Stewardship

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Stewardship for a Thriving Church
Special thanks to Money Matters Financial
Freedom for all Gods Churches from Ginghamsburg
UMC (Abingdon Press)
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What Seekers Seek
Bold Visions
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What Seekers Seek
Spiritual Guides
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What Seekers Seek
Beneficial Results
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What Seekers Seek
Under 45
Boomers
Over 60

• Bold Vision
• Spiritual Guides
• Mission Impact

• Great Pastor
• Good Programs
• Comfortable Style

• Heritage
• Preaching and Bible Study
• Sound Administration

In the Box Out of the Box Beyond the Box

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How People Give
Over 45
Under 45

• Sense of Duty
• To Proven Institutions
• Called by Authoritative Leaders
• Accountable to Conscience
• Percentage Giving

• Personal Fulfillment
• To Get Visible Results
• Mentored by Experienced Leaders
• Accountable to Peer Groups
• Changing Lifestyles

Mission as Second Mile Giving
Operations as Second Mile Giving
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Philosophy of Life

• Placing your hope literally in God
• 1 Timothy 617-19
• God is the rightful owner we are entrusted with
  a portion
• Matthew 2519-23
• Surrender all that you have and lead a
  disciplined life of mission
• Luke 1214-21

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Philosophy of Stewardship
Over 45
Under 45

• Learn from Preacher
• Require Personal Visit at home
• Give to a single budget
• Save a tax receipt
• Lead a balanced life

• Imitate the Leadership
• Require Personal Coaching about finance
• Give to multiple heartburst
• Spend a tax refund
• Take extreme measures

Mission as Second Mile Giving
Operations as Second Mile Giving
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Re-Shaping Lifestyle
Give away more than you take in

• Eliminate personal debt especially credit card
  debt
• Form strategic partnerships with other faithful,
  but differently gifted people
• Invest wisely to grow Gods mission

aligning yourself with Gods purpose of
redemption
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Year-Round Stewardship Strategy
Faithful investment of Gods assets
Preach ...

• To the heart of the matter Lives aligned to
  Gods Purpose
• To the felt need for freedom Lives liberated
  from lenders and masters
• To the opportunity for mission Lives called to
  bless others
• To the discipline of lifestyle Lives shaped
  around Gods word

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Year-Round Stewardship Strategy
Faithful investment of Gods assets
Model ...

• Real trust means knowing what leaders and members
  give
• The pastor is the first to be transparent
• The staff and the board set the standard and pace
  for generosity

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Year-Round Stewardship Strategy
Faithful investment of Gods assets
Model ...

• Four Marks of Discipleship
• Regular participation in worship
• Continuing connection with small group
• Investing gifts and calling in beneficial service
• The financial plan and timeline for spiritual
  growth

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Year-Round Stewardship Strategy
Faithful investment of Gods assets
Financial Campaigns

• Understand the Demographics
• November Campaign (45, people with church
  experience)
• Before Thanksgiving
• Every Member Visitation
• At Home Visits
• Sharing the Joy and the Operating Budget
• Tax Receipts

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Year-Round Stewardship Strategy
Faithful investment of Gods assets
Financial Campaigns

• Understand the Demographics
• Spring Campaign (under 45, seekers with no
  church)
• Late April or May
• Peer Financial Counseling
• Neutral Territory
• Sharing the joy and the mission options
• Tax Refunds

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Year-Round Stewardship Strategy
Faithful investment of Gods assets
Seminars and Classes

• Small Groups
• Debt Freedom Class 4-6 week Bible Study
• How to make faithful debt decisions
• Mission Investment Seminars 3-4 couples
• How to develop a mission portfolio

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Year-Round Stewardship Strategy
Faithful investment of Gods assets
Mission Mover Fellowships

• Leaders Lead
• Twice a year dinners for the biggest givers
• Mission Results, Emerging Opportunities and
  Obstacles
• Angels of Generosity
• Anonymous givers pre-approving readiness to walk
  a second mile

