September 19, 2018

Five Resources for Practicing Stewardship

This month we offer five resources to help your congregation practice stewardship. Please share this digest with new members of your vestry and extend an invitation to subscribe to ECF Vital Practices to receive Vestry Papers and the monthly digest.

1. In Reframing Stewardship, Greg Syler shares how St. George’s in Valley Lee, Maryland engages in stewardship and financial generosity. Instead of stewardship drives, St George’s focuses on an annual pledge drive. In this article, Greg unpacks the difference between the two and why it matters.

2. Armantina Peláez explains how Latin Americans in the United States practice generous giving by donating money, serving in leadership, and sharing their talent in the Church in Generosity: A Latina Perspective. Additionally, she shares some unique and engaging ways Latinos live out their faith and embrace tradition.

3. Angela Emerson, in Creating a Culture of Giving, challenges us to imagine what it might look like if our congregations “grounded their sense of self-worth, accomplishment,” by the way we practice stewardship. She also outlines the importance of creating a stewardship statement.

4. For many, one of the most difficult parts of fundraising is asking other people to give. In What’s Your Giving Style?, Anne Ditzler provides insight into our fears of asking others for money. Reading this post may help you feel more confident the next time you’re asked to serve on the stewardship committee.

5. In Flourishing in Faith: Celebrating the Harvest, a webinar presented by Angela Emerson, discover ways to use bulletin inserts to engage your congregation in thoughtful reflection about the spiritual gift of generosity. Discussion includes enriching the "traditional" approach to a fall campaign, as well as new ways of thinking and talking about giving.