Annual Stewardship Campaign
Annual Stewardship Campaign
"Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly."
- 1 Chronicles 29:9
I. The Challenge ~ Creating a Culture of Christian Stewardship
I. The Challenge ~ Creating a Culture of Christian Stewardship
Christian Financial Stewardship is a spiritual issue, and spiritual issues require a spiritual approach. Each FCS campaign is designed to personally challenge members of every household in every congregation to discover a new abundance and sense of generosity by reimagining their life, faith, ministry, and legacy through Christ. The foundation for this renewal is the spiritual principle that God calls all Christians to give.
II. Answering The Challenge ~ Begins with a Philosophy
II. Answering The Challenge ~ Begins with a Philosophy
There is one universal fact about every church everywhere : every individual in it is different. So, if every person in your church is different, why do you treat them all the same?
The heart of the FCS process is identifying these differences and adapting our communications to meet people where their need really is.
The problem when it comes to Christian Stewardship is that the "church" approaches each of these distinct groups having very different vested interests with a common message and then wonder why the results for an annual appeal are the same year after year.
The Challenge is to discover what message will best touch the group. This is the foundational concept supporting the FCS strategy.
III. Answering The Challenge ~ is about Charting a Path
III. Answering The Challenge ~ is about Charting a Path
Traveling on any journey requires knowing the path you plan to take. When building a culture of Christian Stewardship, the description of that path begins with defining the steps you need to take to arrive at your destination. In particular, the advantage of building a culture of Christian Stewardship in collaboration with FCS is the use of special technology-based Variable Data Processing (VDP) tools that will allow you to communicate with your people without overloading staff and lay leaders.
IV. Answering the Challenge ~ is building Leadership through Prayer
IV. Answering the Challenge ~ is building Leadership through Prayer
In the FCS process, we use the term "call" to describe how we go about inviting others to the process-- and it always begins with prayer. It is through conversations that people-to-people relationships are best built and sustained. Talking with God about difficult decisions is no different. When we ask God to tell us how to best use the talents of people in our church, our conversation with Him will often open doors to individuals within the church who might not otherwise be willing to participate.
V. Answering the Challenge ~ requires understanding the roles
V. Answering the Challenge ~ requires understanding the roles
Every great journey beings with the first step. Identifying the first four roles and who will answer the call first, other than the Pastor, is that first step. Throughout the processes outlined in the FCS guide that are intended to be used, one of the most important is the composition of a church's Stewardship Campaign Team.
VI. Answering the Challenge ~ requires timing
VI. Answering the Challenge ~ requires timing
The best effort is always made when the timing or calendar is established and understood by all Team Leadership. The next step in the FCS campaign is a rough sequence of events and milestones that will be calendared on the KEPHA online project management site for each participating church.
A culture of Christian Financial Stewardship will foster a further expansion of a life with Christ by continually encouraging people to ask, "How do I manage my life and God's resources in His best interest?," and, "When people see the way I live and through my example the way I manage God's resources, do they catch a glimpse of Christ?"
As Christian Financial Stewardship becomes an endemic part of your church's culture, people will take vested ownership in every ministry supported by the church. It is true. With a culture of Christian Financial Stewardship, whether people actively participate in a particular ministry or not, they will still support it. Why? People support, enhance, and expand those things in which they have a vested interest by sacrificing in ways they might not otherwise. That is what an FCS campaign is truly about.