Browsing Congregational Finance
Take the Stewardship Assessment
How is your congregation doing on stewardship? More importantly, how can you improve? This simple self-assessment from the United Church of Canada can help you identify strengths, weaknesses and areas for future growth. (Photo by Alberto G.: Creative Commons)
What to do in a Church Money Crunch
A lot of things can happen when a church experiences a money crunch, most of them bad. Can anything good come from a financial crisis? It depends on how you handle it. Good advice from ChurchLeaders.com. (Photo: Kat, Creative Commons)
Top 10 Reasons for a Legacy Giving Ministry
As congregations look to establish long-term financial stability in an era of decreasing Sunday offerings, a ministry of legacy giving makes sense. Here are one consultant’s top ten reasons why. From the Presbyterian Endowment. (Photo: Ken Mayers, Creative Commons)
Claim the Power of Thank You
It is important to say thank you. Everyone enjoys having a gift given or an effort made acknowledged and remembered. An attitude of gratitude matters. The truth is that we are not always intentional about expressing our appreciation to others and this is especially true at church. From the Center for Faith & Giving. (Photo […]
Great Fundraising Ideas
There’s nothing wrong with fundraising in your church when you want to pay for a special event, item or project. The Church of the Brethren put some great ideas out there for its congregations to raise money for the national youth trip. How many would work in your church? (Photo by Rona Proudfoot, used by […]
6 Reasons to Preach the Word About Money
Preaching about money is often among a pastor’s least favorite things to do, especially in our money-soaked culture where people take their finances very personally. But good doctrine and sound practice demand that we talk about finance. From Pastors.com.
Make Giving Easy – Electronically
Churches today are seeking newer and easier ways to set up giving to benefit their congregations. Online giving has its own set of complexities and options, but is becoming easier all the time. Giving kiosks are popular. New options for online giving are being developed all the time. Here is a sampling of the most popular innovations. (Photo by Creativity 103, used by Creative Commons license)
Motivational Quarterly Reports
Giving strictly financial information in quarterly reports is a wasted opportunity, says stewardship author J. Clif Christopher, who suggests ways to give donors some reasons to keep on giving. (Photo by Lenore Edman, used by Creative Commons license)
How about a Stewardship Pastor?
There are pastors for administration, family and youth ministry, visitation, and outreach. Maybe it’s time to add stewardship pastors to the mix. Check out this article by William Vanderbloeme. You’ll even find a link to a job description. (Photo: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Creative Commons)
Crafting the Annual Stewardship Letter
Don’t undervalue the power of the letter that accompanies your annual stewardship campaign materials. It’s the invitation your congregation extends for folks to participate in its exciting ministries, a case statement for why their time, talent and treasure are worthy of investing. This resource explains some of the key elements of a good stewardship letter and provides some wonderful examples. Good luck! (Photo by Beate Meier, used by Creative Commons license)
