Good Communication Enhances Financial Stewardship

At the close of 2008, the First UMC of North Liberty published its first annual stewardship newsletter entitled "The Journey---Stewardship." The purpose of the newsletter was to tell the story of the congregation's vital ministries and the need for financial support. Since the newsletter was published, First UMC has seen an increase in giving, in spite of difficult economic times. If you are interested in seeing a copy of the first edition of "The Journey" send your request to Jill Sanders at Jill.Sanders@iaumc.org.

Biblical and Theological Perspectives for the Missionally Stewarding Church----From "Stewardship for the 21st Century"

From Chapter 3 - Biblical and Theological Perspectives for the Missionally Stewarding Church by Lon Kvanli:"Stewardship has come to be understood as church code for the annual fund-raising campaign ... This functional approach runs counter to stewardship that is rooted in the Trinity. Stewardship and mission are not simply two pieces to the puzzle of winning the offering plate prize. Stewardship needs to be framed theologically, informed by various theories and research on stewardship, and focused on a God-given, communally discerned mission and vision. In this (third) chapter, the focus (is) on the theological framing of stewardship for the sake of the mission."Stewardship and Perichoresis"Perichoresis is a Greek word which means whirl, rotation, or circulation; in addition, the word means the sharing of all things, including hopes and sorrows, joys and fears, and even the daily needs of life. Perichoresis is a wonderful description of the Trinity. The Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a total sharing relationship. The Father shares all, the Son shares all, and the Holy Spirit shares all. This is a different model for giving. In a perichoretic stewardship the giver is motivated to share all that one has to offer. This desire to share all is rooted in the Trinity's complete giving of self for our sake.""There are several Bible stories and texts that illustrate perichoretic giving. In the story of the widow''s mite Mark 12:41-44 the woman held nothing back, but gave everything she had. She had a relationship of trust with God."Stewardship: Abundance and CommunityKvanli posits that anxiety based on scarcity reflects a lack of faith. Likewise, covetousness is "distrust while on the other hand, the cause of generosity is faith. A man is generous because he trusts God and never doubts but that he will always have enough.""A healthy stewardship is rooted in the biblical promises of God's abundant generosity.""Not only is God a generous God, God is also a missionary God - a sending God." God sent Abraham and Moses on a mission. They had faith in God's promises and carried out their missions."God is a generous God, and God frequently promised prosperity ... for the whole community of faith rather than the individual." The prosperity is meant for the common good. " ... the Bible frames stewardship as an understanding of that which encompasses all of life, including the mission of the church." Stewardship, Trinity, and MissionImportant research today is focused on " ... the connections between Trinitarian theology, missional theology, and stewardship ... the Trinity is the source of the mission and the church becomes the mission - the living expression (or manifestation) of that mission." The Missionally Stewarding ChurchIn summary, the missional stewarding church:" ... will be a responsible steward of God's abundant gifts ... in response to the needs of their context and community.""Knows the purpose of stewardship ... is for the building up of the whole church community for the sake of the mission and vision.""Knows it is invited and sent to join in God's mission and vision for the world."" ... lives into the reality of knowing that the mission and vision are the reason for the church."" ... (knows the need for) community because it is only in community that we learn missional stewardship from each other and for each other."" ... trusts in the forgiveness and grace of Christ. " ... knows that it is through Word and Sacrament that God invites us to join in God's mission and vision for the world. " ... knows and lives into the reality of having been abundantly blessed and will use those abundant blessings God has given to restore right relationships with the community. For a fuller reading of the important points Kvanli is making, please go to Chapter 3 - Biblical and Theological Perspectives for the Missionally Stewarding Church.

An Example of Extravagant Generosity

Several years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to the deep interior of Mexico for an immersion experience. We spent several days with the people of the Metodista El Salvador, a mission church in El Higueron sharing food and fellowship, learning conversational Spanish, mixing concrete by hand, and pouring floors for a parsonage and a classroom. On the last day in El Higueron, we sat outside around the dining table, a table that had become a communion table many times during our stay as we listened to one another's stories, and shared our final meal together. During the meal, one of us commented on the simple, yet beautiful terra cotta pottery that our hostess used to serve us. She promptly went to her kitchen, pulled seven pieces of pottery out of the cupboard and presented them as gifts to us. It was humbling to hold her gift in my hands, and I was moved to tears by her generous spirit. This woman, who by worldly standards had so little, emptied her cupboards to share what she had with us.

Her example continues to challenge me. I can't say that I have ever sent any plates or serving bowls home with dinner guests. Her generosity forces me to admit that I cling tightly to so many things, often because I am afraid. It makes me want to loosen my grip and let go of those things so that what I have can bless others. And, mostly, it unsettles me to think that an abundance of resources does not necessarily lead to generosity, and that a generous spirit cannot be quenched by scarce resources! Is it typically the case that the more we have, the less we are willing to put what we have at risk? (Or is it just me?)

What would God do with us and through us if we loosened our grip on the blessings we have received--our gifts and graces, our buildings and bank accounts, our love and our lives--and offered them to God in order that others might be blessed? What if we discovered how to love and give of ourselves with reckless abandon? Maybe, just maybe, we would know what it means to be the Church of Jesus Christ!

Chuck Smith's Twenty Stewardship Questions

Stewardship Questionnaire

The following are twenty questions that all congregations should be able to answer. They are a good test to evaluate your ministry and stewardship health. Take the test and see if there are any surprises.


1. How have the members of this congregation grown spiritually within the last year?

2. What kind of an outreach program do you have in this community to share Jesus Christ with your neighbors and non-churched people?

3. What is the population profile of the community?

4. What is the population profile of the church?

5. How does the two population profiles compare?

6. What is the median income of the community?

7. Are the church members on average richer or poorer than the community?

8. What is the average attendance of worship?

9. What is the membership?

10. What is the giving per average attendance?

11. What is the per-member giving of the church?

12. How many giving units (households) are there in the church?

13. What is the average giving per unit?

14. How do these numbers compare with the rest of the Conference?

15. Does the pastor teach tithing and share the benefits of a disciplined giving life style?

16. How has the pastor tried to educate the congregation on the mission and ministry of our Connectional church?

17. Has the church engaged in any stewardship education programs?

18. How does the congregation plan each year to raise the money for its ministry needs?

19. What amount of money does the congregation have in special funds and how are those funds to be expended?

20. How would the congregation describe its purpose for existence?