11/27/2023

Many of you are reading this having made your way through another stewardship season and dedication Sunday. Some of you are energized by a hopeful and positive congregational response. Others of us are feeling anxious and defeated because, by all indications, difficult ministry decisions are going to have to be made in the months ahead. All of us find ourselves at the beginning of another Advent with its mix of joy and seemingly endless demands.

11/27/2023

The end of the calendar year is a natural time to assess your financial position, your tax implications, and to at least begin thinking of how you’d like to be remembered – because that, essentially, is what charitable gifting and estate planning is all about, says Andrea Stevens.

11/27/2023

A war still rages in Ukraine. Survivors in flooded Libya and earthquake-shaken Morocco are literally picking up pieces of whatever remnants of home can still be found, mourning loved ones, and figuring out what the future might be. Weapons of bullets and of words blanket our body politic, threats to democracy loom as we in the United States head into what promises to be a tumultuous 2024 election. Racism persists, gender injustice and violence continues, socioeconomic disparities widen, relationships fracture, death and its shadow are ubiquitous. Such is the real plight of our existence, of 2023, of 2024, no matter what year or season it is.

11/22/2023

Giving Tuesday is now 11 years old – and many churches have caught on that this can be a good way to encourage gifts as the year winds down.

10/18/2023

If you were to ask most congregants in mainline churches to name the most awkward moment in public worship, I imagine the passing of the peace would be number one on the list. I haven’t polled anyone; that’s just a guess.

10/18/2023

There is a misconception around stewardship. I believe so broadly, but, especially financially. Have you ever said to yourself, “if I had more, I would do more?” Or, have you ever been privy to the financial state of another and thought to yourself, “if I had that much money, I would never do such a thing” or “I would do this generous thing?”

9/22/2023

Fall is my favorite season. As the days shorten and temperatures moderate from the height of summer, it has always seemed like a time of reflection as the year comes to a close. Even if you don’t have children or young people returning to school, there is a sense of fall bringing the return to a certain rhythm after the more relaxed time of summer.

9/21/2023

This past summer I served as the keynote speaker for Massanetta Springs Camp and Conference Center’s July Middle School Conference. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Massanetta is a PC(USA) ministry in Shenandoah Presbytery.

9/19/2023

In best practices, which comes first, the church budget or stewardship? Do you build a budget and then give the congregation a goal to reach with their generosity? Or do you see how generous they are, and then build a budget to match those gifts?

8/21/2023

There’s an old saying – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Well, COVID and the multi-year pandemic “broke” the age-old Presbyterian tradition of passing the collection plate at each service. Too many germs, too many hands touching the same surface, and for a while, many churches canceled in-person services.

8/18/2023

The lectionary texts for the month of September lend themselves to preach a mini-series or individual sermons that reflect on the theme of love: love of God, love of self, and love of others. The title of the series could be “Living Love.” Weaving the theme of love throughout the month could be a good lead up or start of a fall stewardship campaign that focuses on love.

8/16/2023

Answer those questions, tell those stories, and then show people how they can participate in what God is doing in their midst. Give your folks the opportunity to connect their generosity with the work of God in the world and allow the sustainable and fruitful emotion of awe to do its good work.