Presbymergent Stewardship
It’s that time of year in Presbyterian land. In emergent land (and in the way I think about things), stewardship, not just of money, but of everything, is an every day thing. Actually, this is a rather Presbyterian way of doing things, too, but many Presbyterian Churches have a time once a year asking its members to pledge financial support for the coming year. In my community, we talk about stewardship (for real, not fund raising) every week, but also have a once a year campaign where we ask people to pledge support for the next year.
I have no problem with this practice, really, but I had a hard time doing this in a way that felt right to me.
This is the Stewardship letter that I almost mailed, but ditched at the last minute. It just didn’t feel authentic. I think it’s pretty much the standard letter, which is why I ditched it.
Instead, I mailed this letter.
I know that annual pledges are not Biblically mandated, and also that they may not jibe with the sensibilities of the younger generations, but they ARE helpful to the older generations, and they are QUITE HELPFUL when it comes to budgeting for the future.
What do you think? My take is that these campaigns will one day fall by the wayside, but they are of some use as we emerge. How do you talk about stewardship? Money? Do you pledge? Budget? How does this jive with your theology?
Comment by Adam Copeland on 7 November 2007:
Thanks for the post, Drew. I think your letter is great, and if anything, could be stronger. I want to see a Stewardship campaign based on, “It ain’t your money anyways–it’s God’s–so give it up.”
http://adamcopeland.wordpress.com
Comment by robert austell on 7 November 2007:
Drew, I went a new direction this year… both theologically in how I talked about “stewardship” and practically (in not asking for pledges). Here’s my letter to the congregation. I guess you can ask me in 6-12 months how it turned out.
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What is Christian stewardship?
At Good Shepherd, we are interested in doing “good ministry” – particularly ministry to which we believe God has called us. We are likewise interested in being “good stewards” of money that is given to the church. It is tempting to equate and define stewardship from the “receiving end” and get wrapped up in justifying programs, creating and balancing a budget, and encouraging tithing or sacrificial giving for the sake of the ministries to which we are called as a church.
However, this is getting the cart before the horse, as well-intentioned as it may be. Stewardship is first and foremost an act of personal and corporate WORSHIP, a faith-full response to the being and character of the Triune God we experience in Spirit, Truth, and Christian community.
In scripture, “stewardship” and being a “steward” has to do with serving a higher authority through wise use of that which belongs to the authority (whether God, king, or master). If “the earth and all it contains is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1), then all that we are and all that we have belong to God. Our stewardship is not a tax, tithe, token, or charitable gift, but our complete and obedient service to God. That is the definition of worship in the broad sense.
What about tithing? Tithing was part of the Law, intended to “train spiritual children” (Galatians 3:24-26). Tithing is not our expected maximum, it is like training wheels until we learn what it means to submit everything we have to God as an act of worship. As long as our stewardship is understood as giving that is tied to a budget and a set of ministries, or even to the concept of a tithe, we have put limits on our worship, just as surely as saying one can only worship with traditional music or King James English.
At Good Shepherd, we have glimpsed the freedom and blessing of worshiping God musically and artistically in Spirit and in Truth, using “every means at our disposal to invite each worshiper into the presence of God” (from the worship philosophy on the back of the bulletin).
Could we discover a similar freedom and expansiveness in terms of our stewardship-worship?
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We’re serious about this stewardship-as-worship! So, we are not going to pitch all this theology to you and then do things the same way we always have. In keeping with the seriousness with which we understand worship to be obedient service to God, the Session is asking each member to prayerfully sign the following document.
If you are not comfortable signing and returning this “Covenant of Stewardship” and/or would like to make a traditional pledge, you may send that information to the financial secretary at the church address.
We will continue to send giving statements (and a traditional pledge will be noted on that statement). We will also mail a copy of your “Covenant of Stewardship” back to you the last week of December.
COVENANT OF STEWARDSHIP
I understand and believe that all I have and all I am belong to the Triune God. Understanding stewardship to be an act of obedient service and worship to God, I commit and covenant to honor God, not only with heart, soul, mind, and strength, but materially and financially.
As an act of worship, I commit and covenant to regularly pray to discern what God is doing in and around me, and participate in God’s work with the time, talents, resources, health, and strength God has entrusted to me.
In keeping with the practice of God’s people since the creation of the world, I commit and covenant to offer God my “first fruits” – returning the first and best of what God has given me for His glory and work.
As I participate in the life and work of God in the expression of the body of Christ that is Good Shepherd, I commit and covenant to turn and return to God as my first priority, my first love, and first goal. I praise God for choosing to work in and through me!
Recognizing my own limitations and frailty, I nonetheless strive, by God’s grace, to live a life glorifying to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
All in the household are invited to sign.
