In many congregations, August is the month when thoughts turn to the upcoming fall season, and especially, the fall stewardship program. For some, this is a time that is anticipated. It is a time to think about the ministry of the congregation and how congregants will support that ministry in the coming year. For others, for a variety of reasons, this is not a happy time. Some have had negative past experiences related to being asked to financially support a congregation. Some resent an annual ask for money. The reasons vary.
My own experience, fortunately, falls solidly on the positive side. My generosity journey can best be summed up by Jesus’ words recorded in Acts 20:34, “Happiness lies more in giving than in receiving.” (New English Bible) In their provocative book The Paradox of Generosity, Smith and Davidson claim that generous people get back more of what really matters in life, things far more valuable than what they give away. This has been true for me. As I have observed other people in over fifty years of being a pastor, I would say it has been true for many of them as well. Living generously brings joy, expanded community, and a sense of doing God’s work in the world. This is far more valuable than anything I would have done with the money given, had kept it for personal use.
The Joy of Generosity is a new financial response program that explores and celebrates the joy God’s people can experience through living generously, especially through their congregation and its ministry. The program explores joyful generosity by looking at scripture and providing the congregation the opportunity to tell the story of the ministry that results from the generous giving of time and treasure by the people of the congregation.
The Joy of Generosity is a four-week program. Each week includes a message distributed to congregants during the week, a bulletin insert and projection slide for use during worship, suggestions for a talk in worship to be given by a lay person, and resources for the preacher to use so the sermon relates to the theme of the week.
The theme of Week One is “The Joy of Generosity”. Materials explore several Bible passages which announce that joy is to be found in generosity, not in accumulating money and stuff. The contrasting generosity stories of the rich ruler in Luke 18 and Zacchaeus in Luke 19 are highlighted, and Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey from stinginess to generosity and the resulting joy generosity brings are possible sermon material.
The theme of Week Two is “The Joy of Living in Community”. The congregation is encouraged to tell stories of how its ministry supports people in life’s journey. Community members are invited to consider why the congregation is important in their lives. Biblical focus in Week Two is on the generosity of God’s people in the construction of the tabernacle in Exodus 35 and 36, and the experience of the early church when those in the community with financial resources gave those resources so that those in need might have enough (Acts 2 and 4).
Week Three focuses on “The Joy of Doing God’s Work Together”. The ministry of the congregation in the community and the world is described during this week. The Biblical focus is the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus’ pointed question to the lawyer, “Who was a neighbor?” to the man in need, invites the congregation to consider those currently in need as neighbors whom they are called to help.
During Week Four congregants are asked to consider increasing their giving to the congregation by 1% of their household income. A chart is provided that enables people to discover what this increase is, based on their annual income and their giving pattern, whether they give weekly, monthly, or annually. A commitment card is provided, which can be customized by the congregation.
Follow-up suggestions and sample thank you letters are included in the final section of the program.
The Joy of Generosity will be available free of charge on the ELCA website by the end of August. Go to www.elca.org/stewardship. The entire program will be presented in one file which can be printed and used as the primary resource as congregation leaders plan and implement the financial response program. Also, each individual element of the program will be available in a customizable format so those leading the program can insert specific information about the congregation and its ministry. Customized materials will have a local “look” and examples specific to the congregation.
