July 31, 2007
An idea from Mississippi's own
Jerry Mixon is Director of Stewardship and Cooperative Program for the Mississippi State Baptist Convention. On the Web site is an entire section devoted to linking the needs of pastors with options for addressing, teaching and encouraging stewardship.
It's easy to find from the home page, and it's filled with good information and suggestions.
One that stood out to me was the idea of hosting a Stewardship Revival. The description reads more like a training seminar. But I really like the connection between spiritual renewal and stewardship.
Great stuff Jerry!
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A working definition of stewardship
I found an interesting definition of Christian stewardship on an Episcopal Web site.
It provides a formal and simple definition. The simple definition, I thought, was well said. "What I do, with all I have, after I say "believe." And using the gifts God has given us, to do the work God is calling us to do."
We spend a great deal of time in church talking about evangelism. And rightly so. It's part of our responsibility. But the Great Comission says "Go and make disciples..." not "Go and make coverts..." Disciples are people who have committed to follow the teachings of Jesus for a lifetime.
Somewhere along the way, we've placed less value on what happens in the life of a believer post-conversion. Stewardship, Christian Stewardship, is a discipleship issue. And first and foremost Christians must acknowledge both the grace of God and the Lordship of Christ.
Our lives are not our own. Perhaps this is the simplest definition of Christian stewardship.
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July 30, 2007
New Day Pastor's Conference - San Antonio
This will be the last Pastor's Conference for 2007. If you're even remotely interested in the "It's A New Day" campaign this is a great plunge into what it's all about. Then you can decide if it's a program that would make sense for your church.
And you can do this for only $89 until tomorrow. Not a bad deal. More information here.
If you already know you want to go but haven't sign up, you can do that online.
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Wednesday night supper
I've been to a lot of Wednesday night suppers. And most of them leave a lot to be desired. My experience has been low average attendance, ok food choices at best, and generally an activity of the church that loses money or breaks even at best. I've even attended a church that cancelled Wednesday night suppers due to low participation.
But this one is different.
I recently started pastoring (part-time) a small church just north of town. The average Sunday Worship attendance is 100. But our average attendance on Wednesday night is about 200. The food is out of the this world good. (Or as we say in the south - "Smack your mama" good!) And at just $6 a plate for adults, this Wednesday night supper has become one of the most profitable ministries of our church.
Yes, I said profitable. In 2006, these two ladies orchestrated a series of meals that generated more than $30,000 in profit. The church took the profit and applied it directly to the building program that was in process at the time to pay down on the mortgage. (Keep in mind this is before the loan had closed.)
And we're on track to generate even more in 2007.
Further, it has become one of the most successful outreach programs our church has in place. Every week almost 100 people come who don't attend our church. And yesterday another young family joined after being introduced to our church through our Wednesday night suppers.
Not bad for a former legal secretary and a retired advertising executive.
Just wanted to brag on two of my church members who "get" that stewardship is about doing something with the opportunity and talent God has given you.
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July 27, 2007
The Gospels and Film (and stewardship?)
Part of being a good steward is imersing yourself in the communication habits of the culture you live in and using those habits to tell the story of God's love for humanity. Bill Seaver (THE Web 2.0 guru for churches wanting to implement new media strategies) has just finished work with a company called Modern Parables. Their goal is to tell the story of Jesus and salvation through short films.
Thanks Bill for reminding us that it's our responsibility as stewards of the Good News to tell the world in such a way that they'll hear and have an opportunity to respond. (In the end, isn't that the ultimate goal anyway?)
Being good stewards, living as good stewards involves more than just what we do with our money. It's a way of living that says "God owns everything"--my money, talents, etc. It's very simply the only response we can have to the total sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. Anything less cheapens God's grace.
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The Invitation - You need to know about it
Holman Bible Outreach International is the new Bible Society established by LifeWay. You probably haven't heard about it yet because it's less than 20 months old. But this new society exists to support the mission, evangelism, and outreach activity of local churches. They do this by providing quality, low-cost Bibles that churches can afford to purchase in bulk.
