The object of this page is to get you going down the road of an active stewardship effort for your church! If that is what you are looking for please read on...

Background...

God has given us everything we have. Jesus Christ is God’s greatest gift to us. Stewardship tells us to share a portion of our God-given time, talents and treasure with others, so that God’s gifts, including Jesus Christ, may be given to those who do not know or understand him.

Christian stewardship provides spirituality that people can take home from church, exercise at work and express through personal involvement in the church and community. It is not project-minded or job-oriented; it is a way of life ... for a lifetime. Understanding stewardship helps us to become aware that God is the ultimate giver of the gifts we have and that we should give back to God and others. Giving back to God should be from the top ... not from what may be left over ... sharing God's grace should be from the heart.

Educating and communicating with a congregation about stewardship...

While the gene for faithful stewardship is inside everyone, it needs to be developed and nurtured, just like learning a sport or craft. If fertilized, the spirit of stewardship grows within us over time; most of us just don’t wake up one day deciding to be stewards ... stewardship needs to be continually cultivated and nurtured.

Educating people about stewardship is best accomplished with a steady, simmering approach like cooking a wonderful stew, rather than a quick blanching. People typically respond best to learning by hearing or reading about examples ... over time.  Many of us also respond well to deeper emersion through more intensive Bible study. Stewardship has very solid historical roots in the Bible, and it is important to bring out these historical underpinnings.

It is also important, at least once a year, to focus on the commitment to stewardship and to the church.  This is typically done in a shorter, three-to-eight week period in the spring or fall.

Stewardship education needs to be programmatic and continual; it is a little like putting an outboard motor on the stern of the RMS Queen Mary ... she’ll turn, but it is going to take awhile!

First steps...

Christian stewardship doesn’t happen automatically; it happens by design.  By planning and implementing a multi-year stewardship plan, church members will grow in their understanding of stewardship, thus becoming more involved, committed, and generous. This transformation of the heart that stewardship leaders want to engender in their congregations is not just in "firstfruits," or proportionate giving, but growth in members living out their stewardship of God's grace every day.

There are many sources of information that explain what stewardship leaders need to do, and understanding stewardship, or what is needed to inspire it is not difficult.  Even planning and organizing a multi-year stewardship effort is well within the ability of a well-intentioned Stewardship Committee. However, actually creating the materials to educate and communicate with a congregation on an ongoing basis, including annual stewardship commitment programs can be daunting.

Our role in helping you in both the short and long term...

Parish Publishing has dedicated itself to providing churches with effective materials for over 40 years.

Our monthly inserts, short-term, commitment-based programs and other materials have been developed with years of wisdom of what works and what doesn't to inspire committed stewards. The first thing you will need to do is to decide what it is you are trying to accomplish and then design a plan to accomplish it. In general, the most effective stewardship plans include both longer-term, ongoing stewardship inspiration and education, as well as shorter-term drives to bring focus on commitment. Please feel free to click here to download a multi-year schedule for a typical stewardship plan. We know your plan will be customized for your faith community, but this will help you understand the critical components of any plan.

Also, to get you started, click here to download a Stewardship Committee Meeting Agenda you may use to kick off your efforts!

If you would like more complete information, click here to order our Stewardship Sourcebook - The Complete Manual for Pastors and Stewardship Leaders.

Below is a table of materials we provide to assist you in your steward-building efforts!