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The purpose of the team: The team’s
work is to encourage faith development expressed in generosity and
commitment to Christ’s work in the church and beyond. This is done
by:
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Determining where congregants are in terms of
their use of time, talent and giving.
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Working alongside existing structures in the
church (educational ministries, finance and long-range planning
committees, worship committee, etc.) to develop strategies and
opportunities to help develop member giving.
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Advising the church’s leadership on procedures
that will encourage the stewardship of the entire congregation.
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Engaging in regular biblical study of
stewardship.
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Offering regular communications to members,
through newsletters and bulletins that educate and inspire
others on their stewardship journey.
The stewardship team is NOT the fundraising
committee. As important as it is to raise money for church ministry,
the focus of the stewardship team is to encourage Christians to use
their God-given gifts in ways that honor God. It
may be helpful for the stewardship team to draft a mission statement
defining its purpose. Here
are samples.
The makeup of the team: There
should be a wide variety of people of both age and gender. Members
of the team may include a deacon and an elder from the church’s
governing body, an empty-nester, a recently married person, an adult
single, a middle-aged person and anyone who shares an enthusiasm for
giving. It is helpful that there is someone with creative skills who
can develop bulletin/newsletter inserts and has good communication
skills. Pastor should be an ex-officio member.
Accountability: Determination must
be made to whom this team reports. Since the work of the stewardship
team crosses many committee lines involving young people, adult
education, Sunday School, worship, etc., it may be well for the team
to report directly to the Executive or Administrative Committee of
the church. Having that level of leadership of the church directly
involved in over-seeing the work of the stewardship team creates
visibility and a spirit of support and encouragement to the team.
Commitment: Team members should be
asked to serve a pre-determined number of years, with a minimum of
three years recommended. Members should be welcome to continue
serving beyond that time should they wish to do so.
Continuing Education: Because
individuals come with different ideas and personal experiences in
the area of stewardship, it is recommended that once the stewardship
team is formed, that some time be spent as a group reading and
studying a few resources which will help them as they move forward.
This accomplishes two goals: it heightens personal awareness of
stewardship and it helps to bring everyone on the team to the same
page, bonding the team together as a cohesive group. Two recommended
resources are: The
Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn (discovering the secret
of joyful giving) and Firstfruits: A Stewardship Guide for Church Leaders
by Robert Heerspink (a
stewardship guide for church leaders).
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