05 Stewardship TECv1960edae80ede29bddbb5-56ca5cf966b0e517ab3b7387019e2425.r21.… · Stewardship is often associated with the practice of tithing which was a clear and unambiguous

CHRISTIAN ESSENTIALS Stewardship Copyright © 2019 (TECv1) Christ Church Charlotte, NC

1

Stewardship


2

Stewardship: Stewardship is living into the deep truth of God’s grace and generosity, and responding with our gifts, resources, and talents.

You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. Deuteronomy 8:17-181

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

MATTHEW 6:19-212


3

LEARN AT HOME

STEWARDSHIP NARRATIVE Stewardship is a conscious expression of gratitude for the blessings and gifts that God has put before us, recognizing that all we "own" actually belongs to God. These gifts include our economic resources, our time, and our talents. How we recognize, honor, and share these gifts will determine what kind of stewards we are and can become. Any inventory of the blessings would generate an exhaustive list and would be overwhelming for most. The gifts at our disposal also include things that we are given, such as the people in our lives, time, and the very earth we call home. Stewardship is often associated with the practice of tithing which was a clear and unambiguous command Moses delivered to the Jews in the wilderness. In Leviticus and Numbers, as the Jewish refugees were building rules and norms around communal life, away from Egypt, the tithe was a reminder to Israel of God’s provision. In Leviticus 29:30, God told Moses that the tithe of the land included seeds, fruits, herds, and flocks – the entire currency which was decreed to be Holy to the Lord. The initial Christian understanding of stewardship, born from Jewish ancestry, went much further in its expectation of generosity. Jesus did not speak in a language of laws and specific formulas, but rather in one of grand challenges, always centered on loving God and neighbor. In Mark 10:17- 22, we hear the story of a rich young man who approached Jesus, calling him Good Teacher, sincerely desiring to know what to do to inherit eternal life. When the young man learned that he must sell all he had and follow Jesus, his countenance fell and he went away sorrowful. Maybe a tithe would have been manageable, but all he had? This is a hard teaching, uncomfortable for those who live with some degree of affluence, and it does not stand alone. There are many New Testament passages where Jesus condemns attachment to material resources. He tells us repeatedly, in different ways, that we must forfeit our material possessions to fulfill the promise of the Kingdom of God. In Matthew 25:34-40, Jesus speaks of this when he describes being hungry, thirsty, disoriented, naked, sick, and imprisoned and how a response to the needs of anyone, even the least of all, is service to God.

(continued)


4

As the early Christian community developed and the ideal that Jesus had described in Matthew 25 came to fruition, members took care of one another, self-interests were subordinate to the communal good, and generosity was a way of life. Outsiders were welcomed without reservation. Acts 2: 44-47 tells us “all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day-by-day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. As a result we learn the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being restored.” Walter Bruggemann, for The Christian Century Foundation, writes "in 2 Corinthians 8, Paul directs a new stewardship campaign for the early church and presents Jesus as the new economist. Though Jesus was rich, Paul says, 'yet for your sake he became poor, that by his poverty you might become rich.' We say it takes money to make money. Paul says it takes poverty to produce abundance. Jesus gave himself to enrich others, and we should do the same." The Biblical models are consistent in the challenge to look seriously at how we accumulate resources to take care of our needs and desires, how we use them to respect and care for the needs and desires of others, how we become caretakers of what has been entrusted to us, and how we address legacy issues of what we create and what we destroy, constantly reminding ourselves that stewardship is a conscious expression of gratitude for the blessings and gifts that God has put before us and recognizing that all we have belongs to God.

NOTES:


5

LEARN AT HOME

TERMINOLOGY ALMS – an “offering” of money and other gifts collected and presented at the Eucharist intended to express Christian charity for the needs of the church and the world. ANNUAL CAMPAIGN – also known as “Every Member Canvas”, a “Stewardship Campaign” or “Giving Campaign” occurs annually to seek financial commitments from parishioners to support and carry out the ministry and mission of the church. BUDGET – an estimate of income and expenses for a set period of time with designated categories. GENEROSITY – a way of living for God and others, not only for ourselves. To be generous is to give from your heart more of something than is necessary or expected. OFFERING – the gifts presented during a church service or gathering. During the offertory, prior to the Eucharistic prayer, representatives from the congregation bring the people’s offerings of bread and wine, and money or other gifts, to the celebrant. Offerings are made as an expression of faith and generosity and identify with Christ’s self-offering for our salvation. Offerings are sometimes referred to as “alms.”

