Words have power. And we have been given a vocabulary of faith.
But sadly, we barely ever use it in the church, co-opting language from the business world that just doesn’t fit our theology or purpose.
But when we do use our vocabulary of faith, miraculous things begin to happen.
One secular word that is used in the church all too often is volunteer.
What do you think would happen if you never heard or used the word “volunteer” in your church again?
I think the word “volunteer” should be stricken from Christian language. Once when I said this, I was asked what word should we use.
Well, that depends on whether we need a noun or a verb.
If we need a noun - how about “minister”.
If we need a “verb” - how about “called.”
I never met anyone who was baptized who "volunteered" for anything in the church. The baptized answer God’s call to a particular ministry or ministries.
When we say people are ministering, it communicates that the work that they do is work for God’s kingdom. And it inspires joy with a sense of meaning, value, purpose, and worth (four of the five spiritual needs of every human being).
It also cultivates a culture of mission and ministry. When we call people “ministers” they live into the reality of their baptismal calling.
Too often we only call those who are in paid positions in the church
ministers, leaving our Baptismal theology at the door. But when we understand our Baptismal theology we know that all of the baptized are called into the ministry of the Gospel, making all of us ministers. One’s paycheck has nothing to do whether one is a minister or not, and it has nothing to do with being ordained or not. It has everything to do with our baptismal calling by God to do Christ’s work in the world.
I have found generally that "volunteers" do not have staying power past the task at hand. They may keep working, but they have to volunteer again, again, and again.
My colleague Susan Kennard, rector of St. Mark’s – Bay City, TX expressed the excitement she found among her parishioners when she ask for someone to minister in a one ministry or another, rather than asking for volunteers. Susan said it was fun to see the difference in the number of people who lined-up to do ministry compared to the wrangling of volunteers for a particular job.
Volunteering is about the task. Being called is about the relationship.
It means God needs them and wants them.
Those who are called by God into ministry through their baptisms are ministers for the rest of their lives.
Can you imagine the miraculous transformation that can begin within a community that feels God needs and wants them for the good of his kingdom?
Submitted by the Rev. Lance Ousley, Rector of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church - Wharton, TX
Stewardship for the Congregation: The Basics
1. Make the decision to switch the emphasis on money and budgets to helping persons gain insight and commitment to understanding the theology of stewardship, its place in their spiritual formation and their church community.
Some components of this theology:
+ Scriptural references
+ Tithing is the biblical minimum when referring to the stewardship of material possessions
+ Emphasis on God’s abundance vs. scarcity
+ Everything is from God, we are called to be stewards of all God has entrusted to our care
+ Stewardship is holistic in the context of a congregation which includes:
* Thoughtful stewardship of persons who are a part of this community includes knowing them, the gifts and talents they bring into the congregation, and their empowerment for ministry
* Environmental stewardship of the physical plant and surroundings
* Faithful, honest and trustworthy practices when it comes to financial oversight
* Prayerful, discerning leadership around decisions to set budgets and spend money
* Spiritual development of the stewardship of time for individuals and the congregation
* A theological perspective of being stewards of the "other"
2. Putting people with gifts and passion for stewardship together, empowering them to be integral in the design and implementation of programs and activities that will foster good stewardship practices and understanding in a congregation.
Often this means the formation of a stewardship ministry team apart from the finance ministry team or vestry but may include a few members of either group who have a passion/giftedness for stewardship. It is not unusual to find persons who tithe from their income that truly understand the theology of stewardship who want to be a part of an organized effort for responsible Christian stewardship. This group’s motivation is a theological one.
They work with the rector and/or the vestry to approve program design and plans for the congregation. A stewardship ministry team could be large enough to have sub groups if needed to address specific aspects of congregational stewardship. This ministry team should meet year round and have a distinct, clear charge and mutually understood objective. These meetings are to help foster development of all areas of Christian stewardship, not only the annual pledge campaign.
3. The growth of healthy stewardship in a congregation takes intentionality, risk taking, creativity, trust and commitment on the part of the leaders of a congregation.
