types of assets?

3.    Audits – Audits increase the financial transparency of the church and is a critical element of financial vitality. They are mandated by The Book of Discipline. They are not a symbol of distrust, but are a mark of responsibility, good stewardship demonstrated for all to see, and is a message to local church donors that you care about their gift. We will look at what is required for an internal church audit by GCFA, and how to approach an audit if you are doing it and also if you are preparing for one.

4.    Narrative Budgets – They are a way of talking about the future needs needed to carry out mission and ministry, and don’t just present a spreadsheet style budget with columns of numbers under different headings, i.e. Property, Personnel, Evangelism, Education. A narrative budget tells a story, which is the congregation’s story of mission and service and how the different components of the budget contribute to that specific community of faith being able to live into its God given vision.

5.    Goals – What are the financial goals of your church? What should be the financial goals? How can you accomplish them?

6.    Financial Analysis – A financial analysis is more than looking at the balance in the checkbook. It also must involve looking at all assets (buildings, land, people, ministries). It involves looking at revenue, expenses, employees, and financial health. Generosity needs to be reviewed, as well as how budgets are done. Discipleship, stewardship, and membership are all important.

            Each week covers many topics. If you are interested in more information or in participating in the Academy, please contact me at susanranous@unyumc.org or (315) 427-3668.