But here is where it gets really cool. They have also set up funds where people are donating directly to HBOI. That means when churches call that can't affort Bibles, they don't pay for them. In case you missed that: when churches need Bibles and can't afford them, they don't pay for them.
For example, Military Chaplains need Bibles but the military doesn't give them a budget to purchase them. HBOI has set up a fund where people are donating to this cause. Now when a Chaplain calls in and requests Bibles, they are sent at no charge.
Anyway, I say all that to tell you about this New Testament that I came across published by HBOI called The Invitation. It already has the plan of salvation and Roman Road outlined. It's perfect for evangelism, outreach, and missions -- especially at $.35 each.
(Now I don't know about you but I don't remember the last time I paid $.35 for a Bible!)
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July 26, 2007
Get updates via e-mail
Welcome. Please take a moment to type in your e-mail address so that you can be automatically notified when new posts are available.
And be sure to pass this address along. The more people involved in the conversation, the more meaningful it becomes.
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Making cents and being fiscally responsible
It's important for churches to be good stewards of the contributions of the members. No matter how large or small--each dollar should be maximized to its full potential. That means everything is on the table. Churches need to evaluate their expenses to ensure that they are in-line with organizational needs and commitments.
This often means looking at every supplier, every line item and determining if the expense or line is necessary. If the answer is "no", then it's an easy decision. If the answer is "yes", then the next question is, "Are we paying a fair market value price?".
This in turn forces pastors (since we know that most SBC churches don't have business administrators) to wear the hat of the procurement officer. An overwhelming role if you've never done it before.
Its reasonable to assume that if all things are equal, then the low cost provider is the one that the church should be doing business with. But I've never been in a situation where "all things were equal."
The exception to this are things we call comodities such as milk, eggs, and bread. The same brand of loaf bread will be the same bread from store to store--though you may pay more for it at one location than another.
Comodities are things that you want to look for the lowest price because everything is equal. But when it comes to any type of service, the rule is this: nothing is ever equal.
There is also the company and its reputation to consider. I remember my parents telling me growing up that my friends were a direct reflection upon me. This is the same for a church (or any organization). Those suppliers that you choose to do business with directly reflect your values.
Doesn't it make sense to evaluate the organziation in addition to pricing? Saving $1,000 does you no good if the business goes out of business or worse if the business who offers you a cheaper price is exposed for illegal or unethical behavior.
Who we associate with and those we choose to do business with are a direct reflection upon us as well.
When it comes to most business expense decision, the lowest bidder is not always the fiscally responsible decision; it's never that simple.
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July 25, 2007
SBCOutpost mentions this blog
SBCOutpost mentions this blog in a post today.
(P.S. Thanks guys!)
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Online stewardship resource
I stumbled onto Biblical Stewardship this morning, and I think you should know about it too. It has a lot of free stuff that I think pastors would find very helpful.
I even found an outstanding article by Bill Montgomery with the Florida State Baptist Covention. It's worth reading!
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SBCOutpost wins recognition and approval
SBCOutpost has been redesigned as a collaborative blog on Southern Baptist news and commentary. It's now been endorsed by such leaders as Morris Chapman, Thom Rainer, Jerry Rankin, and David Dockery. This is yet another example of how social media is influencing our denomination. It's also inspirational to think about how this blog may influence church leaders and pastors in the areas of stewardship and giving.
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July 24, 2007
SBC Special Emphasis Days
For easy reference, click here for an electronic version of the annual wall calendar outlining all SBC special emphasis days by month through 2012.
If you want to order paper copies, call 1.800.722.9407 or e-mail your request.
(FYI...The paper wall calendars are FREE!!!)
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Rediscovering the history of CP
Yes, we need to talk about it. CP has unfortunately become a political tool to beat each other up with. This has left a bad taste for many and has led to an even further disinterest in CP. But I would argue that such a successful program shouldn't be quickly thrown out.
I'm not saying that nothing should change. CP was an invention of the industrial age. Now the challenge is to make it relevant in the postmodern age. And how you do that is simple. Southern Baptists must rediscover why CP was created. In other words, what problems did it solve? What were the circumstances that led to this machine that has effectively impacted Kingdom growth for almost 100 years?
