Stewardship

The need to communicate in a coherent, cohesive and concise way to members of congregations just how their money is managed and spent is paramount especially in a time of economic downturn. People need to feel confident that the money given in Parish share is being spent wisely and prudently. Spirit of Generosity  is a PowerPoint presentation together with details of stewardship resources being taken round diocesan synods and clergy chapters during the coming year and beyond.  

One of the cornerstones of our diocese is that we have a very strong ethos of ‘Mutual Support’ within the deaneries and parishes, with those financially stronger parishes supporting those less so.  We are all part of the body of Christ as St Paul says in his letter to the  Corinthians  ‘Now we are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it’  (1 Cor 12 v2).  It is vitally important that we work together especially during this time of recession.

The main funding of the Diocese comes from Parish share, and when parishes pay in full it enables:

• The Bishop to employ his full national allocation of clergy
• Our clergy housing to be kept in good order
• Parish share increases kept to a minimum

Any reflection on giving needs to start with God and what he has given to us. We give to God with generosity out of gratitude for what He has done for us.  

Spirit of Generosity will continue the promotion of Christian stewardship and encouraging giving across the Diocese by running Gratitude and Generosity campaigns and supporting the Parish Giving Officer network. The sharing of good practice on stewardship is an essential part of this work.

There are perhaps four key tasks that need to be borne in mind,

• The first being teaching and preaching. We need to keep it in the context of Christian lifestyle and discipleship. The emphasis needs to be on proportional and planned giving following thought and prayer.

• The use of the lectionary and sentences at the offertory keep the whole matter before the congregation so that they can’t say the subject is never discussed.

• The need for an annual review or Stewardship Sunday. This gives people an opportunity to think and pray about their giving, not only encouraging those who give but enabling others to start as part of their Christian service within the Church.

• Saying ‘Thank You’ is important as we need to value the giver rather than the gift. It is rather obvious that we should be more concerned with those who give rather than the amount given but it is so easy to fall into the trap of looking at the amount needed to balance the books and forgetting about those who give.

Resources

Downloadable resources on finance and parish share can be accessed in the Resources section of the site. You can also find interesting resources on stewardship on this external site.

Paul Winstanley
Stewardship Adviser