Our churches, congregations, and fellowships support, guide, and inspire us in humankind’s greatest quest: that of searching for the fundamental and profound meaning of our lives. We are truly fortunate to live in a time and place where this pursuit can be undertaken freely. Free from political prohibition, free from ostracism, free from material restriction, we can engage with spiritual leaders and investigate philosophies which can guide us in our most important inquiry.
Though we benefit from the legal, social and material freedoms, the religious organizations established to help guide us in our journeys toward understanding could do so much more if we supported them financially to the extent that they support us. According to Christian Smith, Michael O. Emerson, and Patricia Snell, authors of Passing the Plate*, encourage us to ask:
• Why is giving not higher among religious people when they have the financial resources and capacity to give at higher levels?
• Why is giving not higher when religious people receive explicit faith teachings and implicit messages to do so?
• Why is giving not higher when religious organizations could achieve the goals that their members profess they desire, particularly when those goals are consistent with the core religious values?
In response, the authors suggest five conditions that could inspire people to give money more generously to their congregation. Reflect on these and see if they might be applied during your congregation’s stewardship campaign!
• Unambiguously expecting and collectively honoring the generosity of individuals;
• Confidently teaching the instructions of their faith tradition regarding generous financial giving;
• Strongly encouraging members of the religious community to make theologically-informed and principled decisions about and commitments to generous giving;
• Providing multiple, structured and routine means by which people could follow through with their gift; and
• The establishment of better procedures, systems, and practices of transparency, communication and accountability in order to increase trust about how contributions are used.
If you would like to discuss your congregation’s stewardship and fundraising needs, contact me for a free consultation session~
Email: givingspeaks@gmail.com
Resources:
*Smith, Christian, Emerson, Michael O. and Snell, Patricia. Passing the Plate. Oxford University Press, © 2008
Nurturing Generosity: http://www.uua.org/finance/fundraising/generosity/index.shtml
Tapestry of Faith–UU Lifespan Curriculum Resources: http://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/index.shtml
Forward Through The Ages (FORTH): http://www.uua.org/finance/fundraising/forth/index.shtml
The Ecumenical Stewardship Center: https://www.stewardshipresources.org/
Some people think that annual stewardship campaigns are about money; they are wrong. Stewardship campaigns are about commitment.
~Jerald L. King, Stewardship Consultant
Our relationship with money is complex. The relationship evolves throughout our lifetime. We are born into a culture of money–our family’s culture–and are influenced by the money cultures of our local communities, congregations, and society at large.
Whether we have a lot of it, or very little, money holds power in our lives. Money is wrapped up in our values, beliefs, and attitudes. It affects our relationships with others, particularly in the realms of family, work settings, and religious communities. Money is a form of energy that both moves through our lives and moves us through our lives. Our perceptions about money can be positive or negative, depending on our experience with it.
When it comes to money in the congregation, there are layers of complexity, because each person encountered carries a unique blend of experiences, attitudes, and feelings about money. Talking about money can trigger intense emotional reactions in some. As a result, the topic can be awkward–even taboo–to discuss openly and authentically in faith communities.
Asking people to give their money to support the congregation requires understanding and sensitivity on the part of those doing the asking. Those enlisted to engage the conversations about money and giving in the congregation benefit from training and support. This involves the opportunity to first explore one’s own relationship with money and commitment to financially supporting the congregation and its mission before asking another to give. As confidence builds and talking about money becomes more comfortable, a new culture of generosity and stewardship can emerge and prosper.
Stewardship is important and essential work of the congregation. 
It is a spiritual practice of careful tending to the needs and resources of the community. At its best, stewardship is a ministry that promotes healthy relationships with money and with one another.
This link will take you to the presentation slides used for training stewardship teams: Annual_Stewardship_Campaign_team_training_2012
A recent Alban article by Craig A. Satterlee, Preaching is Not Fund-raising from the Pulpit, poses some interesting challenges for stewardship leaders focused on raising funds to support their congregations’ annual operating budgets: http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=9901
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