Four secrets for enjoying your stewardship campaign
Are you in the middle of your annual stewardship campaign? Are you having a good time? Sometimes budget woes, a history of conflict about money, or a pastor's reluctance to ask people to give can make this time of year a little grim. Or the busyness of the fall start-up coupled with a late start on the campaign can make the process seem overwhelming.
It is possible to enjoy stewardship season more. Here are several ways you can have more fun while raising money for your church's ministry.
Think about the stewardship process as ministry , not as a tedious chore that you have to get through. It's a real contribution to help people think through their values in relation to their resources.
Enter into it as a learner. See what you can learn about your congregation, as well as new developments in stewardship. Read one book about stewardship every year. Find a stewardship blog or other online resource that you like and check it frequently. Think of yourself as a scientist with a wonderful laboratory for stewardship experiments, or as an artist learning a new medium.
Imagine ways you can make it fun. Invite more fun people to be on the committee next year. Collect humor about stewardship and about money. Invite a young person to be part of the stewardship process. Do what you can to get yourself a little lighter, which will help others lighten up. (I brought chocolate to our first meeting last year.)
Celebrate those who give to your church. Having generous givers, whether they give a lot or a little, during their lifetime or after their death, makes a difference in the life of a congregation. Even if people aren't giving as much as you would like, appreciate them and what they do give. We often do little to acknowledge givers. It could be fun for everyone to do more celebrating. Giving may increase-but even better, leaders can feel lighter and more positive about the stewardship enterprise.
What ideas do you have for enjoying the ministry of stewardship more?
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