In June’s column, we touched on selecting a theme and other activities that need to be completed ahead of the stewardship campaign for your church.

This month, we’re expanding on one part of that post: capturing and telling stories of how your church changes lives. We wrote:

A better way to start the conversation is to discuss as a group what your church means to each person in the room. At its heart, what does your church do? How does it help members? How does your church serve its community? Your stewardship campaign should be a celebration of what is wonderful about your church. You want to invite people to join you in supporting an organization that is a key part of the community.

How do you share those stories of all of the ways your church exemplifies Christ? There are many options, but one of the most important ways is to have them share from the pulpit. Plan for Minutes for Mission year-round, perhaps once a month, that are simply sharing stories from the heart. During your stewardship drive, have an individual, couple or family share their story from the pulpit each week.