Delight in Giving 2012 Best Practices in Basic Stewardship

Opening Prayer

Where we are today… In the midst of a contentious election year In a still-uncertain economic climate At the end (we hope) of a long, hot summer Its September, and November is coming!

This is a great time to get started on your Fall stewardship campaign… …or to build on your year-round stewardship ministry.

Stewardship the big picture of the life of the church… and

Stewardship an everyday spiritual practice for Christians

From now to November… Ten Best Practices for your Fall stewardship campaign

1. Build the stewardship committee If you have a committee thats meeting, great! Re-connect with a fun autumn gathering Add a few new members Consider an ad hoc campaign committee If you dont have a committee, form one! Invite the unexpected Create a timeline Enlist all of the leadership of the church

2. Set the tone Adjust your perspective: abundance, not scarcity positive, not negative joy, not anxiety Shape your language: the budget is really the mission spending plan all mission: local and wider

Abundance is not something we acquire; it is something we tune into. Wayne Dyer Abundance

3. Nurture Financial Wellness Dont shy away from the topic of money Provide support and education Ask for the same gift from everyone: not the same amount, but meaningful Challenge the comfortable, comfort the challenged

4. Approach giving as a year-round, whole life spiritual practice. A practice forms us as disciples: We grow into more generous people as we give generously.

Practice Pledging

The spiritual practices of first fruits giving and proportional giving Challenge ourselves to grow our giving by a regular percentage each year

Our time and talents …are also shared with joy

5. Understand motivations Reasonability Challenge Commitment Compassion Community Kennon Callahan Stewardship and Giving in an Effective Church (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992)

Compassion and Community: The Universal Motivations We TRANSMIT on the Commitment and Challenge frequencies, but our RECEIVERS are set on Compassion and Community.

6. Ground your work in Scripture Delight in Giving: 2 Corinthians 9:7 Other Scriptures in the theme materials Abundance Bible study Share Scripture in all of your communications to the congregation

7. Teach giving by modeling it First fruits: the first line on your budget Ask preachers to share the story of their own giving Talk/write about the churchs giving

Our Churchs Wider Mission

8. Make giving moments life-giving The offering A time of delight in giving? Consecration Sunday A celebration you wouldnt want to miss?

9. Tell the story of your churchs vision Creativity: gather an ad hoc committee of story-tellers Create a narrative budget Use DVDs, photos, skits, etc.

Review of the Ten Best Practices: 1. Build the stewardship committee. 2. Set the tone. 3. Nurture financial wellness. 4. Approach stewardship as a year-round, whole-life spiritual practice. 5. Understand motivations for giving. 6. Ground your work in Scripture. 7. Teach giving by modeling it. 8. Make giving moments life-giving. 9. Tell the story of your church – lay out the vision!

10. Use the UCC 2012 stewardship theme materials

Use the theme in your communications

Delight in Giving It is our conviction that we are created in the image of our giving God. In the next few weeks we invite you to take notice of moments of delight in your life, give thanks for gifts received, and anticipate the delight you will experience in making your pledge of support for the ministry of our church.

Generating Delight through Open-hearted Living Delight God takes in the giver Delight the giver takes in the giving Delight thats created through the giving

Looking Upward The healing of the bent-over woman Luke 13:10-17

The Body of Christ We are essential in carrying on the work of Jesus. We have accepted the yoke of being Jesus in the world. We keep the Body of Christ alive through our giving.

Deuteronomy 8:12-18 We remember the One who has provided for us We trust there will be enough We share with one another We experience delight in giving

Question: When have you experienced unexpected abundance?

When have you experienced surprising delight in giving that generated joy in others?

When has giving led to deeper connections with others in your life?

Discussion