NURTURING OUR GENEROSITY

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NURTURINGOURGENEROSITY

• Growing Healthy Congregations
• Through
• Effective Stewardship

The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego Presented by
the Rev. Canon Steve Wendfeldt
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Everyday Stewardship?
Dear Lord, So far today, God Ive done alright. I
havent gossiped, havent lost my temper, havent
been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over
indulgent. Im very thankful for that. But in a
few minutes, God, Im going to get out of bed.
And from then on, Im going to need a lot of
help. Amen.
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Outline of the Day 830 - 845 Welcome Time 845
- 900 Introduction 900 - 930 Stewardship
Epistemology 930 -1000 Reasons for
Giving Maslow meets Jesus BREAK 1015
-1155 Theological Reflections Table
Discussions Stewardship Stories, Stewardship
Bible Study, Your Response 1155 Noonday
Prayer 1200 Lunch 1230 -100 Parish Commitment
to Stewardship Core Values Stewardship
Statements 100 -130 Year Round Stewardship 130
-200 Principals of Effective Stewardship
Programs 200 Questions Answers
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Goals

• Help you and your congregation develop a healthy
  theology of stewardship.
• Help you and your congregation develop healthy
  stewardship habits.
• Help you take your place as a stewardship leader.

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• Help you build a stewardship statement.
• Help you build an effective year-round
  stewardship plan that works for your
  congregation.
• Help you transform the culture of generosity in
  your congregation.

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Time Honored Stewardship Traditions in the Church

• Dont ever talk about money if you dont have to.
• Stewardship is a painful 3 week period in October
  or November.
• Dont you think late October is a good time for a
  vacation, dear?

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• Sometime in September, see if you can sucker some
  unassuming slob into being the Stewardship Chair.
• Regarding Stewardship, you only give thanks for
  two things
• -That it is over
• -That we dont have to talk about it until next
  year
• Forget stewardship, lets get on with the real
  work of the church.

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What we believe about Stewardship

• Good Stewardship centers on the conversion of
  people, not the collection of more
• Good Stewardship reminds us that all we are and
  all that we have is a gift from God
• Good Stewardship means building Christian
  leaders, not taking volunteers

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• Good Stewardship values time talents and calls
  all members into actual ministry
• Good Stewardship enables Christian leaders to
  talk about their own giving, money, time and
  talent in ways that transform lives
• Good Stewardship is modeled
• Good Stewardship leads to healthy congregations
• Good Stewardship means accepting the difference
  between what we say and do is reconciled by Jesus

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EPISTEMOLOGY

• The Methodists gathered in a corner and prayed.
• The Baptists cried, Wheres the water?
• The Christian Scientists agreed among themselves
  there was no fire.
• The Assembly of God folks shouted, Its the
  vengeance of God.

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• The Lutherans posted a notice on the door
  declaring the fire evil.
• The Quakers quietly praised God for the blessings
  that fire brings
• The Jews painted symbols on the door, hoping the
  fire would pass by.
• The Roman Catholics passed a collection plate.

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• The Congregationalists shouted, Every man for
  himself!
• The Presbyterians appointed a chairperson who was
  to appoint a committee to look into the matter.
• The Episcopalians? They formed a procession and
  marched out in grand style.

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Epistemological Categories
Rationalist
Traditionalist
Charismatic
Social Activist
Anglo-Catholic
Evangelical
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Epistemology
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Epistemology
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Epistemology
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Epistemology
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Epistemology
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Epistemology
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Reasons for Giving
Customers
Patrons
Partners
Family
Conversion
WITH GOD
PLEDGES
Nothing
When I Attend
Dues Payers
Percentage Givers
Tithers
Fair Share Givers
Joyful Givers
5 - 10
0
Avg. 520- 1200 yr
Avg. 150- 600 yr
PROPORTIONAL
SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY
GIVING GREATER THAN A
TITHE
Epistrophe Metanoia
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20
20
30
5
3
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Helping with Gods Mission
Love
External Factors
Internal Factors
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My Earliest Memories of Money

• What was the first time you received money as a
  gift or reward?
• What was your earliest instruction about money?
• What was you first experience of money as an
  offering?

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Tom CarsonFormer National Church Stewardship
Officer

• Do you ever worry about having enough?
• Is bill paying stressful for you?
• Has money ever been a cause of an argument?
• Do you ever sometimes envy others for what they
  make, what they inherit etc?

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• Have you ever equated your value as a person with
  what you get paid?
• Do you ever get anxious about inflation or what
  youve saved for retirement?
• Do you ever spend, in one day, more time thinking
  about money than you do in prayer?

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Then

• You may be having an affair with money
• This affair may be
• Buying your soul
• Debilitating your mind
• Destroying your freedom in Christ
• Wasting away your salvation

Your view of money is the chief spiritual issue
in your life.
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Begin Your Story

• What do I now believe and do about my Christian
  Stewardship of money?
• How do I feel about what I believe and do?

