What are We Offering at the Offering? Part 1
For many of us, the tradition of collecting the offering in baskets is deeply etched in our early worship memories. In fact, I share a particular experience wit... Read more.
Our Top-Five Personal Finance Podcasts
When it comes to the topic of financial wellness resources, the challenge isn’t a lack of information. In fact, it’s just the opposite. There are so... Read more.
Simplifying Stewardship – Part Two
Last week, Becca Ehrlich introduced the concept of minimalism, noting its connection to Christian values. In this week’s post, Becca takes the story deeper &#... Read more.
Simplifying Stewardship – Part One
Summer is often a time for moving. I remember my first moving truck — it was the smallest the company offered, and we didn’t get close to filling it. No... Read more.
Moving from Ugh to Ahh!
Sometimes I like to play a word association game with church groups. It all goes fine until I get to the word, “stewardship.” Let’s just say…the church ... Read more.
Cheering on Our Children…and Adults
Learning by doing. It’s a simple concept, yet so much of our approach to faith life gets caught up in the theoretical. Or, for stewardship leaders, the spread... Read more.
Incremental Stewardship
“Compound interest,” the old quote goes, “is the eighth wonder of the world.” Or, humanities’ “greatest invention.” But why? Well, it may be becau... Read more.
The Importance of Gifts Policies – Part Two: Retiring Gifts
In his “The Importance of Gift Policies” post last week, The Importance of Gifts Policies – Part One: Receiving and Refusing Gifts, Bruce Barkhauer de... Read more.
The Importance of Gifts Policies — Part One: Receiving and Refusing Gifts
Let’s be honest, the word “policy” probably doesn’t bring to mind creative, innovating, life-changing ministry. Yet, wise leaders know policies are inte... Read more.
The Baptismal Call of Stewardship
Like many of you, I can’t remember my own baptism. Yet, I’m reminded of it often in the act of public worship, and in the invitation to touch the water of t... Read more.
Growing Generosity (Part 2)
Last week in Growing Generosity (Part 1) Catherine Malotky introduced the concept “high net worth” donors using a measure that may have surprised you. This ... Read more.
Growing Generosity (Part 1)
I recently saw a tweet linking to a dozen charts depicting twelve wildly differing definitions of what it means to be “middle class” in the U.S. Unfortunate... Read more.
Building Faithful Margin as Stewards of our Personal Finances
Recently, my wife and I were having dinner with a newly married couple. As happens in my line of work, the topic of finances came up. The newlyweds were astonis... Read more.
Imagination, Young Adults, and Stewardship
Last week, Pastor Jeni Grangaard, who works in global mission for the ELCA, reminded us of the gift of time and her walks in a beautiful valley in Jerusalem. Th... Read more.
The Stewardship of Now
Folk singer David LaMotte has a song with a chorus, “There’s no time like the present…and there’s no present like time.” In today’s post, Pastor Jen... Read more.
Review: Holy Currencies: 6 Blessings for Sustainable Missional Ministries
This week, Alex Benson reviews a helpful stewardship book that works to step back from traditional stewardship frameworks to engage congregational development h... Read more.
Discovering Innovation in the Story
Sometimes we can get overwhelmed by the wide array of out-there innovative possibilities and miss the potential right in front of us. In today’s post, Chandle... Read more.
Boosting Digital Giving
Our newsletter articles on digital giving are consistently some of our most popular and most referenced pieces. In the past, we’ve written about the benefits ... Read more.
Stewardship for the Scattering
It’s always fun to describe my job to people who have no connection to the Christian faith. They have heard the word, “stewardship,” of course, but not ex... Read more.
Stewardship vs. Funding the Church — Part 2
In the early 2000s, president George W. Bush used a particularly apt, catchy phrase in an education policy speech: “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” B... Read more.
Stewardship vs. Funding the Church — Part I
In my course, “Starting New Missional Ministries” students have an assignment in which they respond to the prompt, “In a world of conflicting values, plur... Read more.