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St. Paul outside the wall.
Praise of Pope Francis’ message with a reminder of the poor among us.
Jesus is still just outside the gate waiting to welcomed in.
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Introduction
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Two foci.
21st Century Stewardship
Andrew Amodei
Director of Development
East Tennessee State University
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Theology of Stewardship
Practices for Excellence
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19“There
was a certain rich man who
clothed himself in purple and fine linen,
and who feasted luxuriously every day. 20At
his gate lay a certain poor man named
Lazarus who was covered with sores.
21Lazarus longed to eat the crumbs that fell
from the rich man’s table. Instead, dogs
would come and lick his sores.
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22“The
poor man died and was carried by
angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also
died and was buried. 23While being
tormented in the place of the dead, he
looked up and saw Abraham at a distance
with Lazarus at his side. 24He shouted,
‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send
Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water
and cool my tongue, because I’m suffering
in this flame.’
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25But
Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that
during your lifetime you received good
things, whereas Lazarus received terrible
things. Now Lazarus is being comforted
and you are in great pain. 26Moreover, a
great crevasse has been fixed between us
and you. Those who wish to cross over from
here to you cannot. Neither can anyone
cross from there to us.’
Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
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27“The
rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, Father,
send Lazarus to my father’s house. 28I have five
brothers. He needs to warn them so that they
don’t come to this place of agony.’ 29Abraham
replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets.
They must listen to them.’ 30The rich man said,
‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone from the
dead goes to them, they will change their
hearts and lives.’ 31Abraham said, ‘If they don’t
listen to Moses and the Prophets, then neither
will they be persuaded if someone rises from
the dead’” (Luke 16:19-31).
“For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also” (Mt. 6:21).
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Comparing the crash of 2008 with the crash of 1873
• Greed
• Over-speculation
• Real estate price manipulation: 1873 - Europe, 2008 - USA
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Stewardship is not about a goal of giving 10% in order to support an
institution. Christian stewardship is about recognizing that all that we have
belongs to God. It will return to God and our progeny. Jesus says outright and
implies, the use of our gifts and talents will play a role in the way we are
judged. Why? Because of the status of our hearts.
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Theology of Stewardship
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Theology of Stewardship
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God Pursues Us (Jn. 3:16)
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Stewardship is our response
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“Render unto God what is God’s…”
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Giving to religious institutions was 53% of charitable gifts in
1987, 32% in 2014.
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Only 5 percent of the U.S. tithes, with 80 percent of Americans
only giving 2 percent of their income.
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Christians are only giving at 2.5 percent per capita, while during
the Great Depression we gave at a 3.3 percent rate.
Tithing is biblical, but is it Christian?
Incurvatus in se
Frank remarks on culture of discipleship and stewardship.
• This is issue #1.
• Ignoring it should be likened to malpractice.
• Addressing it inadequately is negligence.
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On John Wesley
• The story of Wesley’s change of heart while at Oxford
• Mastering charity to a fine art
• The journey from piety, to charity, to justice
• then his heart was strangely warmed.
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On the Use of Money
Gain all you can, without hurting either yourself or your
neighbour, in soul or body, by applying hereto with
unintermitted diligence, and with all the understanding
which God has given you; -- save all you can, by cutting off
every expense which serves only to indulge foolish desire; to
gratify either the desire of flesh, the desire of the eye, or the
pride of life; waste nothing, living or dying, on sin or folly,
whether for yourself or your children; -- and then, give all you
can, or, in other words, give all you have to God. Do not stint
yourself, like a Jew rather than a Christian, to this or that
proportion.
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"Render unto God," not a tenth, not a third, not half, but all
that is God's, be it more or less; by employing all on yourself,
your household, the household of faith, and all mankind, in
such a manner, that you may give a good account of your
stewardship when ye can be no longer stewards; in such a
manner as the oracles of God direct, both by general and
particular precepts; in such a manner, that whatever ye do
may be "a sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour to God," and
that every act may be rewarded in that day when the Lord
cometh with all his saints.
Wesley, John. The Use of Money. Sermon 50. Sec III. Part VI.
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“Each of you should give what you have
decided in your heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God
loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
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Practices for Excellence
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Practices for Excellence
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Practice holistic stewardship in your life.
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Teach.
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Afford the opportunity to give.
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Know the numbers.
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Break the rules.
Living as stewards
• We’re talking about a lot more than money.
• Shema.
• Stewardship is at the heart of discipleship.
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This is simple. Engage in spiritual disciplines.
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We have a great story to tell. You have amazing stories in your churches. Tell
them.
Say Thank you.
The annual campaign is insufficient. If it still is effective, keep it. However, it
cannot be the end all in your efforts to encourage generosity and holistic
stewardship. You and your team are in constant development. Every visit and
call is a part of the picture.
Be realistic and be kind to your church. You cannot expect transformation
overnight.
Celebrate where you are and engage with your people on the journey.
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There are many ways to give today, use what is effective:
• Plate offering
• Offering Boxes
• ACH Transfers
• Planned Giving (41 Trillion will transfer between generations by 2055)
• Online Giving
• Mobile Offerings
• Kiosks
• others…
Practices for Excellence
Practice holistic stewardship in your life.
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Pray daily.
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Read Scripture.
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Assess your gifts.
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Set boundaries.
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Give generously.
Practices for Excellence
Teach
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Tell the story.
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Say Thank you. Every Sunday.
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I am so proud, I am so honored, etc.…
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Preach on stewardship regularly.
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Assess the state of your congregation.
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Create a culture of discipleship for
“joyful giving”
Practices for Excellence
Afford the Opportunity to Give
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How many ways do you offer your
congregation to give?
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Use electronic giving options.
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Evaluate the effectiveness of your
offering time.
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Plan worship every week from the
ground up. Ritual is good. Routine is not.
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You do not need to be the CFO, but you must understand your budget as a
financial expression of your mission. Pastors who are not “numbers people”
will not lead to their full potential. Use line-item and narrative (missional)
budgets to communicate with your people.
Engage with experts and take their advice. Use the gifts of your bankers,
investment professionals, and cpas.
Have access to giving records, but do not see people as numbers.
Understand your local community and how your congregation can help. Your
assets are not limited to your worshiping congregation.
What matters is the spiritual well-being of your church and community.
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Be strategic in your leadership. Do not be stifled by institutional mandates.
Do not be afraid to use assets to compound returns. The parable of the
talents applies here. Foolishly overreaching does not show you have faith.
Investing wisely does.
Practices for Excellence
Know the Numbers
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Know and understand your budget - it is
the financial realization of the vision God
gave you and your leadership.
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Know what your people give.
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Know the needs in your community.
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Know what matters.
Practices for Excellence
Break the Rules
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On the whole, what is being done is not working, but
we are making progress.
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The Book of Discipline does not have the answers.
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Listen to effective young and older clergy.
Apply what is useful.
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Take extra offerings that are strategic, not mandated.
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Use good business practices.
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Invest with risk capital. Be willing to fail.
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…on a personal note.