Mission Shaped Stewardship

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Mission Shaped Stewardship

• Diocese of Colorado
• Colorado Episcopal Foundation
• 2008

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Becoming Mission Shaped

• Developing our capacity to nurture each other as
  stewards of all we have been given
• Listening and looking for examples in our
  community
• Seeing all resources/assets as gifts from God
• Growing into the image of God as abundant givers

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Made in the Image of God

• Overwhelmingly Generous
• Without Strings
• Sacrificial

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Short Survey

• Using a scale of 1 5 ( 1 low and 5
  high) rate your congregation on the following
• We talk often and openly about stewardship
• Our last annual campaign was successful
• We have the resources in hand to actualize our
  mission and ministry
• We meet the canonical giving standards
• Newcomers know our giving expectations

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Getting to Transformation

• How does our vestrys approach to stewardship
• Teaching
• Witnessing
• Nurturing
• Other
• lead to transformation?
• In relationship with God
• With others
• Deeper understanding of using gifts and assets

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Talking About Stewardship

• How Do We Talk About Stewardship?
• Its More Than Money
• Central Issue of Faith
• Money Matters
• Covenant / Agreement

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Vestry Stewardship
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Nurturing Stewardship

• Understand why people give
• Provide full range of giving opportunities
• Manage all resources for mission a response to
  Gods call
• Money Assets
• Relationship Assets
• Property Assets
• Staff time and talent assets
• Parishioner time and talent assets

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Practicing the Holy Habits of Stewardship
Tithing Giving out of the recognition that all
we have and all that we are comes from God
Participation in Corporate Worship Honoring
our Baptismal Covenant to continue in the
apostles teaching and fellowship, in the
breaking of bread, and in the prayers.
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Practicing the Holy Habits of
Stewardship
Personal Prayer and Study Cultivating intimacy
with God through a disciplined and intentional
prayer and study life.
Sabbath Time in Our Lives Maintaining balance
in the busy-ness of life and setting aside time
for reflection and renewal.
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Mission Inspired Stewardship

• Inspired by Stories of Gods Mission
• Map Our Parish Assets
• Mission Shaped Budgeting and Narrative Budgets

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Awakening to Gods Mission

• It is not the Church of God that has a mission
  in the world, but the God of mission who has a
  Church in the world.
• Tim Dearborn
• Mission is finding out what God is doing and
  joining in.
• Archbishop Rowan Williams

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Joining in What God is Doing

• Steps Include
• Discerning What God is Doing
• Identify Ways to Participate in Gods Mission
• Create Action Steps
• Resource What God is Doing

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Stories of Trusting Gods Mission

• Epiphany, Denver
• Your congregations story

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Church of the Epiphany, Denver

• Responding to a request to help a young Sudanese
  refugee led to a revitalized parish
• Embracing the changing demographics in the area,
  this once declining congregation is now alive
  with new families. Worshippers are white, brown
  and black, all standing side-by-side and greeting
  each other warmly and creating a new community.

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Changes in Local Context

• Congregation experienced ups and downs
• New rector responsive to refugee needs
• Period of adjustment and renewed energy
• New families coming to Epiphany have interest in
  justice and refugee ministries
• Sunday School grew from 4 24 children
• New music, languages and growing in faith
  together

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Epiphany Open to Transformation
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What is your story?

• Describe your community and local context
• Inventory your gifts and assets

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Using Asset Mapping

• Asset Mapping has been used in many settings to
  creatively accomplish tasks, programs, and
  mission. It is a tool to expand awareness for
  stewardship in congregations as well as
  accomplish mission objectives.
• Begin with discernment of parish mission
  objectives.

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Asset Mapping Questions for
Congregations

• Physical Assets
• Individuals Assets
• Associations
• Institutions
• Economic
• Dig deeper
• Think bigger

• Bldgs, natural resources
• Knowledge, talent, skills
• Groups we are part of
• Partners, represented
• What we spend on
• What do take for granted
• Outside the parish

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Resourcing Mission is More than
Money

• It includes all our assets
• People
• Talent
• Skills
• Relationships
• Time

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Discovering Assets

• Begin with Mission Goal or Objective
• Pray
• Action Statement We are called to_____
• Small Groups Name assets of group members (use
  handout Asset Mapping Questions))

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Creatively Use Resources/Gifts/Assets

• Pray ask for Gods creative Spirit
• Assemble assets to accomplish mission objective
• Title your asset arrangement and post
• Explain your idea to the large group
• After all are posted, pray, all vote with
  feet/passion to idea that suits them best

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Take Action

• Gather around posted assets
• Those with interest become the task force to
  accomplish the mission objective
• If no one stands by an idea, it is not done
• Budget should support mission objectives

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Mission Shaped Budgeting

• Structure budget according to mission objectives
• Fixed operating costs contribute to mission (see
  sample budget)
• Mission initiatives highlighted and funded

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Narrative Budget

• Along with financial numbers describe
• Stories of what God is doing in the world around
  us
• Mission initiatives and why they are important
• How people are impacted by and for the Gospel
• Assets beyond money being tapped to accomplish
  mission objectives

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Using Our Money Now to Make Love Work
...I feel compelled to use whatever money I can
afford to make love work, to bring truth into
being, to allow generosity and compassion to
flourish. This is more than altruistic. It is
necessary to be fully alive. . . . If the love
we have is not brought to life out here in the
world, we risk saving for a future that may never
come... Mark Nepo, from The Book of
Awakening

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Stewardship Leadership Enables

• The opportunity to live life in abundance
• The opportunity to build relationships
• The opportunity to strengthen community
• The opportunity to strengthen the faith of
  individuals