Wallace SC&W www.wallaceresources.us Stewardship Issues and Perspectives             It is time for the budget to be set for the next year and so a campaign is undertaken and the stewardship department encourages, pleads, begs, guilts, and maybe even threatens the congregation in order to obtain the magic number that has been set for the new budget.  When pledges are in the group meets and adjusts the proposed budget (downward of course) to meet the pledged figure…with the addition of a guess at loose offerings, unpledged gifts and less anticipated deaths/members lost to moves.  When the group finally makes the figurers match there is a sigh of relief and the group members wearily rise to go out to the dark parking lot and home. Glad that it is over for another year. Does this pattern sound familiar?                     The topic of Stewardship if often greeted with dread, fear and reluctance by pastors and the church.  In truth, because of the way that churches approach stewardship, it has been a negative experience. Budgeting times and stewardship campaigns can pit the stewardship department against the membership of the congregation.  Yet that is not the way it has to be and is not the way that stewardship is supposed to be in the church.  Stewardship is to be a time of celebration, of hope, of joy, of gratitude and of sharing Christ’s love.  In order for that to happen we have to approach stewardship campaigns and budgets with the right perspective.  Here are a few important stewardship issues and thoughts: The right foundation for stewardship must be set for a health environment to exist.  The congregation wants to know that everything is all right.  They want what is given to be handled well and not wasted.  They want to be able to get answers to questions and feel like someone really does know how everything fits together.  The pastor needs to understand how finances fit and there needs to be someone(s) who helps things to be handled well.  This includes issues like holding departments accountable for spending (right procedures for money being spent), clarity in who authorizes payments and procedure for it to take place (e.g. the department chair or staff members approve expenses and people don’t just show up with receipts), and watching so that ‘reasonable’ amounts (or even ‘good deals’) are paid for things. The budgeting process and stewardship campaign have different purposes.  Often the stewardship campaign is seen as a means to the end of underwriting the budget.  That cheapens the call to be good stewards and ultimately creates a bad foundation for the churches finances.  The stewardship campaign, which is a vital endeavor for the good of our members, is about helping members respond faithfully to God’s call.  God tells us to be faithful with what we have been given and the stewardship department is called to help support the members in fulfilling that calling.  The stewardship department should not be in opposition to the members (ie. trying to get money out of them) but there to help, encourage and teach members about how to find the joy of serving Christ with our time, talents and material blessings.  The budget is about putting Christ’s vision for the church into action.  It is the tangible plan for what we hear our Lord wanting us to do.  If we identify what our Savior is calling us to do then we need to follow that call trusting that the talents, funds and opportunities will be provided.  Often however we don’t put much effort into identifying what Christ wants to happen. Stewardships Campaigns are excellent times to celebrate.  The annual campaign is an important thing because it is a time when we can help members set personal goals, reflect and act on what they hear God calling them to do and to rejoice over what has been/is being/will be accomplished.  Too infrequently do we stop and lift up what the congregation has done.  This is a time when new members can be highlighted, the results of department programs can be communicated and the difference the church has made is shown.  This needs to be done not with long verbal reports from a parade of department chairs but in a brief, uplifting program such as a 3-4 minute PowerPoint presentation set to theme music.  People want to make a difference and often the church is making a difference but we don’t celebrate that fact. Stewardship is a year long opportunity to help and party.  We often focus on stewardship just before the budget is to be proposed and when there is a crisis.  Yet stewardship departments should be searching for congregational successes to highlight and celebrate all year long.  When something great happens let people know about it.  Also the stewardship department should keep in front of people what it is we are called to do as faithful stewards.  Share members stewardship stories (e.g. fears, joys, learnings) through testimonies in newsletter or worship, print in the newsletter or post around the building scriptures or sayings about stewardship, and give symbolic ways for people to share in what is being done. Keep the focus on why we give: gratitude and love.  We are to give because we have first been loved by God.  We are to offer our time, money and talents because we are thankful for how God has blessed us.  Even if at the moment we are struggling, we don’t have to look very far to see the riches God has shown to us. Budget specifics and don’t just throw in numbers. If a budget is a set of goals then those dreams should be somewhat specific. Their needs to have been appropriate time and energy given to obtain reasonable numbers. Obvious there must be some flexibility built in but the bulk of the figure needs to be solid.  Otherwise people will come to see that the budget isn’t real. When presenting budgets or financials don’t overwhelm but have details available. Often it is wise to present the budget in a simplified form (ie. the figures for each department and total figure) with expanded details readily available for those interested.  When too much information is given to those who do not want it they become frustrated and lost. Also if too much information is given to those uninformed about specific plans or costs unproductive conversations can misdirect conversations.  Graduated reports could include: a. Simplified Budget with only department totals and total amount, b. budget with each department total and the line items adding up to those total, c. a worksheet that lists the programs supported by each line item (e.g. Administration: office supplies: paper/printed materials/misc. supplies like pencils, paper clips, pens/toner), d. detailed ledger printout (for departments/staff in preparing budgets and following costs).  Build the budget from the vision with passion and reason.  Too often we don’t reach for the full dream that Christ gives to us.  But at times people set out unreasonable goals that, when unmet, leave a bitter taste in people’s mouths.  Set the budget figure based on the vision but there must be someone or some group that provides the balance between reality and desires.  This group looks at the pattern of giving, the economic situation, the general situation of the church as well as the dream placed before the church.  This group needs to understand that we cannot predict what will happen in the next 12 months (deaths, bequests, new members, economic disaster) and so shouldn’t spent unreasonable amount of time deriving an proposed ‘budget number.’  Instead they are to make sure that the dream is possible to achieve. Any budget is constantly reviewed at the year goes along. Obviously the position of the church needs to be reviewed at various times throughout the year.  One helpful tool in doing this is to create an excel sheet that lists, by month, the expenses and income for the past 5 years.  This will help relieve anxiety which inevitably comes with income ebbs and flows.  It will also identify if there is an important change in income that dictates adjustments to the budget. steve@wallaceresources.us                                                                                                                                                                                                11/01/07