OFFERTORY – an offering or collection of money and the offering of bread, wine, and alms at the Eucharist. PLANNED GIVING – the process of making a gift of resources during life, or at death, as part of a financial or estate plan. It encompasses a variety of ways to create a gift to the church using accumulated resources. Planned Giving is for anyone concerned with the wise and continued use of his or her personal resources. PLEDGE – a commitment financial resource as an expression of faith and personal response to God’s generosity. Parishioners are encouraged to make and fulfill an annual stewardship pledge, which represents their specific Christian commitment to “work, pray, and give for the spread of the Kingdom of God.”3 TITHE – a tenth of a person’s income recommended to respond to God’s generosity. The first reference to a tithe in the Old Testament is the one Abraham vows to the priest-king Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20). The tithe existed during Biblical times and remains an appropriate commitment to responding to God’s generosity.

(continued)


6

TYPES OF GIVERS (4)

FIRST-TIME GIVER – an individual who makes a commitment and year-long financial pledge in writing.

CONSISTENT GIVER – an individual who acknowledges the church is an important part of his or her life and makes a pledge that promotes his or her spiritual growth.

SACRIFICAL GIVER – an individual who prays about his/her generosity journey and stretches to make an impactful financial commitment.

VISIONARY GIVER – an individual who gives 10% or more as an important part of living into his or her spiritual principles.

WAYS TO GIVE FINANCIALLY (4)

ANNUAL CAMPAIGN – the yearly stewardship campaign that encourages financial commitments from parishioners to support the day-to-day mission and ministry of the worshiping community. At most churches pledges are committed each fall to be fulfilled the following year.

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN – an organized long-term initiative that enhances the mission and ministry of a church and requires capital gifts to fund the project. Capital campaigns require capital pledges that are paid over a multi-year span.

GIFT OF THANKSGIVING – a gift given, separate from a pledge, in response to God’s generosity or a blessing. Gifts of Thanksgiving can be made in response to important life events: the birth of a child, marriage, a memorial, a bonus from work, or just for the purpose of giving thanks to God.

PLANNED GIFT – a designated gift of assets given to the Church, either during one’s life or at death, through a will or other legal or financial agreement. Legacy giving supports the ongoing mission of our spiritual home and can occur in the following ways: • Bequest in your Will – an outright gift made as a specific dollar amount or %. • Retirement Plan Gift – a gift naming church as beneficiary of IRA, 401K, 403b. • Gift of Life Insurance – a gift of the paid-up value naming church as beneficiary. • Gift of Real Estate – a gift of real property for the benefit of the church

through our partnership with The Foundation for the Carolinas. • Charitable Unitrust – a contract that pays income and retains remainder. • Charitable Annuity Trust – a trust that pays a fixed income for lifetime. • Charitable Lead Trust – a trust that pays fixed income to church and heirs

keep remainder.


7

SMALL GROUP

GATHER As participants gather, facilitators welcome participants and reflect on questions from last session and review individual practices from “Build it into your life.” Once all participants have arrived the group transitions.

CENTER Hold silence for 1 minute or more to allow participants and facilitators the opportunity to center, prepare, and focus on the Christian Essential Stewardship.

PRAY Read aloud by one member of the group.

Gracious God, You taught us to let our light shine. Help us to lead luminous lives of generosity: to pour love, praise and patience upon others; to give without expecting a return; to hold our treasures with open hands; to increase our joy by sharing it; to provide and care deeply for those in need, and to know that ultimately we only have what we give away. In the name of Christ, our one true light. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR GENERSOSITY, The Reverend Lisa Saunders


8

CHECK-IN

Check-in using one or more of the following: (20 minutes)

1. Share a response or question related to NARRATIVE or TERMINOLOGY. 2. Facilitators pick a DISCUSSION question from Page 10. 3. Is there anything you would like to share with the group that is on your heart or mind?

STEWARDSHIP VIDEO

Use the space below to capture thoughts, ideas, and questions provoked by the video.

NOTES:


9

SMALL GROUP

REFLECTIONS “We do not need to plan or devise a "world of the future"; if we take care of the world of the present, the future will have received full justice from us. A good future is implicit in the soils, forests, grasslands, marshes, deserts, mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans that we have now, and in the good things of human culture that we have now; the only valid "futurology" available to us is to take care of those things. We have no need to contrive and dabble at "the future of the human race"; we have the same pressing need that we have always had - to love, care for, and teach our children.”

