STEWARDSHIP We’re going to start out this morning with the topic of stewardship, by which most of us mean the soliciting of pledges to support the church budget Worst job ever, except maybe the Nominating Committee But let’s first consider some Biblical aspects of stewardship, starting with our understanding and then Jesus’s take on the topic of money

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF MONEY In your own life: What good things does money enable? What problems does money create? In the church: What does money enable your congregation to do? How does money bring about anxiety or conflict in your congregation?

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF MONEY In the gospels, Jesus talks about money a lot By one estimate, 62% of the parables are about money or possessions According to another estimate, one out of every 10 verses in the gospels refer to money But it’s not the money that Jesus is concerned about, it is one’s attitude about money that he keeps returning to

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF MONEY Three scriptures about money: Luke 20:19-26 “Then give to the emperor that which is the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s” Luke 18:18-27 “Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” Luke 12:22-34 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF MONEY In the Bible, wealth is value-neutral It might be a sign of God’s blessing, or alternatively of responsibility The Bible is much more concerned with what we do with our wealth, what happens to us when we have it (or don’t) Stewardship is therefore about attitudes and choices Abundance vs. scarcity The Kingdom of God vs. the kingdom of this world

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF MONEY Jesus understands that it is easy for our money and our possessions to own us, rather than the other way around Trust in God are more difficult but infinitely more rewarding Rely on me for what you need, God says, and I will provide And if we can rely on God, then we can afford to be generous

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF MONEY Our attitude towards money speaks volumes about our attitude toward God Tongue-in-cheek offertory prayer: “Lord, no matter what we say or do, here is what we think of you” In Matt. 6:6, Jesus says, “But whenever you pray, go into your room” – the word for room is literally “the place where you keep your money” Will I try to achieve a quality life by focusing on money or focusing on God?

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF MONEY At the same time, someone does need to be concerned about the church’s money, because the bills need to be paid There needs to be a balance between trusting God and making sure our congregation’s finances work We need to be careful about going too far in either direction Our goal today is to help you to hopefully to see the value of both of these two views on the church and money

STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Let’s move from the topic of money to the topic of stewardship – why do we give to the church? As individuals and families, we give for many reasons: Because of guilt, habit, family expectations Out of gratitude for the congregation that loves and supports us and encourages us to work for God’s kingdom Because the church needs our financial support

STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE As congregations, we give because we understand that the church is called to be the eyes, ears, and hands of God on earth Acts of ministry (individual and corporate) Ongoing missional activities Support of other organizations whose work contributes to God’s kingdom

STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE The Biblical reason for giving is because: God has been generous with us By bringing the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and to the Promised Land By giving us Jesus Christ, who gave up his own life for our sakes The appropriate response to God’s generosity is to be generous in turn with the resources God has given us, to give back to God by giving to God’s kingdom

STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Ultimately, giving is about our sacrifice and our willingness to trust in God We don’t feel financially secure because of what we have, but because we trust God to provide what we need Giving teaches us to be unselfish, to put God first In the worship service, offering is about the need of the giver to give, not the need of the church to receive

STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Stewardship is not fundraising It is a spiritual discipline on a par with prayer, worship, service, and study Whether the church budget gets balanced is not a matter of ultimate importance; whether our lives get balanced is Giving of our resources is one way to balance our lives as God intends

STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE How do you respond to this? What rings true? What is hard for you to buy into?

STEWARDSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Our corporate practices need to reflect the spiritual nature of giving, and allow members to give as an act of worship Passing the offering plate and receiving the offering is an important moment in the worship service, even if many members are giving electronically Stewardship should be a regular emphasis in sermons, and not just during the annual campaign to underwrite the budget

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE The role of the stewardship committee is to support the congregation in the practice of giving Not just to identify needed financial resources for the coming year Also to encourage the spiritual practice of good stewardship The best people to be on the stewardship committee are those who give generously

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE The role of the Stewardship Committee can be taken as a year-round committee rather than a short-term commitment, with the major responsibility of educating the congregation about stewardship of all our resources Care of one’s self Stewardship of the environment Stewardship of relationships Stewardship of the gospel

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE Educational activities of the stewardship committee might include: Regular Moments for Mission Focus on stewardship of the earth and sustainability practices Personal testimonies about how God has been generous in the lives of committee members Classes on personal finances

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE Talking about stewardship is important, because generational differences around money are significant Many of the Greatest Generation give out of a strong sense of obligation More recent generations want to be sure their values and their money are aligned One way to encourage everyone to examine their own attitudes toward money is to sponsor a class on personal finances

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE One of the functions of the Stewardship Committee is the annual campaign to underwrite the church’s budget The Center for Faith and Giving (our denomination’s stewardship arm) has complete materials for an annual campaign for $20 It has a number of additional resources, including: Annual Campaign Tip Sheet Stewardship Q and A Sermon resources around stewardship

STEWARDSHIP AS AN ENABLER OF MINISTRY The church asks for money to support its ministry Vision dictates expenditures Church budgets, like personal checkbooks, are theological documents – they tell us what we really feel about God Always include at least a short version of your vision or mission statement with your budget Expect to adjust your expenditures as the congregation’s vision changes

STEWARDSHIP AS AN ENABLER OF MINISTRY The church‘s budget (TH pp. 6-10) is a concrete expression of its sense of call A budget is both: A spending plan, the financial aspect of implementing your congregation’s ministry The most concrete statement of a congregation’s faith and commitment, and how it understands its calling by God A narrative budget can be a way of helping the congregation see beyond the dollars to what they allow the congregation to accomplish

STEWARDSHIP AS AN ENABLER OF MINISTRY A narrative budget helps a congregation to: Identify and fund its priority activities Move mission and ministry from vision to implementation Revisit and examine its activities in the light of current circumstances as well as past practice Examples: The Treasury Handbook, p. 10 Community Christian Church, Tempe, AZ See also

GIVING FOR MISSION Most churches allocate a portion of their budget to go toward other organizations Outreach budget Should a congregation be expected to tithe (give away 10% of its budget)? How do you decide what organizations to give to? How often do you reconsider your outreach giving? Does outreach giving get cut when money is tight?

GIVING FOR MISSION We would like to suggest that giving to support the larger church be a part of your congregation’s outreach giving Disciples Mission Fund supports general-church activities, including ministries, publications, educational institutions When NW regional congregations give to DMF, 67% returns to support regional church efforts

GIVING FOR MISSION Special Day offerings: Each special-day offering is allocated toward a specific aspect of general and regional church activities (TH p. 46) Some of this money also returns to the region Pentecost – for new church development Christmas – all of this offering returns to the region It is helpful to make the intent of each special- day offering known to your congregation (educational ministry of the Stewardship Comm)

GIVING FOR MISSION Should special offerings be included in the congregation’s income statement? Yes – this represents giving by the members of the congregation But it is passed through to the General Church, it does not stay in your bank account Being explicit about the pass-through is a vital aspect of building trust

STEWARDSHIP AS SPIRITUALITY AND MINISTRY - CONCLUSIONS The call to be generous is deeply embedded in Scripture and in our understanding of our call as Christians Education about stewardship is a large part of the work of the Stewardship Committee A church’s budget and its fundraising should reflect its sense of God’s calling The congregation as a whole should practice generosity