in Vital Posts and filtered by Pastoral Care, Stewardship, Clergy Transition
By Ken Mosesian
Ken Mosesian takes stock of our new reality and encourages us as lay and clergy leaders to continue moving forward towards the light, creating virtual resources that will sustain our congregations until we can be physically together again.
By Sarah Townsend Leach
Sarah Leach contributes our latest blog. She wants the Episcopal Church to use the word “stewardship” the way the rest of the non-profit world uses it, not just to mean the solicitation of funds.
By Linda Buskirk
St. John’s of Grand Haven MI uses a personal approach to stewardship that has proved very effective and pleasant for its practitioners. Starting in the spring and continuing throughout the entire year, stewardship team members reach out individually to parishioners on their lists through personal notes. Giving to St. John’s has increased about 25% over the past five years.
By Linda Buskirk
Many faith communities are about to launch annual giving campaigns. Linda Buskirk suggests that thinking of the annual campaign as an invitation rather than an “ask” changes the dynamic and will help more people give.
By Lisa G. Fischbeck
Truth be told, it’s possible to participate in the Sunday morning exchange of greetings and coffee hour fellowship, even the occasional potluck suppers, without ever going deep enough into a conversation with someone to know if they are struggling to give care to a family member or have declined into dementia themselves.
By Linda Buskirk
Are you wishing for better results for your congregation’s annual stewardship campaigns? Perhaps it’s time to add intentional planning, starting right now, to make your wish come true.
By Greg Syler
In this hyper-digital, connected-but-disconnected day and age, the church that finds a way to connect people to people so that everyone has someone to walk with them and represent Christ will not only be counter-cultural but blessed by God.
By Jeannette McDonald
It’s that time of year when we are making decisions about how much we give to our church.
By Richelle Thompson
When I store the decorations for another year, I’m always faced with a dilemma: What should I do with the Christmas cards? It’s the one time of year that folks send a snail mail card, and even if most have a simple signature, they are still a tangible connection to a longtime friend, a faraway relative, neighbors, and fellow parishioners.
By Linda Buskirk
The issue of whether to publicly thank donors, by name, depends on the culture of each faith community.