 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
||||
|
Review of Faith and Money: Understanding Annual Giving in Church Reviewed by the Ecumenical Stewardship Center
"A disconnection of heretical proportion exists between theology and practice in the area of faith and money," say Michael Reeves and Jennifer Tyler. The authors feel that quick fixes for funding the budget have predominated, when what is really needed is a long-term, well developed theology of stewardship that is consistent with Scripture, tradition, and practice. The book lays out some of the challenges in stewardship work, along with some approaches that don't work. The authors focus on establishing a solid scriptural basis for stewardship and the importance of worthy goals, leadership, education, and communication. They also share ideas for both an annual stewardship campaign and a year-round stewardship plan. One idea for a stewardship campaign that I found intriguing is that of a pastor or someone else doing a "fireside chat" from an easy chair — an informal sharing of his or her own journey with faith and money — in lieu of the Sunday sermon. The authors mention some helpful resources, and they end the book with a chapter that has an extensive concordance of Bible verses organized by stewardship concept. I think stewardship committees will find this very helpful. The book includes an extensive discussion of the budgeting process, along with a timetable for development.
|
« Back to articles | |||