Comment by Matt Singley on 7 November 2007:
This is an interesting time of year. At Bel Air Pres we do send out letters, but it’s part of a larger theology and push to get everybody involved. We certainly encourage those that call Bel Air their home to give financially, but it’s often stated that this decision is between the giver and God. In addition to financial giving we make a big push for giving of *time*. Our pledge cards are two sides…one side is financial, the other side is a commitment for volunteering.
BTW, I think your second letter is great.
Comment by Mark on 7 November 2007:
I lost interest very quickly during your first letter. Your second letter woke me up. Though it’s not shorter, it “feels” pithier.
I think it’s a good thing to remind churches that they can get by on a budget of $0, and to press them to consider what stewardship is all about: that THEY (and not just the staff and Session) are stewards with responsibilities to serve God and God’s good creation.
Comment by David Williams on 7 November 2007:
As much as I personally groan whenever this season comes around, I can’t see the need for stewardship fading. The key is to tell people about it and preach on it in a way that articulates the real importance of our participation in the Body.
Like Matt, I’ve pressed my congregation in the last couple of years to conceptualize stewardship in terms of both financial support and the giving of their time and talents. It makes it easier to present the issue in a way that resonates both with those who are more established financially and those who aren’t yet financially independent.
Comment by lbloder on 7 November 2007:
My church is working under a 50K deficit (we borrowed from ourselves) and many of our biggest “givers” have moved on for a variety of reasons. While our overall membership and worship attendance is as high as its ever been—we are struggling. I have been thinking about fresh, new approaches to the process this year and your letter has sparked some imagination. Thanks!
Comment by Markus Watson on 11 November 2007:
Great (2nd) letter! I love how it’s simply honest. There’s no attempt at persuasion or manipulation. It lets people come to their own conclusion as to whether giving is something they should do or not.
“Making Spiritual Sense” by Scott Cormode has a great chapter on how to preach about money/stewardship. He says that more important than making people feel like it’s their duty to give, we need to deal with the underlying issues that may keep someone from giving–issues like fear, faith, etc. I don’t remember all the details off the top of my head, but the book is worth having just for the sake of that chapter!
Comment by Jan on 12 November 2007:
Love the second letter and might steal parts. The first time I said “Please don’t give money if this is about you — that your funding will help provide for a place for you to marry, be buried from, have your children baptized . . .” many faces looked a bit downtrodden. When I said, “Giving money so that you will be comfortable (heat and AC) and you will find services to feed you (Bible studies, etc.) make church sound like a club” there were a couple of folks who didn’t greet me on their way out of worship. It’s okay. It’s not about us. It’s about feeding those, providing for those outside our doors and walls.
Thanks for a very good letter - Jan
Comment by bj woodworth on 14 November 2007:
Giving will and never should go a way it tells us where our heart and our treasure are and I think that giving needs to be higher in our prirorities and we need to challenge the financial individualism of our churches and be living more generously and more simply. This is the reality of the gospel and is attractive to the younger generation.
This year we asked for giving commitments for the firs time and tied them to one of our missional practices. Here is the first 2 paragraphs.
As a community we are seeking to live in the way of Jesus by practicing five simple weekly rhythms: listening, learning, eating, encouraging and giving. In the last practice of giving, we look for regular ways to give away our time, money, skills and passions to others and the world. The great paradox of the life and ministry of Jesus is that in losing his life he gained it, in humbling himself he was lifted up and in giving he received. We strive to follow the way of Jesus by giving to neighbors, strangers and other communities, to serve them and grow the Kingdom of God. One of the ways that we give is through regular financial tithes (10% of our income) and offerings in order to sustain and build upon the mission and vision of our community. God actually tells us to test him by tithing, “Bring your full tithe… so there will be ample provisions. Test me in this and see if I don’t open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams” (Malachi 3:10, The Message).
For the first time as a community we are asking that we all “decide in our hearts” what we are going to give this year. This accomplishes a few things for us. First of all it helps us as followers of Jesus to be purposeful and intentional about our giving. The Apostle Paul said, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give…” (2 Cor. 9:7). We are trying to help one another to decide in our heart what it is that we are to give. When we choose to give a specific and designated amount of our money we also create an opportunity for us to trust God and grow in our faith. Secondly, as a church community this helps us plan our finances for the upcoming year. We have been blessed by the Presbyterian Church (USA) in that we have received a five-year grant. Each year the grant amount diminishes which means that our own giving needs to increase. So when you designate how much you are going to give that helps us more accurately plan what our offerings will be in the coming year.
Comment by Drew Ludwig on 14 November 2007:
BJ, you are a wise pastor. I think I will steal some of that for next year. (except the grant part)