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What is stewardship?
Stewardship is everything we do after we say "We believe…"
It is our living relationship with God. It is our response to God's unconditional
love and salvation through Jesus Christ, and the gift of grace through
the Holy Spirit.
Isn’t stewardship only about money?
Stewardship is not simply about money. Stewardship is a fundamental of
Christian discipleship. It is about how we live and how we give. What
do we give to God in response for all that has been given to us? We give
time, talent, and treasure in response to the gifts of unconditional love,
salvation, and grace. Most people find giving their time and talent easy,
almost natural. Giving our treasure seems more difficult for many people.
 How
do I fit the church into our family's budget?
That question arises from viewing life from the perspective of scarcity.
The ministry of stewardship invites us into a process of conversion in
which we accept that we are beloved before God and are able to be reconciled
with our fears of not having enough. When we accept ourselves as God’s
beloved children then our understanding of life changes to one in which
life is seen as abundant and full of God’s gifts. This new perspective
changes the question to "How do I best respond to God's gifts?"
How does the congregation as a whole come to
understand this?
Effective stewardship programs teach this perspective to the congregation
as a whole in a variety of ways through out the year. Such programs reach
out to everyone who is a member of the parish, set goals and orderly processes
for achieving them, including increasing both the number of members and
the number of pledging members, and help each parishioner examine his
or her own stewardship attitudes and giving as a part of individual faith
development. The goal of stewardship ministry is a congregational environment
in which all members are encouraged to share all the resources necessary
to fulfill the mission and ministries to which we are called as members
of the living body of Christ in the world.
What kinds of financial giving are included
in the ministry of stewardship?
Planned giving along with a capital campaign and the annual commitment
campaign are all part of the financial stewardship of a congregation.
Each of these programs is explained in more detail under Giving
Programs.
 What
role does the diocese play in our parish stewardship program?
The Diocese of Washington provides a staff resource in the person of the
Reverend Mary Sulerud,
Canon for Ministry and Resource Development. She can be reached at 202/537-6532
or at msulerud@edow.org. She is
available to lead workshops, retreats and offer other kinds of consulting
help in the areas of annual and planned giving and capital campaigns.
In addition the diocese sponsors a number of training events throughout
the year for congregations. The Diocesan Council is also developing a
stewardship statement as an expression of the commitment of the Diocese
to stewardship in all facets of life. To learn more about creating a stewardship
statement go to the stewardship section of the Wardens'
Corner.
Where would I find resources for teaching others
about stewardship?
A number of stewardship resources are available free of charge and for
a nominal cost that would offer many ways to teach adults and children
about stewardship. Please go to the Resources
page to learn more about this.
We have a stewardship committee, but where can
we find training for our leaders?
The Commission on Stewardship offers several events throughout the year
to train leaders in the field of stewardship. Please check the Events
page for upcoming activities.
Are there any consulting firms that can help
us with our giving programs?
There are a number of excellent local consulting firms that specialize
in offering fund-raising and stewardship help to churches. Please check
the Resources page for this listing.
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