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Year-Round Stewardship Strategy
Faithful investment of Gods assets
Ongoing Worship

• Leaders Lead
• Highlight Mission Volunteers
• Prayer for individual staff and volunteer
  leaders
• Image and Story-Telling involving your own people
  in mission

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Year-Round Stewardship Strategy
Faithful investment of Gods assets
Congregational Policy

• Never give money without small group volunteers
• Regularly evaluate budget lines for mission
  alignment
• Name the expectation for staff, board, and
  volunteer leaders
• Set the budget after the November campaign never
  set a budget and ask people to support it
• Give to a vision then decide the program
• Always set a budget 20-30 higher than pledges

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Year-Round Stewardship Strategy
Faithful investment of Gods assets
Congregational Policy

• The need for every-member visits goes down as
  the number of tithers goes up
• Always issue periodic mission challenges to the
  members
• (eg. Give half what we spent on ourselves last
  Christmas to strangers to grace this
  year)
• Mission-driven debt grows a healthy church
• (Debt maintenance never exceeds 20-23 of budget)

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Model Stewardship Campaign
Traditional churches revitalizes inactive people
God's Guarantee

• Bring in the full tithes into the storehouse I
  will poir down for you an overflowing blessing
  (Malachi 331)
• 10 of my income for 90 days
• If it imposes hardship on my family, or I have
  not seen any blessing, my tithe will be returned
  or readjusted to a pledge

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Model Stewardship Campaign
Traditional churches revitalizes inactive people

• Focus on tithing or intentional coaching to
  increase giving
• Lead up to the campaign over 30-40 days of prayer
• Target membership segments with challenges
• Encourage tithers
• 33 of givers over 2,000 become tithers
• 1 of givers over 1,000 become tithers
• Givers over 500 raise their gift 25
• Givers below 500 raise their gift 25
• Small Group Gatherings for people under 45
• Large banquet two weeks before Consecration Sunday

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Model Stewardship Campaign
90 days before Consecration Sunday

• Select the dates for small groups, banquets,
  Sunday Celebration
• Refocus and proclaim the Core Message of the
  church
• Prepare articles and personal testimonies
• Develop 4-5 sermons
• Prepare mailings and handouts

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Model Stewardship Campaign
60 days before Consecration Sunday

• Send invitations to small groups and banquet
• Confirm leadership responsibilities (hosts,
  speakers, etc)
• Multiply posters, newsletters, testimonials

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Model Stewardship Campaign
40 days before Consecration Sunday

• Preaching Series
• We have left everything and followed you!
• Fear not! The food will not fail!
• Where your treasure is, there will your heart be
  also
• Faithful over a little trusted with a lot!
• Called according to Gods purpose!

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Model Stewardship Campaign
40 days before Consecration Sunday

• Small Group Gatherings
• Tithers focus on spiritual life
• Givers over 2000 focus on strategic plan
• Givers over 1,000 focus on key leverage points
• Givers over 500 focus on education and faith
  formation
• Givers under 500 focus on big, bold vision

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Model Stewardship Campaign
40 days before Consecration Sunday

• Banquet
• Clarity of mission
• Foundation of Trust
• Opportunities and Obstacles
• Advanced Giving
• Thanksgiving

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Consecration Sunday

• Pledges
• Praise
• Mission Stories
• Commissioning

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Afterwards ...

• Set the budget 20-30 higher than pledges
• Plan 3 large special offerings each year
• Send reminders and monthly statements
• Sent mission updates and mission results
• Diversify options for giving
• Challenge the leaders
• Never print a deficit

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The Keys

• Giving arises from Spiritual Growth
• Members follow the leaders in giving
• Incrementally move toward tithing
• Always lead fund raising with vision and mission
• Mission reach always exceeds financial grasp
• Plan ahead, train visitors, provide options
• Credibility is more important than budgets
• Courage is more important than office

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Big Visions and Spiritual Leaders
draw out financial commitment and volunteer
energy