All leaders model for others behaviors that are desired in the community. Leaders must be visibly engaged through liturgical practices, witness, commitment of time, giftedness, treasure, other assets, and must “walk the talk”. If the leaders aren’t committed to living out the theology of stewardship, others will not follow. “The leaders” include everyone in leadership in the congregation: clergy, staff who are members, vestry, leaders of ministries and stewardship leaders.
4. The leaders of the stewardship efforts must understand the organic and relational nature of congregations. Regular assessment of stewardship efforts, having an openness to change in order to maximize effectiveness, and building in relational and spiritual aspects to stewardship efforts are keys to increasing the commitment to it.
Change in practices can be unsettling but are often necessary to move a congregation forward. Congregations are subtly but constantly changing. The stewardship efforts must be responsive to these changes yet sensitive to the culture of the group. The handling of finances is inherently conservative. Healthy monetary stewardship practices demonstrate fiscal responsibility coupled with faithful response to God’s mission (purpose) and vision for the congregation.
Submitted by Mary M. MacGregor
Director of Leadership Development
The Episcopal Diocese of Texas
Some components of this theology:
+ Scriptural references
+ Tithing is the biblical minimum when referring to the stewardship of material possessions
+ Emphasis on God’s abundance vs. scarcity
+ Everything is from God, we are called to be stewards of all God has entrusted to our care
+ Stewardship is holistic in the context of a congregation which includes:
* Thoughtful stewardship of persons who are a part of this community includes knowing them, the gifts and talents they bring into the congregation, and their empowerment for ministry
* Environmental stewardship of the physical plant and surroundings
* Faithful, honest and trustworthy practices when it comes to financial oversight
* Prayerful, discerning leadership around decisions to set budgets and spend money
* Spiritual development of the stewardship of time for individuals and the congregation
* A theological perspective of being stewards of the "other"
2. Putting people with gifts and passion for stewardship together, empowering them to be integral in the design and implementation of programs and activities that will foster good stewardship practices and understanding in a congregation.
Often this means the formation of a stewardship ministry team apart from the finance ministry team or vestry but may include a few members of either group who have a passion/giftedness for stewardship. It is not unusual to find persons who tithe from their income that truly understand the theology of stewardship who want to be a part of an organized effort for responsible Christian stewardship. This group’s motivation is a theological one.
They work with the rector and/or the vestry to approve program design and plans for the congregation. A stewardship ministry team could be large enough to have sub groups if needed to address specific aspects of congregational stewardship. This ministry team should meet year round and have a distinct, clear charge and mutually understood objective. These meetings are to help foster development of all areas of Christian stewardship, not only the annual pledge campaign.
3. The growth of healthy stewardship in a congregation takes intentionality, risk taking, creativity, trust and commitment on the part of the leaders of a congregation.
All leaders model for others behaviors that are desired in the community. Leaders must be visibly engaged through liturgical practices, witness, commitment of time, giftedness, treasure, other assets, and must “walk the talk”. If the leaders aren’t committed to living out the theology of stewardship, others will not follow. “The leaders” include everyone in leadership in the congregation: clergy, staff who are members, vestry, leaders of ministries and stewardship leaders.
4. The leaders of the stewardship efforts must understand the organic and relational nature of congregations. Regular assessment of stewardship efforts, having an openness to change in order to maximize effectiveness, and building in relational and spiritual aspects to stewardship efforts are keys to increasing the commitment to it.
Change in practices can be unsettling but are often necessary to move a congregation forward. Congregations are subtly but constantly changing. The stewardship efforts must be responsive to these changes yet sensitive to the culture of the group. The handling of finances is inherently conservative. Healthy monetary stewardship practices demonstrate fiscal responsibility coupled with faithful response to God’s mission (purpose) and vision for the congregation.
Submitted by Mary M. MacGregor
Director of Leadership Development
The Episcopal Diocese of Texas
Articles on Various Aspects of our Stewardship Ministry
"Stewardship is not a choice. The choice is whether or not we will be good stewards or poor stewards."
- The Rev. P. Lance Ousley
- The Rev. P. Lance Ousley
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