Why Pledge? Why Ask Others to Pledge?

As spring fully blooms around us and many of us turn to making summer vacation plans, it may seem an odd time to devote my newsletter space to the subject of “fall stewardship campaigns” but alas, that’s what you’ll find in my space this month.

Specifically, I want to talk about “pledging”—a spiritual practice of many and a touchy subject for others. Why is pledging important? Let’s take a look from two distinct vantage points. First, and most importantly, pledging is important because it reflects a solid commitment to regular financial giving to and through the church. As such, it is a spiritual practice. As Christians, we are formed by our spiritual practices. I once spoke with a spiritual director who posited that anything we do for thirty days in a row becomes a ritual, a habit, a routine for us. Regular, disciplined giving to God through the church is one way---and a key way—to ensure that our hearts have a generous shape. Jesus describes this when he says in his Sermon on the Mount: ...’for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21) One might expect him to say that when our commitment grows, our treasure will follow---but he turns that notion upside down. He says that where we decide to invest our treasure will determine the path of our heart. Making a “public” (as in “on a pledge card”) commitment to invest our treasure in God’s reign in our midst will deepen our longing for God’s reign on earth to fully come and our commitment to participate in making our prayer a reality. This is the first, and most important, reason for pledging---spiritual growth and deepening commitment to God.

There’s a second reason as well. And it’s a fundraising reason. Sometimes people ask: “What difference does pledging make?” And those who know the statistics might answer: “Anywhere from 100-300% in total giving.” Here’s what we know. In congregations where no annual campaign is held, and there is little or no focus on stewardship education, the average household contributes 1.5% of their income to God through the church. In congregations which invite people at least once yearly to pledge an amount of money, the average household contributes 2.9% of their income to God through the church. In congregations where people are invited to pledge a percentage of their income out of gratitude to God, the average household contributes 4.6% of their income to God through the church. (Wayne Barrett) Simply put, asking people to pledge a percentage of their income out of gratitude to God yields more resources for God’s work in the world.

If you regularly emphasize Christian stewardship in your congregation and an annual campaign is part of your regular practice, you are fulfilling an important aspect of our call to make disciples. If your congregation does not currently focus on stewardship or give people an opportunity to make a commitment to give back to God a portion of what God has given to them, please consider doing so this year. Within the next several weeks, pastors and other identified stewardship leaders in each local congregation in our district will receive a letter from the District Stewardship Team with a list of resources for Annual Stewardship campaigns. Please watch your mailbox for this helpful resource. Also, take time to check our district’s stewardship blog---www.generousineveryway.blogspot.org. And, if you’d like to post something, let me know.

In the meantime, may God bless you richly as you are about the work of “making disciples (stewards J) for the transformation of the world!”

On the Journey with You!

Jill