Putting the Stewardship Puzzle Together

Why is stewardship an increasing challenge? Changes subtle and substantial in church and culture have created a new context for stewardship leaders. What was effective in past years in nurturing increased commitment among members does not adequately fund the ministry and mission of the church or permit congregations to dream of new possibilities.

What has changed to make the once familiar world of stewardship such a puzzle? Consider these changing dynamics that leaders face.

• Decline in institutional loyalty. Church members once exhibited strong loyalty to the church as an institution. Leaders a few decades ago often did not need to develop comprehensive stewardship plans; they depended simply on the faithful, instinctive response of members who trusted church leaders to guide the congregation. In today’s environment leaders must earn the trust of members and answer an implicit question: "why should we support the work of this congregation?"

• Discouragement about the future of the mainline church. In recent years many congregations have experienced membership decline and a reduction in their ministry and mission programs. Some congregations now inhabit large buildings suited for churches several times their current size. This has created a climate of discouragement, in which members are cautious about risking new and expansive commitments.

• The absence of an articulate vision of ministry and mission. People give to the future, not to sustain the past. Members stretch their commitment not to fulfill budgetary needs but to create new possibilities. Many congregations are locked in a maintenance mode, managing what is, and not dreaming of what could be.
• The lack of an operative stewardship theology. While pastors and leaders continue to affirm that "all we have is a gift of God" and "we are called to be faithful stewards, managers of God’s creation," there is abundant evidence that this theology is not rooted in most members’ thinking about giving and church involvement. Pastors and church leaders have not "connected" with members’ decision-making about money, lifestyle and giving. The church’s teaching may even be regarded as an intrusion into members’ lives. For this reason, stewardship is simply seen as a code word for fund raising, and irrelevant to day-to-day experience.
• Increased competition for charitable giving. Church members are simply deluged with appeals from often very worthy non-profit organizations, from the local homeless shelter to national health care organizations. The requests come in mailboxes stuffed with direct mail appeals and in telephone calls at the dinner hour. With increasing sophistication charities present their case for generous giving, and the church is often seen as simply one more organization seeking support. In this competitive arena a congregation can no longer count on the loyal support of its members. It must make its own case for commitment.
• The challenge of an affluent, materialistic society. Similarly, in our affluent culture members are deluged with advertising messages portraying cars, clothing, jewelry, vacations, and houses as the key to the fulfilling life. Investment firms beckon with promises of a comfortable retirement with the right portfolio of stocks and bonds. The invitation to give and offer one’s time and energy to make a difference in the world echoes as a faint voice among these entreaties. Generous giving has become a counter-cultural behavior.
• Income-based stewardship theology and practice. Former stewardship perspectives stressed giving from income, often with the assumption that members’ resources were limited. The new reality is that many members possess substantial assets, the accumulated resources of a lifetime. The contemporary stewardship challenge and opportunity is to invite members’ reflection on the faithful disposition of all their resources.

No wonder that stewardship leaders find themselves struggling with a puzzle! The church has changed. The culture has changed. Old outlooks and methods yield discouraging results. The old stewardship paradigm, once very effective, is a prescription for failure.

Assemble the pieces of the stewardship puzzle in your congregation in new and creative ways. Consider a holistic approach to stewardship that addresses these changing dynamics. We invite you to discover new possibilities.