- WENDELL BERRY, Feminism, the Body, and the Machine4

What extravagant generosity we experience at the Holy Eucharist. Like wine from the communion cup, God’s love flows through us to others and the world. Which means we (yes, us!) are the embodiment of God’s generosity. Consider this truth and how it is reflected in your life. Generosity is at the heart of our mission to love God, care for each other, and serve the world in the name of Christ. So how’s that working out for us? Wonderfully well in many, many ways. Yet there is a gap between what we’re doing and what is possible. It’s a giving gap, something gently pointed out by a generosity expert who spent time here with us last spring. He questioned whether we are more focused on simply meeting our annual operating budget than being an extraordinary force of God’s grace. Oh the things we could do, he said, if we put our hearts and minds and resources to it.

, THE REVEREND CHIP EDENS, Rector, Christ Church Charlotte

JOURNAL Choose one of the prompts below, journal your response, and share responses. (10 minutes)

In your own words, what does the word “stewardship” mean to you?

Who taught you about generosity?


10

SMALL GROUP

DISCUSSION Facilitators will select one or more for small group discussion. (25 minutes)

1. Share a thought or idea from the video, the reflections, or journal prompt.

2. Other than your family, what is the greatest gift you have ever received?

3. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Jesus was saying our money and love go together. Does this mean we need only look at our bank statement to see what we live for? Does your checkbook reflect your beliefs? Think of ten big purchases that you have made in the past year. Now mentally label them “provided by and belonging to God.” How might this change your approach to using God’s gifts?

4. Share a story about the most generous gift you have received or have given.


11

SMALL GROUP

BUILD AS A GROUP Facilitator will select and lead one of the practices to be experienced by the group. (20 min.)

1. GIFT & TALENT RESUME

Complete the Gift & Talent Resume on page 15 to explore your God-given talents and share your findings.

2. CORE VALUES & MONEY CHOICES

Complete the Core Values & Money Choices worksheet on page 16 and share your findings.

3. CREATE A MOCK STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN

Design a stewardship campaign as a group thinking through all the logistics: 1. Develop a theme, logo, and tag line. 2. Propose class titles, workshops, and tools to teach people about giving. 3. Create a Top 10 List of “What you need to know about Stewardship.” 4. How would you motivate people to give generously? 5. How would you engage the children and youth in the campaign?

4. TIME – TALENT – TREASURE

1. Label 3 different pieces of easel paper: Time, Talent, and Treasure. 2. Using sticky notes have each person write words, ideas, and actions associated with Time, Talent, and Treasure. 3. Review all the contributions as a group. 4. Each person now develops a personal “Time, Talent, and Treasure Mission Statement” stating what they believe about stewardship and generosity. 4. Share mission statements with the group.


12

BUILD IT

INTO YOUR LIFE Select one of the practices below to focus on in the coming week. Journal about your experience. _____ TITHING CHART

1. Review the Tithing Chart on page 17 and locate your current giving level. 2. Create a 1, 3, and 5-year plan for your giving level. 3. How might you reach your aspirational giving level?

_____ CREATE A FINANCIAL BUDGET

Create a personal budget listing all of your monthly expenses and income. Do your expenses exceed your income? How can you be a better steward with the resources God has entrusted to your care?

_____ GIVE AND RECEIVE LIST

Over the next week keep track of everything you 1) Give 2) Receive. At the end of the week see if your giving and receiving is balanced. How could you be more generous?

_____ GIVE IT UP

Choose one thing you regularly depend on that makes your life easier and give it up for one week. This Lenten-like practice can be an opportunity for you to give thanks to God for the abundance in your life. Journal about your practice and share your experience with a friend or family member.

_____ SHARE, SAVE, SPEND

Visit www.sharesavespend.com and learn how to align your priorities with your spending. Visit “Money Sanity U” and gain access to a comprehensive video and resource library to provide you with a roadmap for financial wellbeing.

_____ CREATE YOUR OWN PRACTICE _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________


13

CLOSING PRAYER Read aloud by one of the participants.

Almighty God, whose loving hand has given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor you with our lives, and remembering that one day we must give an account of our lives, so help us to be faithful stewards of your generosity, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR THE RIGHT USE OF GOD’S GIFTS,