In fact, I would bet that most church leaders and pastors--if asked by their members--would not be able to articulate the reasons why CP was created in the first place. The postmodern generation is waiting to understand "Why?" before we ask "How?"
Read more about the history of CP here.
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July 23, 2007
Offering Envelope Testimonial
Just thought I'd share this testimony with you from Jim Baker, Associate Pastor, Brentwood Baptist Church. It's very encouraging. I think the greatest contributor to success of envelopes at Brentwood is that they teach the use of envelopes as part of their overall stewardship strategy. What would happen if every church had an annual stewardship strategy and plan of action?
Jim writes:
The LifeWay Offering Envelope Service has become an integral part of the stewardship education and giving strategy for Brentwood Baptist. Sending the envelopes into member's homes on a monthly basis has helped contribute to an annual average increase in giving of over 20% a year for the the past five years. Further, by continuing to insert Building Campaign Envelopes each month after the three year campaign concluded has netted an additional $500,000 in contributions toward our Building Fund. Emphazing the offering envelopes in Sunday School Classes and adult and children's worship services has created ongoing opportunities to teach regular, proportional, generous and joyful giving and giving as an act of worship.
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Get rich slowly
Get rich slowly is a blog that I read almost every day. It examines personal finance issues within the context of every day life events. The post today I thought was very fitting for our collective conversation on personal debt and how it affects church giving.
What makes the SBC It's A New Day campaign so important is that peoples' ability to give generously to their local church is directly related to their level of debt. That's a fact. We, as church leaders, must demonstrate or offer an alternative to the debt-driven lifestyle the world says is acceptable.
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July 20, 2007
10 ways to increase your giving
Denny Wright is the one responsible for stewardship and giving for Arkansas Baptist Convention. (He is also the new SDA president!)
He put together a PowerPoint presentation entitled "10 Ways to Increase Your Church Giving" that he shares with the churches in his state. I thought it was very well-done, so I asked if I could share it with everyone else through this blog.
He agreed. (Thanks Denny!)
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BFM on stewardship
I came across a general commentary on Article 13 of the BFM that speaks directly to Stewardship this morning.
To refresh your memory, read the exact text of Article 13.
What bothers me is that this article was written in 2002. Why have so few articles been written on a subject that speaks to the very ability for the local church to exist: the time, talent, and resources of its members?
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Southwestern addresses stewardship
Southwestern is the first Southern Baptist seminary to address stewardship on an organizational level with the creation of the first-ever Center for Biblical Stewardship.
The Center is led by Scott Preissler and is housed in the School of Theology. (Read more about Scott here.)
This move validates the conversation on stewardship within the life and operation of the local church. It also provides a platform to re-energize a topic that is quickly fading into the margins of church leadership.
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July 19, 2007
Everything is on the table
The SDA summer meeting could easily be described as being inspiring and overwhelming all at the same time. There is definitely a consenus that the teaching of Biblical Stewardship has all but evaporated from church discipleship programs. Further, it is often reduced to fundraising and capital campaigns.
I sensed that many in the room understood the need to revisit and redefine the role of Biblical Stewardship in the life of the church and in the life of the believer. The question is how do we go about doing that.
As a professor once told me, the worst thing you can do when asking questions is to try to find an answer before you have lived into the question.
We are asking the questions. Now we must live into those questions. In doing so, we'll find our answers. But it may mean that change must take place within how church leaders approach stewardship too. It may mean that we start from "square one" and lay everything on the table.
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Philanthrocorp
We spend a lot of time talking about giving 10% in the church. And for the most part, people understand that tithe means 10%. But what about the other 90%? What about estate planning? Does stewardship speak to those areas as well?
One area of support that churches have neglected is the area of giving through estate planning. Tithing only lasts while you live in this world; it ends when you die. Philanthrocorp helps churches develop a ministry of planned giving.
This speaks to 100% of the money that God has entrusted to us. If we believe that stewardship applies to every area of our lives, then our estate must be part of that as well.
