Wednesday, November 14, 2018
In many churches, the conversation around money and giving relies heavily on the vocabulary of stewardship and tithing. Stewardship and tithing are, of course, important elements of a biblical theology of giving. But unfortunately, beyond a small audience of church insiders, few people today grasp the deeper meaning of these terms, which are grounded in antiquity. And too often they are heard as thinly veiled euphemisms for church fundraising or finger-wagging legalisms — in part because that’s the way we have allowed them to be used.
I don’t want to diminish our responsibility as stewards nor detract from the challenge of tithing, but how much more inspiring it is when we see these things as part of the larger call to partner, through our generosity, in God’s work in the world.
I have found the vocabulary of gratitude and generosity to be a more gracious and inviting way to talk about giving and one that is equally faithful and biblical. I’m not suggesting that we abandon the concepts of stewardship and tithing. But I think they belong under the umbrella of a larger theological construct — the generosity of God. The good news is, our faith tells a wonderful, hopeful, inspiring story of a generous God who calls us to be generous. And it gives us a simple, relatable language for talking about the importance of giving.
Generous God, generous people
The whole testimony of scripture is a witness to the generosity of God. God’s acts in creating the world, calling forth a people, forging a covenant, sending a savior, and empowering the church are all acts of divine generosity. But it doesn’t take a biblical scholar to know that our God is a giving God because people experience God’s generosity. They know the wondrous gifts of creation, of life itself, of the material bounty of the earth, and of the spiritual gifts of love, grace, and forgiveness. And I sense that this feeling of awe and gratitude is a natural religious impulse for many people. The simple foundational belief that God has given to us and in gratitude we give back to God and others is at the core of a sound theology of giving.
I once read about a children’s stewardship program that had all the toddlers wearing placards that said, “I’m a steward.” Somehow, I had a hard time imagining that a preschooler could really understand what it means to be a steward. But if a toddler has every tried to cram a soggy Cheerio into your mouth, you know that even babies are wired for generosity. And that’s because we are created in the image of our generous God. Greed and sin can distort that image. But at our core, generosity is part of our spiritual inheritance, which is why generosity makes us feel so good. Even science says that’s true. See 9 Ways Generosity Leads to Healthier and More Purposeful Living.
Generosity as an instrument of abundance
Once we understand the generous nature of God and our call to participate in God’s generosity, so many other parts of our faith story come into clearer focus. In John’s telling of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, we see that the miraculous abundance begins with a boy who was willing to share his lunch. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we notice that the lavish generosity bestowed by the father upon his returning son is an instrument of mercy and forgiveness. When we read the Parable of the Great Banquet, we understand that God throws open the doors of the Kingdom to all who lurk in the byways and highways of life just as the banquet host extends generosity to the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.
Generosity is an instrument of God’s reconciliation and inclusion. Because generosity is God’s antidote to the greed and hoarding that lead to scarcity, it is the means by which God brings forth the abundant life that Jesus promises. Generosity is no less than the means by which God ushers in the Kingdom.
Partnering in the generosity of God
And the most exciting thing of all is that God invites us to partner in this miracle of redemption by inviting us to be generous as God is generous. It’s more than a fundraising plan for the church, it is an invitation to take part in God’s transformation of the world.
To speak of being partners in God’s mission of generosity is, of course, just another way to speak of being stewards in its truest sense — to be people of faith who acknowledge God’s sovereignty in all that we do and to understand that God wants us to use what has been entrusted to us to serve God’s purposes. I don’t want to diminish our responsibility as stewards nor detract from the challenge of tithing. These are part of the generous life to which God calls us. But how much more inspiring it is when we see these things as part of the larger call to partner, through our generosity, in God’s work in the world.
Download a PDF of this article to print and share with others.Related Resources:
Theology of Stewardship and Biblical Generosity Video Tool Kit
Optimizing Annual Financial Campaigns Video Tool Kit
7 Key Questions for Fundraising with Spiritual Integrity by Ann A. Michel
Funding Generosity Giving Stewardship
About Author"
Read more now.
