In the church, we have long assumed that personal finance is a skill acquired elsewhere. Like we expect people to be able to drive to church, mow their own lawns, and be supportive and contributing members of our congregational communities. The gospel, however, invites us to find those places where people are suffering or dying (sometimes literally) and bring good …
In his new book, God’s Internationalists: World Vision and the Age of Evangelical Humanitarianism, David P. King takes a case-in-point look at the humanitarian work of one non-governmental organization, World Vision. Though it springs from the evangelical family of Christianity, and though Dr. King focuses on a faith-based organization rather than a congregation, I think his work offers those of …
In case you missed it, in the previous post, Adam Copeland shared that he’s moving on from the Center for Stewardship Leaders in order to pursue a new vocation. It has been a great privilege to serve as editor for the Center for Stewardship Leaders newsletter the past four years. The ministry of stewardship leadership is an essential calling for …
Adam Walker Cleaveland on the stewardship of summertime.
Stewardship guru Keith Mundy reflects on some shifts he’s seen in recent years and what they mean for our ministry leadership.
Laura Wilhelm describes how her congregation’s context developed a local practice of having practically empty offering plates.
Beyond faith communities, the second most popular place for charitable giving is colleges and universities. Given that fact, this week I’ve invited a college friend of mine, Matt Fedde, to share his wisdom for our audience from his expertise working in digital giving at St. Olaf College. Most of his advice will translate easily to churches, though perhaps not all. …
Many assumptions accompany the way we do church. Some of these theological and cultural assumptions are helpful to tie us together. Others can push us apart. Further complicating things, they’re assumptions we’re often not even aware of in the first place. In today’s post, Grace Duddy Pomroy writes about an assumption many church leaders make about “giving units.” Or, more …
While we seek another way, the mindset of our culture is obsessed with winning and losing. Someone’s going to end up on top. Another party is defeated. Survival of the fittest. Yet, Christians seek another way, even when it’s so very hard. In today’s post, Robert Walker calls us to a new way of imagining stewardship. He includes a great …
The annual stewardship appeal ripples through many congregations in the fall, but the planning should begin much earlier. In today’s post, my colleague Catherine Malotky shares some of her congregation’s takeaways from last year’s campaign. It’s not too early — in fact, it’s the perfect time now — to start thinking about your approach to stewardship this fall. Yours truly, …