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Group Bible Study

• Malachi 37-12
• Luke 636-38
• Luke 1216-34
• II Corinthians 95-12
• I Timothy 611-19
• Deuteronomy 1422-29

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• What are the demands and/or commands of God in
  this text?

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• What are the promises of God
• in the text?

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• What are the barriers to my obeying Gods
  commands and living into Gods promises?

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• What would my life be like if I could honor
  Gods demands and live into Gods promises?

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Reasons for Giving
Customers
Patrons
Partners
Family
Conversion
WITH GOD
PLEDGES
Epistrophe Metanoia
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• What do I now believe and intend to do about my
  own stewardship of money?
• How do I feel about my decision?

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NOW WHAT?

• Parish Stewardship Statement
• A Way to Tell
• the Congregational Stewardship Story
• Our Core Beliefs
• Our Commitment
• Our Plan
• A way to cast a vision for congregations
• A way to lead our congregations into effective
  stewardship

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HOW DO WE START ?

• Train Leaders
• Write Our Stewardship Stories
• Look at Stewardship Statement Examples
• Begin Our Own
• We Believe . . .
• We Commit . . .
• We Invite . . .
• Share it with the Congregation

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YEAR ROUND STEWARDSHIP

• Must be taught before it is begun
• Start anytime but the Fall
• Define Seasons
• Timing
• Theology/Scripture
• Programs
• Impact

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An Example of Year Round Stewardship

• Seasons- Winter/ Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week
• Theme- Who We Are
• Theology- Temporal Life
• Stewardship- Person, Family
• Relationships
• Health Well Being
• Responsibilities

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• Seasons- Spring/ Easter, Pentecost
• Theme- What We Do
• Theology- Ministry, The Body
• Stewardship- Gifts for Ministry
• Discernment
• Training
• New Vision/Mission

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• Seasons- Summer/ Pentecost
• Theme- Where We Are
• Theology- Creation
• Stewardship- Earth
• Environment
• Global Community
• MDGs

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Seasons- Fall/ Pentecost, Advent,
Christmas Theme- What We Have Theology- Reso
urces, Power Stewardship- Finances
(personal) Finances (parish)
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Principles of Effective Stewardship Programs

• Jesus is forever knocking inviting us into a
  deeper relationship
• Stewardship is a spiritual issue- not a money
  issue
• If you expect to get positive results, recruit
  rather than invite

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• Clergy are the gatekeepers of access to the
  congregation.
• Money problems are symptomatic of other problems
• Sharing of ones personal story of struggle with
  the discipline of tithing has more impact than
  lessons of what someone else said or did.
• Stewardship education / development is
  evangelism.

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• For the most part, people give to the extent that
  their spiritual health permits.
• People dont care how much you know until they
  know how much you care.
• People are willing to support a clearly
  understood sense of vision / mission.
• The greatest growth in giving is realized by
  those who have an opportunity to experience
  conversion.

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• Dont expect growth and a bountiful harvest if
  youre only willing to nurture for growth once a
  year.
• Dont expect different results if youre not
  willing to conduct different programs
  (educational opportunities)
• We have not all come to know God in the same way.

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Commonly Used Commitment Programs

• Can be used for each or any season
• of stewardship
• Every Member Canvas (Visitation)
• Banquet (Loyalty Dinner)
• Cottage Meetings
• Direct Mail
• Loyalty Sunday
• Telephone Appeal

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Samples of Resources

• Stewardship Statements
• Tithing Charts
• Step Charts
• Other

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St. Peters Stewardship Statement
We, the Vestry and Stewardship Commission of St.
Peters, believe our lives are rich and full
because God has blessed us with lives of
abundance, has given us all that we have and has
called us to be faithful stewards of all His
gifts. We commit to return to God the first
fruits of our treasure, talent and time. We
affirm the Biblical tithe of 10 as the minimum
standard of Christian living. Each of us is
either tithing or is committed to increasing our
personal giving to achieve that goal. We
joyfully invite all members of St. Peters to
accept this standard for yourselves and urge you
to join us in this offering from your abundance
to the Lord our God. AMEN!
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Stewardship Statement from the Vestry of St.
Johns Episcopal Church We believe God is the
source of all that we have and all that we are.
We are temporary caretakers of these abundant
gifts and are called to use them to support the
mission of St. Johns, the needs of the Olympia
community, and to spread Gods Kingdom in the
world. Our gifts or time, talent, and treasure
are the measure of our spiritual depth. Our
tradition calls us to give proportionately from
what God has given us as we strive toward the
biblical standard of tithing.
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We commit To return to God the first fruits of
our time, talent, and treasurer. To lead the
congregation of St. Johns by accepting, both
personally and publicly, the tithe standard of
Christian giving. In these ways we give witness
to our love of Jesus Christ. The Vestry and
Clergy Invite The people who are St. Johns
Parish, Olympia, to accept the changing
experience of Christian stewardship.
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An Invitation to Tithe
TITHE Monthly Percentage Giving Levels . . .

• Find your current giving level on the chart.
• If you are under 3 please consider starting at
  3.
• If you are at 3 or greater, please consider a
  step of faith by moving up one or more percentage
  categories.

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