Foundations, Universities, and countless other organizations have been thriving from planned giving for years. It's worth a closer look at how planned giving might impact local church ministry.
For an example of a church doing this now, check out Calvary Baptist Church in North Carolina.
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July 17, 2007
Colorado is a mission field
The keynote address at last night's dinner was given by Mark Edlund, Executive Director of the Colorado Baptist Convention. He shared about his background in foreign missions. He said that when he left the mission field, he left a part of himself. (At least that's what he thought.) He discovered that Colorado is just as much of a mission field as was Japan.
Colorado is very different from the culture of the Bible Belt. He shared the complexity of the population. I think it's indicitive of our culture. The "mass market" approach to church is over. It time to begin thinking about reaching people groups in a variety of ways.
Let's focus on results.
What I found most inspiring in his address was that he never said he had "figured it out." In fact, he admitted trying some things that worked and others than didn't. This transparency is refreshing because we all feel like this. We simply aren't as honest with ourselves and others as we should be. But this is the spirit we need to carry us through as we work to restore the relevancy of the church.
Planning is good. Strategy is important. But nothing suprasses action.
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July 16, 2007
Success stories needed
One of the goals that I have for this blog is to be able to share success stories. Let's talk about what worked. This is always furtile ground for new ideas that pastors and church leaders can use.
So, have you experienced success in the area of stewardship and giving in your church? What did you do? What was the outcome?
(Be sure to include a way for others to contact you in case they want to ask further questions.)
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SDA summer meeting this week
I'm attending the Stewardship Directors Association of the Southern Baptist Convention summer meeting this week in Colorado Springs, CO. The SDA is the professional association of all the State Convention Executives responsible for assisting churches in the areas of stewardship and giving. (In other words, these are the go to people for church leaders in each respective convention.)
I'm giving a presentation about LifeWay Envelope Service tonight. I'm excited about the cooperative and collaborative efforts that I'll discuss. Working together--LifeWay, the SBC Executive Committee, and the SDA--is a win-win for everyone, especially the local church.
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July 13, 2007
Microexplosion mentions this blog
Microexplosion is authored by Bill Seaver. (The guy who wrote the e-Book that is on the right hand side of your screen.) He is one of the most creative and innovative thinkers I know. And he knows his stuff when it comes to Web 2.0 and the social media explosion.
He mentions this blog in a post yesterday.
Bookmark his site and visit it often. And e-mail him if you're interested in how social media could benefit your ministry or church.
Thanks Bill for your commitment to Kingdom growth through social media and Web 2.0 tools and strategies!
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Ghana needs offering envelopes
The Ghana Bandage Project wins the award for finding the most creative use of offering envelopes ever!
LifeWay Envelope Service provides offering envelopes to Tabernacle Baptist Church, and the church ships them to Ghana as one of their ministries. (Learn more about Ghana Bandage Project.)
This project collects bandages and unused offering envelopes. The bandages are sheets torn into strips and rolled together to form a bandage. The offering envelopes are used to dispense pills through the hospital pharmacy.
For more information e-mail Vicki Barnes or call 770-386-2890.
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July 12, 2007
Annual stewardship strategy
Empowering Kingdom Growth is an SBC inititative that focuses on impact, influence, and change. Do More Minsitry is about focusing our energy on moving forward. Stewardship is the vehicle, the tool set, that provides the resouces to actualize our potential.
The pastors I meet who find themselves in the midst of growth and change are the pastors that find it necessary to build within their annual church strategy an inititative on Stewardship. It's about accountability. It's about submitting to the Lordship of Christ. It's about looking for an outward response to an inward commitment to return possession of our time, talent, money, and resources back to our Creator.
Building an annual stewardship strategy is a plan to facilitiate this within every believer that is a part of your local church ministry.
If you have one, I'd be curious to know what it is and how you put that together. (And I'm sure others would too.)
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A theology of offering envelopes
One of the first questions I ask my customers is "do you have a theology of offering envelopes?" Most of the time, the reaction is a blank stare followed by smirk as if I had just asked a trick question.