Episode 22
How can white Christians talk faithfully about racism? In this episode Carolyn Helsel discusses her book, Anxious to Talk about It, with Lewis Center Associate Director Ann Michel.
Listen now.
Want to know the best practices of a healthy church? Here’s one: healthy churches communicate well. They recognize it is almost impossible to communicate too much. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? If it’s so simple, why don’t more congregations do it well? One reason is that they fail to see that communication is more than making announcements or designing a Facebook page. In fact, it is more than any one task. It is a core process with many related components. The full process includes:
Communication specialists estimate that it takes telling a message 16 times for the information to spread throughout an organization. That number may seem like overkill, but it rarely is.
1. Quality of decisions
A good communication process begins before there is anything to announce. This fact is particularly true when communication includes information about a change or something new. Church initiatives and changes almost always derive from a decision. Quality decisions include as many people as possible in the development stage. They are collaborative.
You may wonder how joint decisions play a part in effective communication. The more people you include in developing a decision, the more people you have who can inform others about the decision. Whether you are deciding on a new ministry, a change in an existing schedule, or a policy revision, you should invite people to work with church leaders. By doing so, you enlist a wider group of informed advocates who can speak about the decision and answer questions asked by people you might never encounter. Participant buy-in will lead to some of the most effective communication possible.
2. Quantity of messages
Communication specialists estimate that it takes telling a message 16 times for the information to spread throughout an organization. That number may seem like overkill, but it rarely is. The larger your church, the more you should consider 16 times as a bare minimum.
Today, people get their news from a variety of sources: Twitter, TV, websites, etc. In the same way, church members get their information about congregational life in many ways. Therefore, effective church communication is multi-channel: Facebook page, Twitter, newsletter, group texts, website, and targeting small group leaders who can help disseminate information. Simply making 16 announcements on Sunday morning will not get the message to everyone. By increasing the number of communication channels, you improve the likelihood of reaching more people.
A corollary of this principle is the need for appropriate lead time to get information spread throughout a congregation. It’s difficult to communicate important matters 16 times in a week. If you have information vital to a decision, a new ministry, or a schedule change, it’s better to delay a target date to allow time to communicate thoroughly than it is to abbreviate communication to meet a deadline. Start early enough to give your message time to permeate the church family.
3. Clear and accurate information
Accurate facts and clear information are basic components of healthy communication. The more channels you use to disseminate information, the harder it is to keep facts accurate across them all. One person may be responsible for posting an event to Facebook, while another develops the newsletter. A third sends out an email blast. We increase the chance for factual mistakes every time we add a person to the list of those responsible for getting the word out. The process of checking and rechecking times and locations is as mundane as it is important. Facts must be accurate. Changing the time of a meeting or event may not seem like a significant issue to you, but it may be to individuals who are embarrassed when they arrived late because they received inaccurate communication.
4. Consistent practices
The next component of healthy communication is the alignment of what we do with what we say. If you don’t see this consistency as important to communication, consider an incident involving my mother-in-law years ago. She attended a church meeting where the members voted to spend money on resurfacing the parking lot. When she left the meeting, she realized the parking lot had already been resurfaced. You may think this is not a communication problem, but the message she “heard” was that the congregation’s decision didn’t matter. Policies that are unequally applied, procedures that are ignored, and information provided to a few — all these carry damaging unspoken messages that undermine relationships and trust.
All these components are parts of the same process. They are interrelated and require constant coordination. Staff meetings and calendar checks bore most ministers. I can’t imagine that any person who felt the call to ministry would have anticipated spending hours each week in such dull and ordinary tasks. There is a way however to view paying attention to these components of the communication process as a higher calling. Try seeing them as a part of congregational care. Every time you practice effective communication you are safeguarding the congregation from conflict and self-inflicted injuries.
This article originally appeared in the electronic newsletter of the Center for Healthy Churches. Used by permission.
