CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are initiating a "fresh and deeper understanding" of stewardship. ELCA Stewardship and Mission Giving staff unveiled a new multi-year plan, "Stewardship at the Heart of the Church," to the board of the ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM) at its meeting here Oct. 15-17.
"Listen to your heart. What does it tell you? What does it mean to lead a stewardship lifestyle?" Nancy L. Snell, ELCA director for stewardship and mission giving, asked the board.
The board "affirmed and commended for implementation" Stewardship at the Heart of the Church, which describes the work of the ELCA's stewardship and mission giving ministry team in DCM.
"The primary purpose of stewardship is to serve the will of God. Therefore, in all their programs, structures and behaviors, congregations of the ELCA will strengthen daily life stewardship of all their members so that God's creating, redeeming and sanctifying activity will flourish in the world," Snell said.
Stewardship and mission giving are designed to help all ELCA members develop "as stewards in their faith-filled lives." It seeks to "equip, nurture and challenge" members to provide stewardship education and to generate and integrate financial support for the mission of the church, Snell said.
The plan reflects the current philosophy, trends and directions of the ministry team. It includes plans for a new approach to stewardship in congregations and to undergird mission support of the ELCA, "effective and efficient" ideas for fund-raising, the development of resources, leadership development, and "reinvigorate theology of stewardship and funding for God's mission in the world."
"Stewardship is about living a life with purpose and meaning," said Robert A. Sitze, director for congregational stewardship development. "Being stewards means taking a positive look at God's assets," he said. "It's more than acknowledging spiritual gifts."
"Salt: Services for Stewardship Renewal," a new service for the 11,000 congregations of the ELCA, is designed to provide "whole-life stewardship and principle-based living," said the Rev. Michael L. Meier, ELCA director for stewardship leadership development.
The service offers six "modules" for stewardship education: Ventures, a four-part workshop and discussion series to develop a basis for stewardship education, planning and response for congregations; AppleTree, a "personal growth experience" that focuses on faith, responsibilities, relationships and lifestyle choices; Faith, Money and Security, an overnight retreat where members of a congregation share their faith and evaluate their use of money; Kids, Money and Stuff, a stewardship program for parents and elementary-school children; FourWinds, a three-part workshop for congregation leaders to develop a vision and plan for the future; and TradeWinds, a process for stewardship vision and planning.
These services for stewardship renewal are customized for congregations and the 65 synods of the ELCA, said Meier. The modules are designed to "teach the fundamentals of the Christian faith," he said.
Stewardship Days, one-day seminars for stewardship leaders in congregations, are held annually on selected Saturdays or Sundays, March through June around the country. The seminars, designed to evaluate a congregation's stewardship ministry, are conducted by stewardship staff and congregational stewardship leaders.
"Participants attending Stewardship Days will have new resources for stewardship programming and new skills to assess the congregation's strengths and areas of growth," said Sitze.
"Stewardship will have a new look and feel in congregations and members will have a broader understanding of the breadth and depth of stewardship," Sitze said.
"Festival de los Regalos" (Festival of Gifts) is a weekend stewardship response method for Spanish-speaking congregations of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Still under development, the Hispanic stewardship project seeks to teach congregations about Christian stewardship, share faith and life stories focused on the gifts of Latino stewards, and distribute and/or collect contribution commitment cards from members.
The stewardship and mission giving staff develops print and other resources that specifically ask for a financial response to the ministries of the church, help interpret the ELCA budget, and increase support for mission programs such as Vision for Mission, an opportunity for individual members of the ELCA to make gifts above congregational giving in support of global and domestic mission.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