I intentionally created the phrase "theology of offering envelopes" because I believe it helps uncover why a church uses offering envelopes and the role they see envelopes play within the worship service.
The answer to this question is critical to uncovering whether or not churches will use offering envelopes next month, next year, in five years, etc. (And since I'm in the business of offering envelopes, I'm very interested in the answer to that question.)
So, do you have a theology of offering envelopes? Or maybe I could ask it this way: Do offering envelopes even matter?
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July 11, 2007
Bookmark this site
David Waganer, resource director for the SDA (Stewardship Directors Association) of the SBC, told me about Generous Giving. It's a virtual launching pad of information and resources.
I visited the site for the first time today. I'm impressed.
Posted by bstroup at 9:03 AM | Comments (0)
Investing for eternity
Alan Gotthardt is a successful money/investment manager to people with a very high net worth. But he is also a believer. He published Eternity Portfolio to reveal an investment strategy that will ensure you leave a legacy that impacts the Kingdom in addition to providing for yourself and your family.
It's a simple yet brillant concept. Decide how much you'll need to live or to have the lifestyle you desire. Then, invest to protect and provide this lifestyle for you until the end of your life. Everything you earn over and above what you need to meet you personal goals is invested in things that benefit Kingdom-building organizations and causes.
This is a little more complex than just making a charitable donation, but that could be part of your strategy. You build it just like you would a personal investment portfolio. It'll be different for every person.
This isn't only for the super wealthy. It's for the regular joe (like me!) too.
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July 10, 2007
Creative ways to use offering envelopes
I'm in the offering envelope business. And I know how boring the conversation can be when subject of offering envelopes comes up. But I've discovered that my customers (church leaders and pastors) are some very creative people. I pass along some creative ideas that I learned from them in a recent article.
You can read the article here.
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It's A New Day
If you're not already familiar with this new inititative from the Executive Committee, then I would encourage you to visit the official site for more information.
The tag question that you first read is "It's A New Day. How Will You Spend It?" (That's great writing...with multiple meanings.) I think it speaks to the fact that stewardship is larger than just money; it impacts every area of our individual and communal existence.
The one responsible for the design and implementation of this campaign is Ashley Clayton. He is someone that I've had the opportunity to spend some time with recently. (We're working together on a project that I'll tell you more about in an upcoming post.) He is deeply passionate about helping Christians free themselves from debt not to simply give more money to the church but to be available to be obedient to the call of God--whatever that may be.
It's a New Day is a breath of fresh air in the stale conversation on stewardship and giving.
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July 9, 2007
So where did the title come from?
Do More Ministry struck me as a phrase that captured the big picture of stewardship and giving. It's easy to view those two things as simply generating more church contributions--especially from my perspective as an envelope service provider.
But I believe that envelopes and stewardship are vehicles for and contribute to a much larger plan. And that plan is for churches to be able to do more ministry.
I regularly meet pastors who have big dreams for their church but lack the courage to make it reality. Often because the money just never seems to be there.
What if we, as church leaders, stopped thinking about generating more money and began talking about the dreams that God has placed in our hearts. Then, we determine what it's going to take to make those dreams reality.
So that's where "do more ministry" came from. Church weren't meant to be banks--sitting on large sums of cash only to generate interest from revenue. Churches were meant to be dynamic examples of the transformative power of Jesus Christ.
That's why when it comes to the topics of stewardship and giving...ministry (understood as a verb) seems to come to the front of my mind.
Do you agree?
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Let the conversation begin
I'm still new in my role in leading LifeWay Envelope Service. That means I still have more questions than answers. In the process of asking questions to my customers, I hear consistently the need for a place to exchange ideas, to share stories of success and failure, and to find one, single place for pastors and church leaders to visit to find a current, relevant conversation about stewardship and giving.
My hope is that this place will facilitate a virtual think tank. The net result will be the ability for pastors and church leaders to walk away with something new to think about or a new idea to try about two critical (and currently neglected) subjects in the organizational and spiritual management of the local church: stewardship and giving.
So join me...bookmark this blog...and return often.
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