Related Resources:
3 Common Communication Mistakes and How to Fix Them by Ryan Holck
Congregations as Political Systems by David R. Brubaker
How to Communicate Change by Karen Shay-Kubiak
Communication Leadership Lessons for Leaders
About Author
Read more now.
The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
So often ongoing activities go unquestioned while new possibilities are not explored. Francesca Gino reports on one organization that has days devoted to questions that challenge assumptions and provoke new ideas. The questions used related to their purpose and endeavors are:
Why?
What if?
How might we?
Want more Right Questions? Read Right Questions for Church Leaders.
Designed to nurture the spiritual discipline of giving, Theology of Stewardship and Biblical Generosity may be used in a variety of Christian education settings or in conjunction with an annual stewardship emphasis. This video tool kit is ecumenical and may be used for self-study or with groups. Featured topics: Stewardship 101; What the Bible Teaches about Giving; A Christian Understanding of Money, Possessions, and Generosity; Biblical Generosity; and Faith and Generosity.
Learn more and watch an introductory video now.
Moving Faith Communities Forward is a dialogue about race in America. It may be used to help your church bring people together to talk about moving forward bravely and boldly in the name of Christ. The resource is divided into four 15-minute videos which may be used in one or more sessions. Moving Faith Communities Forward is sponsored by the Institute for Community Engagement at Wesley Theological Seminary.
Watch now.
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Leading Ideas is made possible by contributions to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership from readers like you. Thank you.
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Jesus said, "Let the children come to me." Read 50 Ways to Strengthen Ministry with Children and learn how your church can demonstrate its love for children and its desire to connect with younger families through effective ministry for and with children.
Honor the spiritually of children
1. Regularly lift up children as persons of worth with a unique place in God’s Kingdom. Scripture teaches that adults should be like children, not that children should be like adults.
2. Understand children as participants in ministry, not objects of ministry.
3. Teach children to pray. Encourage them to share joys and concerns, participate in prayer chains, and have prayer partners. Have children write devotionals for use at home or in corporate worship.
Demonstrate your congregation’s love and respect for children
4. Don’t guess at children’s needs. Listen to children. Solicit input and feedback from children themselves, not just parents and adults leaders.
5. Give children real responsibilities.
6. Showcase children’s artwork. Hang framed photos of children throughout your building.
7. Advocate for children. Hold a children’s Sabbath service that highlights issues concerning children.
8. Celebrate the arrival of new babies.
Welcome children in worship and involve them actively
9. Always have a creatively presented children’s sermon.
10. Include at least one hymn every Sunday that children love and can sing with the congregation.
11. Have children serve alongside their parents as greeters and ushers.
12. Invite children to assist in worship.
13. Design a special weekly service for children or children and families.
14. Give small children entering worship a small activity packet with crayons, pipe cleaners, and other items.
15. Have a cry room.
16. Print a booklet for parents to use in explaining elements of worship to their children.
17. Designate special times for children and their families to visit the sanctuary to ask questions and learn the stories behind symbols and stained glass windows.
18. Plan special communion services for parents and children to make them comfortable with the ritual. Have “love feasts” in Sunday School classes.
Support families and parents
19. Make your space child friendly. Nursery and classrooms should be clean, safe, sanitary and visually appealing to children and their parents.
20. Give pagers to parents who leave children in the nursery.
21. Host seminars on parenting. Have a Sunday morning class focused on family concerns.
22. Sponsor a parent’s night out or morning out.
23. Provide childcare for all church events. Don’t just warehouse kids. Make it fun and enriching.
24. Give gifts to expectant moms. Offer a support group for new parents.
25. Have an annual family retreat or camping trip.
Strive for excellence in Christian Education
26. In a congregation with more than one worship time, strive to offer Sunday School in conjunction with all services, including evening or weeknight services.
27. Revitalize a tired Sunday School program by adopting a more creative and interactive curriculum. Incorporate music and drama into Christian education.
28. Provide early Christian education to infants and toddlers. Explore programs that use special classroom settings, songs, sounds, stories, finger play, and toys to teach even the youngest children about God’s love.
