The Nuts and Bolts of Stewardship, Part 2

Patrick Vaughn, Pinnacle Affiliate

As summer turns to fall, many churches turn their attention to an annual stewardship campaign. Today, we continue in our exportation of key insights and lessons regarding stewardship.

Fifth, keep in mind what I have often told me son: “The heart trumps the mind!” Our decision to marry, to pursue a particular career, to volunteer with the Boy Scouts is never a strictly intellectual decision. Is prayer merely rational? Is our decision to serve at the food pantry simply cognitive? No. Of course not.

We human beings are wonderful admixtures of thinking and feeling. The cultivation of generosity requires that we involve the entire person in spiritual transformation. Do not rely, then, simply on facts and statistics in your campaign. Do not believe that a letter filled with numbers will warm anyone’s heart. Include pictures. Include video. Include music. Include skits presented by members of your congregation. Include recorded interviews with your children. Include written testimonies by those who have been blessed by your congregation’s ministries. In other words, employ the tools you already utilizing to nurture faith.

Sixth, in this same spirit tell stories. Tell stories. Tell stories. Then, tell more stories. Tell stories about your ministries. Tell stories about how your church is making a difference in the lives of others. Tell stories that draw a link between dollars given and lives touched. Tell stories every Sunday in worship. Tell stories that celebrate God’s work in your midst. Stories are memorable. They speak to the mind as well as to the heart.

Seventh, research indicates that belonging and belongings go together. There is a strong relationship between ones experience of belonging and how one tends to their belongings. The more I feel connected to a church the more likely I am to give generously to that faith community. A sense of belonging does not in and of itself necessarily foster generosity, but it does provide the relational matrix that nurtures a giving spirit.

The stewardship campaign gives you an opportunity to grapple with such questions as: How do we help develop relationships between our members? What small group opportunity do we have that allow people to really get to know one another? How intentional are we about establishing new groups every year (It’s extremely difficult if not impossible for new people to join an established group!) How are we teaching and modeling respect and compassion? How do we make room for the outsider, even an outsider whom we have know for many years? How much time and importance do we give in our ministries to developing relationships rather than simply accomplishing a task?

Eighth, be joyful. Worry, anxiety, and fear undermine generosity. Be joyful.  You are not raising funds. You are deepening faith. Be joyful. You are inviting your brothers and sisters to join you on an adventure.

In my first congregation I discussed financial giving with several of the congregation’s highly respected leaders. I had never developed the habit of giving to a church, and I didn’t know how much I might contribute to that congregation. Honestly, I didn’t want to give anything! My salary was meager, and, well, after all, I was devoting my life to the church. Did I really need to give my money away as well?

Each of the individuals I approached had a quiet and steadfast faith. They radiated a trust in God that I found moving and compelling. The were joyful. As a young man in my mid-twenties, I wanted to be like them.

Much to my surprise, each of them confided that they gave 10% of their income to the church. They didn’t talk about it publicly. They never acted as if their giving gave them special privileges. They simply tithed week after week. And they were joyful. Very, very joyful.

In your stewardship campaigns, be joyful for you are providing others an opportunity to taste and experience a depth of joy they have not yet imagined possible. It was true for me. And it can be true for them too.

Contact Patrick at patrickvaughn01@comcast.net.