Transforming Stewardship

Transforming Stewardship
For most Episcopalians, stewardship is synonymous with pledge drives, budgets, and capital campaigns, but the Bible is clear that God wants more than our tithes and offerings. Looking to its scriptural roots in 1 Chronicles, Luke-Acts, and the letters of Paul, as well as St. Francis’ “third way,” a vision of holistic stewardship for the whole church, holistic because it can’t be separated from evangelism, outreach, scripture study, and ministry to the newcomer. It does not involve strong-arm tactics, only a willingness to risk changing existing structures and ideas in order to enrich the faith community and strengthen connections to the neighboring world.

Adapted from "CK Robertson"

Transforming Stewardship combines the tools of hospitality, finding a place in the parish community where an individual can comfortably be involved, as well as provide opportunities for spiritual direction and renewal so an individual can supported in the relationship they have or want to have with God.

Episcopal churches spend most of the fall trying to raise money to support the budget for the following year. Even if the church leaders say, "stewardship is not about money" most people know that raising money is what the fall stewardship campaign is all about. I am sure that most members of the community asked themselves "what are the expectations" "Can I afford it? Is this church worth my investment?" When you talk money, then most people make decisions based how much money they have, and what they can afford to give.

When people hear the word "stewardship", all too often we hear the word and think immediately of fall pledges for the church. Indeed, for many Episcopalians, October or November can feel like another April 15th! "Tax Time" Stewardship. Stewardship is much more than "paying church taxes" or "meeting a budget." It is all about relationships. it is our relationship with ourselves, and the "right use" of the gifts we have received. It is with our relationship with others, using your gifts of Time, Talent, and Treasure, that keeps the parish going with ministries that help ourselves as well as others. And finally, it is all about our relationship with God, who helps along with our own spiritual journey doing the work, that God wants us to do.

The heart of transforming stewardship is the movement of basing the concept of Stewardship for asking for money, to one of an "appreciation for joyful giving".

a vision of holistic stewardship for the whole church, holistic because it can’t be separated from evangelism, outreach, scripture study, and ministry to the newcomer.

In this holistic approach to Stewardship, it is not about asking for the money, but for providing a intentional spiritual journey that begins when a newcomer drives into your parking lot to their final step of becoming transformed in the relationship with God by fully understanding and making use of their time, talent, and treasure.

Connect, Grow, Transform

If you want to have a successful Stewardship Program in your parish, it needs to be built on two levels:

On the strategic level, the parish community needs to focus on building a community based on relationships; with God, with the parish community, and the relationship each person has with themselves and their family.
On the day to day basis in your parish community needs to Connect with newcomers to get them incorporated into you community; Grow, help members grow in their relationship with themselves, their community, and with God; which will lead to creating an environment of transformation. As a note, the "Act of Transformation" needs to be intentional. Yes for some members it happens on their own. But the trick here is for the church to create the environment to help more more of its members experience transformation.

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