29. Encourage teaching teams of adults who rotate classroom responsibilities. This strengthens involvement, improves morale, decreases burn-out, and improves the quality of teaching.
30. Hold a training event for teachers at least once a year. Be sure to emphasize the teachers’ spiritual growth and development as well as teaching strategies.
31. Communicate regularly with your teachers. Consider gathering them just very briefly at the conclusion of each Sunday School hour to ask “How is it going?”
32. Formally recognize and thank teachers each year.
33. Work to develop a sense of ownership for children’s Christian education within the congregation as a whole.
34. Involve adults who can’t take on teaching in other volunteer roles.
35. Pair an adult class or group with each children’s class to forge intergenerational bonds. The adults can provide support and encouragement and help with special activities.
36. Perform required background checks for volunteers and staff working with children. Implement policies and procedures to prevent child abuse.
Plan effective special events for children
36. Have special children’s events throughout the year, for example, a Noah’s ark costume party, movie nights, seasonal events, etc.
37. Hold a yearly vacation Bible school. Explore alternative formats such as a one-day VBS, an evening VBS, or a cooperative VBS with other churches. Or hold VBS at a different time of year, such as a mini-VBS during spring vacation.
38. Have a fellowship group for 4th and 5th graders paving the way to youth fellowship.
Reach children and families beyond your church
39. Request that parents presenting their children for baptism meet at least twice with the pastor to consider the significance of the sacrament. Form groups for parents whose infants or children are being baptized.
40. Give ten nicely printed invitations to the baptismal family so they can invite their friends.
41. Use a preschool, day school, or after-school program to build your children’s ministry. Appoint a chaplain. Invite, but don’t pressure, kids and parents to take part in church activities. Look for opportunities to build personal relationships with the families.
42. Use VBS as a way to reach out to new families. Follow up with them afterwards, even if it’s something as simple as sending a birthday card to the child.
43. Have an outdoor carnival for children in the spring or the fall. A fair can help neighbors know the church is there for them and foster acquaintances.
44. Rather than waiting for kids to come to church, take ministry to where kids already are. To attract unchurched kids, consider locating activities in a store front, park, or recreational center. Organize a VBS in an apartment complex or housing development.
45. Adopt an elementary school.
46. Develop a tutoring or mentoring ministry.
Involve children in mission
47. Have each Sunday School class choose a mission project to support on an ongoing basis. Include a mission project as part of VBS.
48. Have a mission day camp or a day-long mini-retreat for children with service-learning activities.
49. Connect kids with the church’s overall missional efforts. For example, have them help support Volunteers in Mission trips or other ongoing service activities.
50. Teach stewardship to children. Involve children in deciding how their offerings will be used. Designate a special project for their support and lift up their stewardship regularly in worship.
Download a PDF of this page to share with others.
Learn How to Partner with Your Local SchoolsOur local schools provide many opportunities for mission within our own neighborhoods, and increasing numbers of churches support their local schools through ministries large and small. If your congregation is considering a school-focused initiative, check out our Engaging Local Schools Tool Kit. Learn more and watch introductory videos now.
50 Ways Back-to-School Children Reach New Disciples
The Lewis Center staff has assembled and edited this material.
Read now and download free.
Quotable Leadership
Brilliance ... is not required of the ministry, but integrity is.(May Sarton)
Learn to Improve the Design of Your Church Communications
Are you sabotaging the first impression of your church with your signage, bulletins, emails, and other communication materials? Watch this free video from MyCom Tips e-newsletter to learn why it's more than just aesthetics.
Watch now.
50 Ways Back-to-School Children Reach New Disciples
About Author
Read now and download free.
Quotable Leadership
Brilliance ... is not required of the ministry, but integrity is.(May Sarton)
Are you sabotaging the first impression of your church with your signage, bulletins, emails, and other communication materials? Watch this free video from MyCom Tips e-newsletter to learn why it's more than just aesthetics.
Watch now.
Editor: Dr. Ann A. Michel
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