Book of Common Prayer Pg. 827, Adapted


14

RESOURCES BOOKS: The Bible, New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) The Book of Common Prayer 1979 The Soul of Money, Lynne Twist Transformation Stewardship, C.K. Robertson One-Minute Stewardship Sermons, Charles Cloughen, Jr. From Scarcity to Abundance, David M. Ponting Fearless Major Gifts, Charles LaFond Feminism, the Body, and the Machine, Wendell Berry More Blessed to Give, John H. MacNaughton Money Sanity Solutions, Nathan Dungan ONLINE RESOURCES www.episcopalchurch.org The Episcopal Church www.christchurchcharlotte.org Christ Church Charlotte www.bcponline.org The Book of Common Prayer www.dionc.org The Diocese of North Carolina www.tens.org The Episcopal Network for Stewardship www.episcopalfoundation.org Episcopal Church Foundation www.endowedparishes.org Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes www.sharesavespend.com www.episcopalcafe.com www.mint.com www.christchurchcharlotte.org/faithforum Speaker Video: Nathan Dungan www.christchurchcharlotte.org/faithforum Speaker Video: Lynne Twist Resources compiled and recommended by parishioners. Christ Church does not endorse all the beliefs or statements held by authors or online resources provided above.


15

GIFT & TALENT RESUME Create a Talent Resume by completing the questions below and exploring the experience. Which questions were the most challenging to answer? What can you learn or take away from your Talent Resume?

1. I am good at: ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 2. Others tell me I am good at: _________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 3. I am creative when I am: ___________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 4. I am fulfilled when I am: ____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 5. I am most generous when: __________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 6. I am least generous when: __________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 7. Name a talent God has given you that you would like to use more regularly: _____ ________________________________________________________________ 8. Which ministry(s) at Christ Church could benefit from your talents? ___________ ________________________________________________________________


16

CORE VALUES & MONEY CHOICES A. List the 3 most important core values in your life. A value is a way of being or believing that you hold most important.

1. ________________________________ 2. ________________________________

3. ________________________________

B. List 10 things you have spent money on over the past 90 days starting with the most spent going down to the least spent. (Do not include amount). Use blanks in left column.

1. ________________________________ ________________________

2. ________________________________ ________________________

3. ________________________________ ________________________ 4. ________________________________ ________________________

5. ________________________________ ________________________ 6. ________________________________ ________________________

7. ________________________________ ________________________

8. ________________________________ ________________________ 9. ________________________________ ________________________

10. ________________________________ ________________________

C. How do your spending habits support your values? Next to each of the spending items listed above, write a corresponding value that represents your money choice. Use the blanks on the right column above. D. Using the information you’ve compiled, are there things you’ve spent money on that are not represented by one of your core values? How might your future money choices be impacted by this exercise? Are there things you could spend money on that support your values?


17

TITHING CHART

1. Locate your current giving level. 2. Create a 1, 3, and 5-year plan for your giving level. 3. What two things can you do to help reach your desired giving level?

1. ________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________

% of Household Income (Net) 12% 10% 7.5% 5% 2.5% 1%

Yearly Combined Income

Monthly Annual Monthly Annual Monthly Annual Monthly Annual Monthly Annual Monthly Annual

$ 25,000 250 3,000 208 2,500 156 1,875 104 1,250 52 625 21 250

$ 50,000 500 6,000 417 5,000 313 3,750 208 2,500 104 1,250 42 500

$ 75,000 750 9,000 625 7,500 469 5,625 313 3,750 156 1,875 63 750

$ 100,000 1,000 12,000 833 10,000 625 7,500 417 5,000 208 2,500 83 1,000

$ 125,000 1,250 15,000 1,042 12,500 781 9,375 521 6,250 260 3,125 104 1,250

$ 150,000 1,500 18,000 1,250 15,000 938 11,250 625 7,500 313 3,750 125 1,500

$ 175,000 1,750 21,000 1,458 17,500 1,094 13,125 729 8,750 365 4,375 146 1,750

$ 200,000 2,000 24,000 1,667 20,000 1,250 15,000 833 10,000 417 5,000 167 2,000

$ 250,000 2,500 30,000 2,083 25,000 1,563 18,750 1,042 12,500 521 6,250 208 2,500

$ 300,000 3,000 36,000 2,500 30,000 1,875 22,500 1,250 15,000 625 7,500 250 3,000

$ 400,000 4,000 48,000 3,333 40,000 2,500 30,000 1,667 20,000 833 10,000 333 4,000

$ 500,000 5,000 60,000 4,167 50,000 3,125 37,500 2,083 25,000 1,042 12,500 417 5,000


18

FOOTNOTES STEWARDSHIP

1, 2 The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 3 The Book of Common Prayer, Page 856 4 Wendell Berry, Feminism, the Body, and the Machine

Documents

05 Stewardship TECv1960edae80ede29bddbb5-56ca5cf966b0e517ab3b7387019e2425.r21.… · Stewardship is often associated with the practice of tithing which was a clear and unambiguous